Lifeline Ask-It Basket Questions and Answers - Overeaters Anonymous

Lifeline Ask-It Basket Questions and Answers
The following topics are addressed in the questions and answers below:
ABSTINENCE—A DEFINITION OF ........................................................................................................1
ABSTINENCE—AS PRIMARY PURPOSE .............................................................................................1
ABSTINENCE—BACK TO BACK ...............................................................................................................2
ABSTINENCE—CLAIMING WHILE GAINING WEIGHT ..............................................................3
ABSTINENCE—MEANING OF “GOING TO ANY LENGTHS” .....................................................3
ABSTINENCE—REPLACED AS TOOL BY PLAN OF EATING .....................................................4
ABSTINENCE WITH PLAN OF EATING TOOL .................................................................................4
ANONYMITY—AS TOOL ..............................................................................................................................5
ANONYMITY—ADDRESSES/NAMES OF RETREAT PARTICIPANTS ...................................6
ANONYMITY—IN PHOTOS ........................................................................................................................7
ANONYMITY—IN PHOTOS AND VIDEO TAPES .............................................................................8
ANONYMITY—LAST NAMES .....................................................................................................................9
ANONYMITY—NAMES AND PHOTOS IN NEWSPAPERS ...........................................................9
ANONYMITY—RELAPSE ...........................................................................................................................11
ANONYMITY—TRADITION TWELVE ..................................................................................................12
ANONYMITY—TRADITIONS ELEVEN AND TWELVE .................................................................13
ANONYMITY—WHEN WRITING PROFESSIONALLY .................................................................13
ANOREXIC AND TRADITION EIGHT .................................................................................................14
ASK-IT BASKET QUESTIONS—ANSWERED PERSONALLY? .................................................15
ASK-IT BASKET QUESTIONS—APPROPRIATE KINDS ............................................................16
ATHEIST—SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE .................................................................................................16
ATTRACTION ..................................................................................................................................................17
BIRTHDAYS—FIRST DAY ABSTINENCE OR FIRST DAY ATTENDENCE .........................18
BOARD OF TRUSTEES—ABOUT ............................................................................................................18
BYLAWS—INTERGROUP’S NEED FOR ..............................................................................................19
CHILDREN—AT MEETINGS OR BABYSITTING ............................................................................20
CHILDREN—BABYSITTING FEES AND BREAKING SEVENTH TRADITION ..................20
CHILDREN—BABYSITTING FEES/SEVENTH TRADITION/OTHER USE OF MONEY 21
COMPULSIVE OVEREATER—RECOVERING OR RECOVERED ...............................................21
CONCEPTS—TWELVE CONCEPTS OF OA SERVICE ....................................................................22
CONCEPTS—TWELVE CONCEPTS OF OA SERVICE PAMPHLET ..........................................23
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CONFIDENTIALITY—FIFTH STEP .......................................................................................................23
CONFRONTATION OF INTERGROUP PARTICIPANTS .............................................................24
COPYRIGHT—GUIDELINES (SOME PARTS OUTDATED AS OF MAY 2001) .................25
CROSS TALK—A DEFINITION ...............................................................................................................26
CROSS TALK—FURTHER CLARIFICATION .....................................................................................27
CROSS TALK—VERSUS DISCUSSION ...............................................................................................28
CROSS TALK—VERSUS SHARING .......................................................................................................29
DELEGATE—FUNDING ...............................................................................................................................30
DELEGATE—REPORTS ...............................................................................................................................30
EMAIL AT WORK ..........................................................................................................................................31
ENTERTAINMENT COUPON BOOKS ...................................................................................................31
EXERCISE .........................................................................................................................................................32
GROUP CONSCIENCE—NEEDLEWORK .............................................................................................32
GROUP CONSCIENCE—TRADITION ONE ........................................................................................33
GROUPS—A DEFINITION ........................................................................................................................34
HOW—ACTIONS IN AN AREA ...............................................................................................................34
HOW—GROUPS AND FOOD PLANS ....................................................................................................35
HOW—HOW CONCEPT AND TRADITIONS VIOLATIONS .......................................................36
INTERGROUP SERVICES—SUPPORTED BY SEVENTH TRADITION .................................37
JOURNALS AND DEATH ............................................................................................................................38
LETTERS FORWARDED FROM WSO ...................................................................................................40
LIFELINE IN TWELFTH-STEP WORK ................................................................................................41
LITERATURE—APPROVAL AND TRADITION SIX .......................................................................41
LITERATURE—COST OF OA’S “TWELVE AND TWELVE” .........................................................42
LITERATURE—HOW DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS ARE ADDRESSED .......................................43
LITERATURE—NON-OA-APPROVED AND OUTSIDE ISSUES ...............................................44
LITERATURE—NON-OA-APPROVED AND TRADITION SIX ..................................................44
LITERATURE—NON-OA-APPROVED: CITING IN MEETING .................................................45
LITERATURE—NON-OA-APPROVED: OFFERING IN MEETINGS ........................................45
LITERATURE—ORDERING FROM HAZELDEN ...............................................................................46
LITERATURE—PAYING FOR PAMPHLETS AND SEVENTH TRADITION ..........................46
LITERATURE—USE OF WORD “GOD” IN ........................................................................................47
MAILING LISTS ............................................................................................................................................48
MANDATE .........................................................................................................................................................48
MEDICAL ADVICE/MEDICATION ........................................................................................................49
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MEETING GUIDELINES .............................................................................................................................50
MEETING RECORD .......................................................................................................................................50
MEETINGS—ANNOUNCEMENTS ...........................................................................................................51
MEETINGS—ANNOUNCING SOCIAL EVENTS ...............................................................................52
MEETINGS—ATTENDANCE ......................................................................................................................53
MEETINGS—BORED IN .............................................................................................................................54
MEETINGS—CLOSING ...............................................................................................................................55
MEETINGS—“DIGNITY OF CHOICE” FOCUS WITHOUT EXCLUDING MEMBERS .....55
MEETINGS—FOOD AS TOPIC ................................................................................................................56
MEETINGS—FOOD: MENTIONING SPECIFIC FOODS IN MEETINGS ..............................57
MEETINGS—FOOD: MENTIONING SPECIFIC FOODS IN MEETINGS AND LIFELINE
...............................................................................................................................................................................57
MEETINGS—FOOD (REFRESHMENTS) AT MEETINGS .............................................................58
MEETINGS—GRAY SHEET .......................................................................................................................59
MEETINGS—HEALTHY OR STRONG? ................................................................................................60
MEETINGS—READING FAX, EMAIL OR READING STORY FROM IG NEWSLETTER 61
MEETINGS—REMOVING SPECIAL-INTEREST DESCRIPTORS FROM MEETINGS
LIST .....................................................................................................................................................................61
MEETINGS—RINGING CELL PHONES ...............................................................................................62
MEETINGS—SHARING ..............................................................................................................................63
MEETINGS—SHARING-REQUIREMENTS IMPOSED ..................................................................63
MEETINGS—SHARING REQUIREMENTS VERSUS TRADITIONS .......................................64
MEETINGS—SPECIAL INTEREST/FOCUS MEETINGS ..............................................................65
MEETINGS—STARTING A NEW MEETING ......................................................................................65
MEETINGS—STEERING COMMITTEES .............................................................................................66
MEETINGS—THEATER-STYLE SEATING ..........................................................................................67
MEETINGS—TIMEKEEPING ....................................................................................................................67
MEMBERS—DIFFICULT AND/OR DISRUPTIVE ...........................................................................68
MEMBERS—LONGTIMERS .......................................................................................................................69
MEMBERS—NEGATIVE OA MEMBER OR DUMPING ..................................................................70
MEMBERSHIP RETENTION—MEMBERSHIP DECLINE AND INTERGROUP SERVICE
...............................................................................................................................................................................70
MEMBERSHIP RETENTION—REASONS FOR MEMBERSHIP DECLINE ............................71
MESSAGE OF OA—PRIMARY MESSAGE ...........................................................................................72
MESSAGE OF OA—WHAT IS IT? ..........................................................................................................72
NEWCOMERS—MEETING .........................................................................................................................73
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NEWCOMERS—PACKETS ..........................................................................................................................73
OTHER TWELVE-STEP PROGRAMS ....................................................................................................73
OUTREACH—FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO NEW GROUPS ...........................................................74
OUTREACH—TO GROUPS IN OUTLYING AREAS ........................................................................75
OUTSIDE ISSUES—ANNOUNCING FUNCTION AT MEETING ...............................................75
OUTSIDE ISSUES—NON-OA REQUESTS AT MEETINGS .........................................................76
OUTSIDE ISSUES—RELIGION ..............................................................................................................77
OUTSIDE ISSUES—TALKING IN MEETINGS ABOUT NON-OA ORGANIZATIONS ...77
OUTSIDE ISSUES—TENANTS’ MEETING ........................................................................................79
OUTSIDE OPINIONS ..................................................................................................................................79
OUTSIDE SPEAKERS—IN GROUPS ....................................................................................................80
OUTSIDE SPEAKERS—AT MARATHONS ..........................................................................................80
PLAN OF EATING—PRESCRIBED ........................................................................................................81
PHYSICAL RECOVERY— “RECOVERED” OVEREATER ..............................................................81
PHYSICAL RECOVERY—WHY IT’S IMPORTANT .........................................................................82
POLICY STATEMENTS ...............................................................................................................................82
POWERLESS OVER FOOD BUT HAVE CONTROL .........................................................................83
PRAYER—LORD’S PRAYER .....................................................................................................................84
PRAYER—HP’S WILL, NOT SELF-WILL ............................................................................................85
PRAYER—SERENITY PRAYER ...............................................................................................................85
PUBLIC INFORMATION—ANONYMITY AND TRADITIONS ELEVEN AND TWELVE .86
PUBLIC INFORMATION—CAMPAIGN ...............................................................................................87
PUBLIC INFORMATION—LIMIT TO MEMBERS ONLY AND ADVERTISE EVENTS TO
PUBLIC ..............................................................................................................................................................88
PUBLIC INFORMATION—LIMITED BUDGET .................................................................................89
PUBLIC INFORMATION—PHYSICAL RECOVERY REQUIREMENT .....................................90
PUBLIC INFORMATION—PUBLIC AWARENESSS CAMPAIGN ............................................92
PUBLIC INFORMATION—RADIO AND TV ANNOUNCEMENTS ............................................93
SALES AT OA EVENTS ...............................................................................................................................93
SERVICE—ABLE TO DO IF UNABLE TO ATTEND MEETINGS ...............................................94
SERVICE—BURN OUT ................................................................................................................................95
SERVICE—INVOLVING LONGTIMERS IN INTERGROUP ........................................................95
SERVICE—POSITIONS AND LOSING ABSTINENCE .................................................................95
SERVICE—POSITIONS REQUIREMENTS AND TRADITION THREE ..................................96
SERVICE—ROTATION OF ........................................................................................................................96
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SEVENTH TRADITION—ALLOCATION ..............................................................................................97
SEVENTH TRADITION—ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS AND BABYSITTING .................98
SEVENTH TRADITION—CONTRIBUTIONS ....................................................................................99
SEVENTH TRADITION—FREE RENT ..................................................................................................99
SEVENTH TRADITION—MEETING IN HOME ...............................................................................100
SEVENTH TRADITION—PHOTOCOPYING ....................................................................................100
SEVENTH TRADITION—TREASURER’S REPORT .......................................................................101
SEVENTH TRADITION—TREASURER’S REPORT AND RIGHT TO KNOW ....................102
SEVENTH TRADITION—TWO DOLLAR DONATION .................................................................102
SLIP VERSUS RELAPSE ..........................................................................................................................105
SPEAKERS LIST ..........................................................................................................................................106
SPIRITUALITY .............................................................................................................................................107
SPLINTER GROUPS ...................................................................................................................................107
SPONSORS—A DEFINITION OF .........................................................................................................108
SPONSORS—ANONYMITY OF .............................................................................................................108
SPONSORS—FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ...................................................................................................109
SPONSORS—NEED FOR ..........................................................................................................................110
SPONSORS—NOT ABSTINENT ............................................................................................................111
SPONSORS—PREPARING TO BE ONE ............................................................................................112
SPONSORS—PROPER ROLE .................................................................................................................112
SPONSORS—SPONSORING OPPOSITE SEX AND THIRTEENTH STEPPING .............113
SPONSORS—SPONSORS ONLINE .....................................................................................................114
SPONSORS—TWENTY-ONE (21) DAYS ABSTINENCE REQUIREMENT FOR
SPONSORSHIP AND SERVICE ............................................................................................................114
STEPS—CHANGE WORD “GOD” IN STEPS AND TRADITIONS .........................................115
STEPS—CHANGE WORD “HE” TO “HE OR SHE” .......................................................................116
STEPS—STEP PRINCIPLES ...................................................................................................................116
STEPS—STEP-STUDY GROUP ..............................................................................................................117
TELEPHONE ANSWERING SERVICE ................................................................................................118
THIRTEENTH STEPPERS—HOW TO CAUTION THEM .............................................................118
THIRTEENTH STEPPERS—SPONSOR, SPONSOREE ................................................................119
TOOLS—CREATION OF ...........................................................................................................................120
TOOLS—PAMPHLET OUTDATED, REWRITTEN OR SHORTENED .....................................121
TOOLS—USING OUTDATED PAMPHLET ........................................................................................121
TRADITIONS—AND BYLAWS ..............................................................................................................122
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TRADITIONS—BREAKS OF DURING SHARES ............................................................................122
TRADITIONS—PROTECTING ...............................................................................................................123
TRADITIONS—TRADITION FOUR, AUTONOMY ........................................................................124
WAYS AND MEANS ...................................................................................................................................125
WORLD SERVICE BUSINESS CONFERENCE (WSBC)— SUMMARY AND DELEGATES
USE OF .............................................................................................................................................................125
WORLD SERVICE BUSINESS CONFERENCE (WSBC)—WHERE TO FIND REPORT 126
WSO CORRESPONDENCE ......................................................................................................................126
YOUNG PEOPLE ..........................................................................................................................................127
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ABSTINENCE—A DEFINITION OF
• At the 2002 World Service Business Conference (WSBC), our
Fellowship revised the definition of abstinence. What is the full
definition of abstinence? Why isn’t it included in the new
Suggested Meeting Format, and when are we likely to see this
definition included in our OA pamphlets?
WSBC Policy 1988b said:
“According to the dictionary, the word ‘abstain’ means to refrain
from. Abstinence in Overeaters Anonymous is the action of refraining
from compulsive eating.
“Recovery is the result of living the Overeaters Anonymous Twelve-
Step program.”
WSBC 2002 amended the policy to read:
“According to the dictionary, the word ‘abstain’ means to refrain
from. Abstinence in Overeaters Anonymous is the action of refraining
from compulsive eating.
“Spiritual, emotional and physical recovery is the result of living the
Overeaters Anonymous Twelve-Step program.”
Abstinence is and always has been “the action of refraining from
compulsive eating.” The only change to the policy was the addition of the
words “spiritual, emotional and physical” to the beginning of the second
sentence. This doesn’t change the definition of abstinence; it emphasizes
that abstinence is more than physical recovery. Recovery on all levels
comes through the Twelve Steps. (WSBC 1991c says that compulsive
eating and compulsive overeating can be used interchangeably; changing
“overeating” to “eating” doesn’t change the definition of abstinence.)
The literature hasn’t changed because the definition did not change.
The Suggested Meeting Format will be reviewed this spring, and we will
consider this and other suggestions.
— February 2004
ABSTINENCE—AS PRIMARY PURPOSE
• How will newcomers and members of my meeting know that
abstinence is still OA’s primary purpose?
If you are concerned that this message is not being conveyed at
your meeting, perhaps you might want to look at your meeting format.
Does your group read the OA Preamble? Do your topics and shares
emphasize abstinence from compulsive overeating by using our Twelve-
Step program of recovery? Do members discuss the importance of their
abstinence and how they maintain physical, emotional and spiritual
recovery? From our experience, groups have found the above actions do
relay the message of our primary purpose. As a group member, you may
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want to request a business meeting to discuss your concerns with the rest
of your group. Hopefully, you will find that others also share your
concern, and working together you will find the solution that works best
for your group through its group conscience.
— October 1995, reprinted from Lifeline, October 1995
ABSTINENCE—BACK TO BACK
• What is “back-to-back abstinence”? Does it mean no slips of any
kind?
Some OA members use the phrase “back-to-back abstinence” to
describe the length of time in which they have not deviated from their
food plans, or have remained abstinent without a slip. Another
interpretation of back-to-back abstinence is continuous abstinence. A
member’s food plan or plan of eating may change, but the member
remains abstinent.
— August 2001
• What is “back-to-back abstinence”? Are there degrees of
abstinence in OA? I hear the term “squeaky-clean abstinence.” In
AA I don’t think one would hear that someone could touch a drop
of alcohol and still be abstinent. In OA, shouldn’t it be that one is
either abstinent or not? What makes a slip different from a break
in abstinence? I sometimes feel that some in OA consider an
occasional use of a binge food as merely a “slip.”
The term “back-to-back abstinence” refers to the successive period
of time one has refrained from compulsive eating. Logically one could
conclude that as recovering OA members, we are either abstinent or not,
either eating compulsively or not. OA’s primary purpose in part reads, “to
abstain from compulsive overeating.” To abstain means to refrain from
something regarded as improper or unhealthy. If one is abstaining, he or
she is refraining from unhealthy food practices, period. “Squeaky-clean
abstinence” does not seem to enter the equation; nor can the degree of
abstinence be left up to the interpretation of those who may decide to use
the term. This term might be better applied to members’ plans of eating
and to how closely members follow those plans.
We can and do identify with the recovering alcoholic who lives in
sobriety and remains sober by way of the Twelve-Step recovery program.
The key word is “identify.” We serve ourselves better by not comparing
how maintaining abstinence may or may not be similar to remaining
sober.
It is plausible to describe a slip as making a mistake or erring in
judgment regarding food and food-related issues. A slip is a temporary
state. Returning to healthy food practices comes almost immediately,
avoiding a prolonged period of a relapse—a return of a disease or illness
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after partial recovery from it. If we’ve slipped, we are not refraining; if we
are not refraining, we are not abstinent. Others might have a different
interpretation. Exploring different viewpoints can be instructive and
conducive to OA unity through diversity. Above all, don’t quit trying!
The January 13 meditation in For Today reads, “If I slip, I will try
again. Practice makes perfect, and I expect to practice abstinence until I
‘get it.’ What is the alternative?” (p. 13). Page 6 of The Twelve Steps and
Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous says, “Denial of the truth
leads to destruction.” Voices of Recovery, page 357, states, “My
compulsion to overeat is cunning, baffling, powerful—and patient. If I am
wanting to eat inappropriately or to overeat, it will do me no good to
deny to myself what’s going on or seek to hide it from others. That kind
of egotistical pride will surely lead to relapse.”
Focusing on OA’s primary purpose to abstain from compulsive
overeating and to carry this message of recovery to those who still suffer
will keep us on the road of recovery— working and living the program to
the best of our ability—and in harmony with our fellow travelers.
— September/October 2006
ABSTINENCE—CLAIMING WHILE GAINING WEIGHT
• How can people claim to be abstinent while gaining weight? I
cannot compute that a person can gain weight without
overeating. When my brother died, I relapsed but never picked up
flour or sugar. To stuff back feelings, I binged on more food than I
needed. I did not call myself abstinent.
This is an interesting question and quite controversial. It’s possible
that an OA member is on medication that causes weight gain. It’s
possible that a member was previously underweight and needs to gain
weight. It’s also possible that a member is eating too much and therefore
gaining weight.
Speaking to someone when you notice a weight gain can cause
much fear: the member may be embarrassed, hurt or angry—or all three.
All we have to offer is our experience, strength and hope. You could
relate your own experience of gaining weight by eating too much, but still
abstaining from trigger foods.
You may be right or wrong about the other member. Be open to
either possibility. Take the chance; another member’s life could be at
stake.
— February 2007
ABSTINENCE—MEANING OF “GOING TO ANY LENGTHS”
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• What does “going to any lengths in keeping my abstinence”
mean?
It means doing whatever you need to do to not eat compulsively.
This may mean staying away from dangerous places if you are not in a fit
spiritual condition. It may mean accepting the conviction that there are
no excuses for not keeping your abstinence. In other words, no matter
what the situation may be, there is no possible reason to overeat.
Most members have found that it means using OA’s Twelve Steps
and the tools of the program instead of taking that first compulsive bite.
Making more phone calls, sponsoring and being sponsored, going to more
meetings or doing more service are some things members do to remain
abstinent and in recovery.
Going to any lengths also means making abstinence a priority. It is
up to you to decide how far you need to go to maintain your abstinence.
— April 2003
ABSTINENCE—REPLACED AS TOOL BY PLAN OF EATING
• The 1995 World Service Business Conference elevated
abstinence to emphasize it as our primary purpose and added a
new tool to replace it . . . “A Plan of Eating.” Our meeting
regularly reads and shares on the eight tools as listed in the Tools
of Recovery pamphlet. What should we do until the Tools of
Recovery pamphlet is revised? Should we stop reading the tools
or continue as we have been doing?
This is really a group conscience decision. Some groups may decide
to continue reading the tool of abstinence. Others may decide to stop
reading the tool and simply share on how a plan of eating has aided their
recovery. If your group elects this latter option, we strongly suggest
adding a reminder that OA as a Fellowship does not endorse or distribute
any specific food plan. Another option is to read from our OA pamphlet, A
Commitment to Abstinence. This pamphlet describes the term
“abstinence” and discusses various actions to help achieve personal
abstinence, including developing an eating plan.
Whatever your group decides, we ask for your patience while the
Conference Literature Committee revises our pamphlet. They are working
diligently to have it ready for a group conscience vote at the 1996 World
Service Business Conference.
— October 1995
ABSTINENCE WITH PLAN OF EATING TOOL
• If an OA meeting continues to use abstinence instead of a plan
of eating as a tool, is it breaking OA Traditions?
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In 1995, the World Service Business Conference voted “to remove
abstinence as a tool and replace it with a ‘plan of eating,’ leaving
abstinence as our primary purpose as outlined in the OA Preamble: ‘Our
primary purpose is to abstain from compulsive overeating and carry the
message of recovery to those who still suffer’” (Continuing Effect Motion
1995b).
Therefore, a meeting that continues to use abstinence rather than a
plan of eating as a tool is breaking OA Traditions. Tradition Four gives
each group autonomy “except in matters affecting other groups or OA as
a whole.” However, changing the tools is beyond the scope of that
Tradition and Tradition Two, and does affect OA as a whole because the
World Service Business Conference represents the collective group
conscience of OA. Using abstinence as a tool also treads on Tradition One
by putting OA unity in jeopardy.
— June 2000
ANONYMITY—AS TOOL
• I have wondered for many years about anonymity’s role as a
tool of recovery. I understand it as the spiritual foundation of our
Fellowship, but I’m not sure how to use it on a daily basis.
To be anonymous in OA means to be one among many, to accept
ourselves as no better or worse than our fellows. This acceptance places
us in a state of humility. It makes us teachable.
“Anonymity—the feeling that ‘I am nothing special’—is of
tremendous value in maintaining abstinence. It fosters humility and thus
guards against reemergence of that blind self-will that leads to the
compulsion to overeat” (Anonymity, OA booklet).
Anonymity not only gives us privacy and builds trust within our
groups, it does something much more; it enables us to get away from the
black-and-white thinking that we are very bad or very good. All of us in
OA must embrace the idea that we are working our program to the best
of our ability with no expectations of being put down or exalted.
As a tool, anonymity can eliminate all sorts of “stinking thinking”
that comes about when we insist on comparing ourselves to others, or
when our egos insist we take charge. Protecting the rights and boundaries
of all members in OA, we learn that we also have the right to privacy and
can begin to set up our own boundaries for peace of mind and recovery.
In this manner, the tool of anonymity, like the tool of abstinence,
frees us from ego, fear and exposure, and allows us to keep our focus on
ourselves. We are free to experience this program in a manner suited to
our own personal recovery without fear of criticism, judgment or ego.
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That, in fact, is the key to finding success in OA. Rather than
relying on individual members of OA, we rely on a Higher Power to
overcome this disease.
Further readings on anonymity as a tool and as a Tradition: OA
“Twelve and Twelve,” pages 199 to 207; AA Big Book, pages 567 and
568; Lifeline Sampler, pages 84 and 85, 95 and 96; AA “Twelve and
Twelve,” pages 184 to 187; OA pamphlet The Tools of Recovery; AA
pamphlet Understanding Anonymity.
— February 1999
ANONYMITY—ADDRESSES/NAMES OF RETREAT PARTICIPANTS
• Is it a break of anonymity to use names and addresses of
retreat participants to send them notices of future retreats or to
ask for their ideas about future events?
It is not a break of anonymity to send retreat notices to past
attendees or to request information from them. We may use our full
names and addresses within our OA service bodies to enhance our ability
to carry the OA message to other compulsive overeaters. The Traditions
stress protecting anonymity more at the public level than within OA.
— August 2004
ANONYMITY—BADGES
• When attending an OA event in a hotel, how do we handle
inquiries from non-OAers without breaking the anonymity of other
OA members who are wearing similar OA badges and who do not
wish to make their OA affiliation known?
Keep it simple. OA event planners should design plain badges that
protect the anonymity of OA; the badge might indicate only “Region 5” or
perhaps the OA logo. To avoid any inquiries from non-OAers wondering
about your badge, remove the badge before leaving the meeting room,
particularly when going out to eat. If your badge sparks an inquiry, or if a
non-OAer simply asks about your event or affiliation, you might respond
that you are here with a not-for-profit organization, or that you are
attending a workshop or seminar, and leave it at that. If the questioner
persists, you might restate your first answer and add whatever you
choose to share.
— March 1999
ANONYMITY—CARRYING THE MESSAGE
• Recently, I was at a restaurant with other OA members after a
meeting. Responding to our waiter’s interest in our discussion
6

about recovery, I informed him we belonged to OA. One of the
members strongly objected to what I had done, claiming I had
broken her anonymity. I understand her complaint, but I was
attempting to carry the OA message. Was it wrong to identify the
others, even though I was helping another compulsive overeater?
“Carrying the message” is a vital element of the OA program on
both the individual and group levels—the Twelfth Step and Fifth Tradition
attest to that. Many OAers believe it’s their duty to share their OA
recovery, a belief encapsulated by the OA Responsibility Pledge: “Always
to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for
this, I am responsible.”
Yet carrying the message should not come at the expense of
another member’s right to the anonymity guaranteed by the Twelfth
Tradition. As written on page 200 of The Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, “When we all respect the anonymity
of others, we can trust that nobody outside these rooms will know we’re
coming to OA unless we tell them ourselves.” Disclosing someone’s
membership in OA, even in our effort to share experience, strength and
hope, threatens a member’s trust in the safety of OA’s rooms. In order to
protect that security, we must allow all members to choose not only when
or where they will reveal their membership on the private level, but also
how they will carry the message.
— March 1994
ANONYMITY—CROSS TALK
• If a member, “Sue,” shares in a meeting and another attendee
comments that what Sue said reminded her of something, has
Sue’s anonymity been broken?
It would be a break of anonymity if someone shared outside of the
OA meeting that Sue was at the meeting, and if the person discussed
what Sue shared. In the situation presented here, anonymity is not an
issue because Sue identified herself and everyone in the meeting heard
what she shared. The issue is really cross talk.
— August 1999
ANONYMITY—IN PHOTOS
• Is it okay to take photos of people at OA events, such as
conventions? What precautions should we take to preserve
anonymity?
The Policy Statement on Anonymity adopted by delegates at the
1980 World Service Conference states:
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“Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our program, always
ensuring principles before personalities. This means that OA itself is not
anonymous but its members are. There are no exceptions. While OA may
be publicized, we do not break our individual anonymity at the level of
press, radio, films and television; and the recognizable facial exposure of
persons identifying as OA members at the level of press, films and
television is a violation of our Tradition of anonymity, even though the
first name only is given, or the entire name is withheld.”
If your question refers to individual OA members taking snapshots
of OA friends at an OA event, such as a convention—with their
permission—there seems to be no harm, providing the photographs are
for the personal enjoyment of the OA member taking the photos and the
photos will not be used in any way for publicity purposes or to identify
anyone as an OA member.
Anonymity is a matter of individual conscience. The only precaution
we can take is to make certain we explain the concept and importance of
anonymity to all members in the taking of a group conscience. For further
discussion of anonymity, see pages 199 to 202 of The Twelve Steps and
Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous.
— June 2002
ANONYMITY—IN PHOTOS AND VIDEO TAPES
• Case 1: At our last convention, a member took photographs of
other OA members, some with consent and some without. We had
quite a debate at our next intergroup meeting over members’
personal anonymity. How would you handle this situation?
• Case 2: I attended a marathon at which the speaker was
videotaped, with the speaker’s permission. Some people felt that
videotaping is a violation of the Traditions. Is it?
Twelfth Tradition states, "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all
these Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before
personalities.” Eleventh Tradition states, “Our public relations policy is
based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain
personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television, and
other public media of communication.”
Anonymity starts when we first walk in the door as newcomers. At
that point, many of us may feel ashamed. Almost all of us feel alone and
frightened. Here, at OA, our Fellowship is a safe haven. The trust, the
safety, and our personal anonymity should not be broken by any OA
member—no matter what, or how innocent, the reason. It is up to each
individual member to decide where and to whom membership in
Overeaters Anonymous will be divulged.
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If this newfound trust is destroyed, no matter how innocently, a
member may feel worse off than before coming to OA. And then, where
can a fellow compulsive overeater go? Personal privacy must not be lost.
In case 1: A photographer should obtain consent whenever
possible, especially in OA. Such photographs may be used for archival
purposes only and with everyone’s consent. In any other case, members
must be shown only from the back, in other words, with no frontal facial
exposure.
In case 2: Is the speaker an OA member, and was it explained how
this tape would be used? It is recommended that it only be used for
archival purposes within your OA group. Normally, it is recommended
that a video recording not be done at any meeting or any other OA event.
— November 1994
ANONYMITY—LAST NAMES
• When is it okay to use my last name?
Tradition Eleven describes the level at which it is not okay to use a
last name: “We need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of
press, radio, films, television and other public media of communication”
(emphasis added). The misconception is that our Tradition of anonymity
means we cannot use our last names under any circumstances. Can you
imagine going to the hospital to see Mary without knowing her last name?
Or attempting to check into a hotel at an OA event when you are rooming
with Susan, and the reservation is in her name? Or trying to find
Howard’s address, which you’ve misplaced, so you can mail him
information you promised to send.
We can use our last names within the Fellowship—for example,
when registering for an event, subscribing to a newsletter or signing the
meeting record book—or we can choose not to if we wish to protect our
anonymity. Members in service positions usually find it convenient to use
their last names to facilitate mailings and help other members contact
them. However, because the Twelfth Tradition guarantees each member’s
right to anonymity, it is important to ask permission before giving out
another member’s last name.
Common sense prevails. Will using my last name help me carry the
message to another compulsive overeater, extend help to a member or
ease communication within the organization? If the answer to any of
these is yes, then it is permissible.
— November 2002
ANONYMITY—NAMES AND PHOTOS IN NEWSPAPERS
9

• Why can’t I tell my story to a newspaper using my name and
photos to show how OA has worked for me? It might help
someone get well.
OA’s Eleventh Tradition states: “Our public relations policy is based
on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal
anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television and other public
media of communication.”
As it says in the description of Tradition Eleven in The Twelve Steps
and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous: “OA is a spiritual
program. When one person assumes the role of an OA spokesperson, his
or her action poses problems of a spiritual nature for the individual and
the OA Fellowship” (pp. 195-196).
While OA itself might help someone get well, the Fellowship is
responsible, not an individual. We want to do everything we can to tell
people about OA; however, it is not necessary and is against our
Traditions to promote ourselves.
Another reason not to reveal one’s identity is that if the person
shown in public as a recovering OA member then has difficulty, people
might think that OA doesn’t work. Why is your last name or photograph
necessary? You can show before-and-after body photos that would not
reveal your identity. You can tell your story and describe how much OA
has helped you to recover from compulsive overeating. You can give
meeting information, World Service Office information, intergroup
information and any other information that would help potential OA
members.
Remember what it says in our policy statement on anonymity,
which was adopted by the delegates at the 1980 World Service Business
Conference:
“Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our program, always
ensuring principles before personalities. This means that OA itself is not
anonymous, but its members are. There are no exceptions. While OA may
be publicized, we do not break our individual anonymity at the level of
press, radio, films and television; and the recognizable facial exposure of
persons identifying as OA members at the level of press, films and
television is a violation of our Tradition of anonymity even though the first
name only is given or the entire name is withheld.”
This quotation is from the Public Information Service Manual that is
available from the World Service Office. The “PI Manual” is highly
recommended for use by anyone who needs help with PI of any kind. This
resource includes the who, what, where, when and why of public
information.
— July 2003
ANONYMITY—NAMES IN INTERGROUP NEWSLETTERS
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• Is the use of last names in intergroup newsletters a break of
Tradition Twelve?
This question addresses two facets of Tradition Twelve: when is it
permissible to disclose a member’s full identity inside and outside the OA
Fellowship?
It is not a break of anonymity for a person to use his or her full
name within the Fellowship. In all instances, however, the question
should be asked: what is the need for doing it? In keeping with Tradition
Twelve’s driving concept of principles before personalities, few situations
may exist where disclosure of a member’s full name in publication is an
absolute necessity. One example might be registration for special events.
Even here, the member’s first name, initial of last name, mailing address
and phone number would suffice.
Consider also whether non-OAers will see the publication
containing the full name of an OA member. Under the provisions of
Tradition Twelve, an OA member’s identity may not be disclosed outside
the Fellowship. An intergroup newsletter or a promotional flyer might be
posted at a Twelve-Step clubhouse or other meeting facility where non-
OAers are present. The publication might be left inadvertently in a public
place or in an area of the household where other non-OA family members
might view it. Since these are all possibilities, full names of OA members
should not be printed in an OA publication, including newsletters and
promotional flyers.
For a fuller discussion of these issues, please read Tradition Twelve
in The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous and
the OA pamphlet Anonymity.
— December 1998
ANONYMITY—RELAPSE
• The OA pamphlet The Tools of Recovery says that “it is not a
break of anonymity to enlist Twelfth-Step help for group members
in trouble, provided we are careful to refrain from discussing any
personal information.” Where is the fine line between breaking
someone’s anonymity and doing Twelfth-Step work with an OAer
in relapse?
It may sound contradictory to encourage OA members to try to
carry the message to OAers in relapse while not “discussing any personal
information.” It can be done, however. If we find out another member is
in relapse, we have several options.
First, we can always pray for guidance, for the right situation to
present itself in which we might approach our friend with an offer of help,
encouragement, support or guidance through the Steps. Such a prayer
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might precipitate an attitude of true service, rather than one of
attempting to fix, manipulate or change someone else.
Second, we can talk with our sponsor, without revealing the identity
of the relapsing member, about our desire to be of the utmost service in
the situation. Sincerely soliciting points of view other than our own can
open us to our inner wisdom as little else can. It is crucial, though, that
we protect the anonymity of the friend in question at all costs. Such a
session could easily turn from one of service to gossip.
After doing these two things, we can invite the member for coffee,
make a phone call or write a brief letter expressing our caring and
willingness to help. It’s important here, though, to back off if the recipient
of the kindness does not want it. Someone who is not ready just is not
ready. If we come on too strongly, we could sour the person on OA
forever.
Anonymity, as one of the tools of the program, safeguards our unity
as a Fellowship. Gossip and taking inventory of other members weakens
our ability to carry the message—as a Fellowship and individuals. We
must not let “anonymity” prevent us from taking action when it is
appropriate and needed.
— October 1997
ANONYMITY—TRADITION TWELVE
• Recently, I announced that a friend was home for six weeks
recuperating from surgery and that she could use some calls. I
didn’t say what illness she had, what her last name was or where
she lived. But she felt I had revealed too much personal
information and had thus violated the Twelfth Tradition. Did I?
OA’s Tools of Recovery pamphlet states that “it is not a break of
anonymity to enlist Twelfth-Step help for group members in trouble,
provided we are careful to refrain from discussing any specific personal
information.” However, convalescing may not be the same as “in trouble.”
While your intentions were good in terms of wanting to offer group love
and support, the woman you were trying to help interpreted your
intentions as too revealing.
Is it possible that the surgery might have been of a personal or
private nature? Perhaps announcing that a person needs calls would
result in a lot of unwanted phone calls or visitors at a time when that
could be upsetting or even hinder recovery.
There is no official OA policy addressing your question. However,
one suggestion that works well in such a situation is to first ask the
person if such information may be disclosed to the group. Let the person
decide whether he or she wishes calls, cards or visits; then you can
confidently take the person’s wishes to the group.
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— September 1995
ANONYMITY—TRADITIONS ELEVEN AND TWELVE
• After OA meetings, I’ve discussed seemingly confidential details
about others. Even if they don’t refer to the person by name, his
or her identity may be clear. What can you tell me about
anonymity and confidentiality within the Fellowship?
Anonymity is a treasured Tradition as well as a tool of the program.
At the group level, anonymity assures us that only we as individual OA
members have the right to make our membership known. Ideally, it also
insures that everyone present at meetings can divulge personal
experiences, knowing that the information remains in the confines of the
room, and is not discussed among the members present.
In the publication Anonymity: The meaning and applications of
Traditions Eleven and Twelve, OA’s founder writes, “Early in our OA lives
we learn that, on a private level, we may tell anyone anything we wish
about ourselves, including the fact that we are OA members; but the right
to discuss other members within or outside OA is not ours.”
Of course, there is no way to guarantee that every OA member
honors this code. And at times, members may talk about others, unaware
that they are breaking anonymity. As individual OAers, it’s important to
remind one another of the protection that anonymity provides.
— May 1993, reprinted from WSO Notebook, November/December
1988
ANONYMITY—WHEN WRITING PROFESSIONALLY
• I am a creative writer and OA member. In writing a personal
memoir, I have not mentioned OA, saying only a Twelve-Step
fellowship has helped me recover from compulsive eating. Is this
a violation of Traditions? What guidelines ensure I do not violate
Traditions within my creative expression?
“When we maintain our tradition of anonymity we ensure that
Overeaters Anonymous will remain a spiritual Fellowship, supporting all of
us in our recovery” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of
Overeaters Anonymous, p. 198).
Remembering that anonymity is a matter of personal conscience,
let’s assume you’re reading a personal memoir about an alcoholic, for
example. The text does not mention AA but refers to a Twelve-Step
fellowship that helped him recover from alcoholism. What fellowship
would spring to mind?
Even such general details as “a Twelve-Step fellowship” that has
helped you “recover from compulsive eating” will probably cause readers
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to make the OA link without mentioning OA by name and in spite of
existing “sister fellowships.”
What does our literature say?
“In keeping the Eleventh Tradition, those of us who write books . . .
have two options. We can avoid calling ourselves OA members (even if
we say we are compulsive eaters). Then we are free to use our full names
. . . Here the emphasis is on the individual, and we are not connected
publicly with the OA program. Our other option is to go ahead and
identify ourselves as OA members. When we do this, we make sure our
faces are not shown and our last names are not used. When we are
careful to respect the Eleventh Tradition in this way, the emphasis
remains on OA, rather than on ourselves. When we ourselves write about
our OA membership . . . in books, we do not use our full first and last
names” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters
Anonymous, pp. 194–195).
What you suggest would not violate the Eleventh Tradition, but it
might be advisable to refer to “a support group,” a more general term
than “a Twelve-Step fellowship.” And you might refer to the underlying
Step principles and not the specific Steps (e.g., Step One).
Another possibility would be to use your first name only. This might
allow greater freedom in sharing your recovery as an OA member.
The following literature contains guidelines to ensure your creative
expression does not violate Traditions:
1. The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters
Anonymous, Traditions Eleven and Twelve
2. Anonymity: The Meaning and Applications of Traditions Eleven
and Twelve
3. The OA Web site (www.oa.org), Ask-It Basket Archives, under
the heading “Anonymity”
4. OA’s Public Information Service Manual, which provides
guidelines for dealing with the media
The comments above address your question, but also keep in mind
that making money from writing or speaking about OA activities is a
violation of Tradition Eight. The foundation of OA is sharing experience,
strength and hope, with no strings attached. OA members are
nonprofessionals. All have an equal opportunity to share in doing service.
Any activity that “carries the message” is Twelfth-Step work and must be
free from the dollar motive.
— July 2007
ANOREXIC AND TRADITION EIGHT
• While at an OA-sponsored retreat, several members approached
my sponsoree to say that they thought she was anorexic. I
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eceived a phone call from my very distraught sponsoree. She was
tempted not to come back to OA but decided to stay because she
needs the program.
The Eighth Tradition reminds me that I am not qualified to
give medical, nutritional or psychological advice.
My sponsoree is attending meetings on a regular basis, calls
in her food plan, is seeking professional advice and is working the
program as best she can. This woman is tired of people
commenting on her thinness, especially members in OA. Could
you please respond to this situation?
Sometimes friends who try to be helpful achieve the opposite
effect—their gestures hurt rather than support. You didn’t say that this
group consisted of friends of your sponsoree, but even the closest friends
confronting someone as a group could intimidate anyone. A confrontation
by a group of strangers might be very alienating, if not devastating.
When attempting Twelfth-Step work with OA members—as with anyone,
really—it must be done with respect and caring. As Step Twelve in The
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous states:
“When we set out to fix other people, we usually failed.”
Lifeline and the World Service Office have received letters from
some OAers asking for help in supporting anorexic and bulimic members;
they worried that since they didn’t share the same symptoms, that
maybe the program of recovery would be different. We hope that this
issue of Lifeline will shed some light on the fact that compulsive eating is
truly one disease with many symptoms and the same solution.
Perhaps the group that confronted your sponsoree feared her
thinness because they had some preconceived, erroneous notions about
anorexia and judged what they didn’t understand. Maybe they really
thought they were helping.
Some members may welcome such confrontations, finding them
helpful. Others, like your sponsoree, may see them as unfriendly. In any
case, it is up to each of us in the Fellowship to let others know what is,
and what is not, supportive to our continued growth and recovery in the
program.
And you are correct to say that the Eighth Tradition keeps us
forever “nonprofessional.” Thus, none of us is qualified to judge someone
else’s medical condition.
— August 1995
ASK-IT BASKET QUESTIONS—ANSWERED PERSONALLY?
• If I send a question to Lifeline’s Ask-It Basket, will it be
answered personally or only through the magazine? Is there a
15

separate mailing address for questions I want answered
personally?
Questions sent directly to the Ask-It Basket at Lifeline are kept on
file indefinitely, to be answered in the magazine as opportunities arise. An
answer in print could take months to appear, if not years, because of the
amount of mail received. When you write to Lifeline with a question, you
can specify that you would like a mailed reply, an Ask-It Basket reply, or
both.
If you have a question to which you’d like an immediate response,
you could write to your regional chair at your regional service office or to
your regional trustee at the WSO, either of whom could probably answer
most questions quickly.
Write to Lifeline [or] the WSO at PO Box 44020, Rio Rancho, NM
87174-4020.
— September 1995
ASK-IT BASKET QUESTIONS—APPROPRIATE KINDS
• What kind of question is appropriate for the Ask-It Basket? I
have zillions of questions, but I’m hesitant to send them in.
You ask it, we’ll answer it if we can.
This column is intended primarily to provide service information,
but inquiries about the Traditions, meeting procedures, sponsorship, and
other OA concerns are also welcome. Individuals and groups wondering
how to start a meeting or form an intergroup, people perplexed about the
specifics of anonymity, meetings struggling with financial problems—all
will receive a reply that is based on solutions that are working for other
OA groups.
Questions have ranged from an appeal for fund-raising tips from a
group about to fold to an inquiry about the function of the Board of
Trustees.
So, whether your question pertains to the group, to OA as a whole,
or is a matter of personal curiosity, send it in. It may benefit many
readers who are wondering the same thing.
— September 1992, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
January/February 1983
ATHEIST—SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
• My OA group accepts me as an atheist, saying OA is spiritual,
not religious. Still, I wonder how an atheist can have a spiritual
experience.
The Twelfth Step promises “a spiritual awakening as a result of
these Steps.” Atheists who complete the Steps find a spiritual awakening.
16

It is described in the Big Book as a psychological change of such
magnitude as to triumph over the compulsive behavior.
Those of us who are atheists will speak in nonreligious terms about
how we experience that spiritual awakening; we speak of a sense of
serenity, of harmony, of not battling the world, of acceptance. The
simplest test is whether we are freed from the obsession that has, in the
past, sent us back to compulsive overeating.
Those of us who are atheists encourage you simply to do the Steps
and not to worry about whether you’ll “get it.” If you do the Steps, you
will get it!
— May 2001
ATTRACTION
• How can we attract people to OA? Why don’t people stay?
The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous
(p.106) states, “Each day that we live well, we are well, and we embody
the joy of recovery which attracts others who want what we’ve found in
OA.”
Compulsive eaters come to believe this program can work for them
by hearing how it has worked for others. Most come to OA because they
are overweight or underweight, and they can’t stop obsessing about food.
OA attracts them because they hear about members who in the past have
overeaten compulsively or who have starved themselves but are now
abstinent and at a healthy weight because of working the OA program.
Initially, newcomers need to see OA members at a healthy weight,
members who have maintained their weight loss or gain. As people keep
returning to the program, they find OA attractive because its members
have long-term abstinence and report that by working the program, their
lives and relationships are better.
To give hope to others, we have to be the message. When we live
the program and follow it in all our affairs, we show by example that OA
works.
Despite seeing examples in recovering members, some people
leave the program. They may not have reached their bottoms and are not
ready to accept what this program has to offer. Some may be looking for
the easier, softer ways society offers. Others may think they can do it
alone. Still others may not believe the miracle experienced by recovering
OA members can happen to them, or they may not believe they have an
illness that affects body, mind and spirit and could be life-threatening if
left untreated.
The OA program requires a commitment and willingness to change
through working the Twelve Steps. Many people are not ready or willing
to take the leap of faith necessary to accomplish this.
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— June 2007
BIRTHDAYS—FIRST DAY ABSTINENCE OR FIRST DAY ATTENDENCE
• Is there an OA policy regarding birthdays? Does an OA birthday
refer to the first day of abstinence or the first OA meeting
attended?
A birthday observance at an OA meeting recognizes a member’s
first day and subsequent years of abstinence. The Group Handbook
expresses this point clearly. One of the duties of the group secretary, the
handbook states, is “keeping a file on OA birthdays, if the group wishes.
Birthdays are celebrated for each year of continuous abstinence.” In
addition to suggesting that birthdays, sometimes called anniversaries,
refer to abstinence, this statement alludes to the autonomy of OA groups.
Provided it does not injure other groups or OA as a whole, each group has
the freedom to choose its own practices under the Fourth Tradition, such
as whether or not birthdays will be celebrated.
OA defines abstinence as the action of refraining from compulsive
eating—each member must decide what that means personally.
Consequently, a member can only judge for herself or himself the
appropriate time to celebrate an OA anniversary.
— June 1994
BOARD OF TRUSTEES—ABOUT
• Here are some questions frequently asked of the OA Board of
Trustees. What does being a board member entail? Are you paid?
How often do you meet? Do you go to OA meetings? Do you have
a sponsor; do you sponsor others?
Here, in a nutshell, are the answers.
The Board of Trustees, which meets bimonthly, serves Overeaters
Anonymous as a whole and acts as guardian of the Twelve Steps and
Twelve Traditions.
Regional trustees serve as a liaison between the board and the
region-wide membership. Their major responsibilities include attending
regional assemblies, participating in Service and Traditions Workshops,
assisting the organization of service bodies within their respective
regions, investigating alleged Traditions violations and chairing board
committees as assigned.
The general service trustees, who meet monthly, function as the
executive committee of the board. They oversee the operations of the
World Service Office, which include consideration of policy, budgets, longrange
goals and legal matters. GSTs also chair board committees as
appointed.
18

All board positions are voluntary, non-paid OA service positions.
Travel and other expenses incurred while at board meetings and on OA
business are reimbursed by WSO, and occasionally, by other OA service
bodies.
Board members are recovering compulsive overeaters. Like all
other members of the Fellowship, their recovery is a result of working the
Twelve-Step program. Recognizing the importance of OA meetings, the
trustees incorporate them into the agenda at board meetings, and of
course, attend meetings within their own communities. Also, being
sponsored, sponsoring others and using the rest of the tools are crucial to
the trustee’s recoveries.
Just how do they do it all? In the words of one board member,
“With God’s help.”
— March 1991, reprinted from WSO Notebook, May/June 1989
BYLAWS—INTERGROUP’S NEED FOR
• Why does an intergroup need bylaws? Where can we get help in
writing our own bylaws?
There are two criteria involved in establishing an intergroup. One is
the affiliation of two or more meeting groups, and the other is the filing of
bylaws with the World Service Office. It is a safeguard to all OA groups,
intergroups and OA as a whole that just any group cannot form itself into
an OA intergroup. An intergroup is an official body of OA and must
establish itself by stating formally its principles of practice in a set of
bylaws.
When an intergroup sends the WSO its proposed bylaws, they are
forwarded to the Conference Bylaws Committee for review. This
committee reads the intergroup bylaws to be certain that they agree in
principle with the existing bylaws of OA and that they contain no Tradition
violations. The new intergroup’s bylaws are then filed at the WSO; this is
the basis for the official existence of the intergroup. If, for example, an
intergroup should form but fails to file bylaws with the WSO, then sends
delegates to the Conference, that intergroup’s delegates will have no vote
on Conference issues.
Help is available for newly forming intergroups. The WSO has copies
of sample bylaws that can be used as a foundation to write one’s own
bylaws. If more specific help is needed, one of the co-chairs of the
Conference Bylaws Committee may be called on to answer questions.
Contact the WSO Member Services Department for sample bylaws or the
names of current Bylaws Committee chairpersons.
— February 1998
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CHILDREN—AT MEETINGS OR BABYSITTING
• Several members of our group regularly bring their small
children to meetings. The youngsters are adorable and we enjoy
them, but the truth is they often disrupt the meeting. If it isn’t a
tot’s noisy game, it’s a mother calling to her child or running to
see what he’s up to every few minutes. We really value these
members and don’t want to lose them, but I’m afraid if we go on
as we are, we’ll lose the meeting.
Many OA groups have encountered your problem and resolved it in
varying ways. Some decide that no children will be admitted to the
meeting and ask to be listed that way in their intergroup directories.
Groups that have access to a separate room next to or near their meeting
room may choose to hire a babysitter to watch members’ children during
the meeting. This service should be funded through contributions of those
wishing to support it, rather than through the Seventh Tradition
collection.
Most mothers know that it is unrealistic to expect a young child to
sit quietly for one to two hours. After a couple of interrupted meetings, it
should be obvious that they need to look for a different solution to their
babysitting problem.
— May 1992, reprinted from WSO Notebook, March/April 1983
CHILDREN—BABYSITTING FEES AND BREAKING SEVENTH
TRADITION
• Is it breaking Traditions to pay our groups' weekly babysitting
fee from the Seventh Tradition collection? This expense keeps our
group groveling for funds and prevents us from contributing to
intergroup, region and world service.
This question, like most others, is best decided by group
conscience. Tradition Four, which safeguards group autonomy, gives each
group the freedom to function in a manner that works best for them, as
long as OA as a whole is not adversely affected.
The answer to money problems is often found in Tradition Seven,
which states, “Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining
outside contributions.”
Most OAers consider it inappropriate to use group funds for any
purpose other than support of the group and the larger OA service
structure. They do not consider members’ personal expenses, such as
babysitting fees, to be a legitimate part of group support.
A few groups, whose membership consists largely of people with
young children, choose to set aside a portion of their collection to pay a
20

abysitter. A suggestion passed on by several such groups is to hold
regular fundraising events to fatten the kitty and enable the group to
meet expenses and contribute its fair share to intergroup, region and
world service.
Still another suggested method of financing a group babysitter is to
set up a separate fund to which those using the service as well as other
members may contribute.
— June 1990, reprinted from the WSO Notebook, January/February
1987
CHILDREN—BABYSITTING FEES/SEVENTH TRADITION/OTHER
USE OF MONEY
• Why is it a no-no to pay a babysitter from Seventh Tradition?
Aren’t we allowed to pay our service workers? If so, what other
money should be used?
Tradition Nine states that OA, as such, ought never be organized;
but OA may create service boards or committees directly responsible to
those they serve. Babysitting does not fall into these categories. The
babysitting at a group meeting is not a service board or committee. On
the other hand, it is a wonderful service to offer to those in your area so
that they may attend meetings. There are different ways to “pay” the
babysitter(s). Some groups have a group-conscience meeting and decide
to pass a second basket strictly for the babysitter. That money is kept
separate from other funds to be used only for the babysitter. The group
and babysitter agree on the fee. Most members who have no little ones
are more than willing to put money in the second basket so everyone can
share without interruption. Some groups have a volunteer babysitter, but
the success of that arrangement may vary.
Other groups believe that babysitting is an outside issue and refrain
from passing a basket during the meeting to pay for this service. They
deal with the situation by having members talk after the meeting, and
they then agree to contribute to a fund for childcare. It is not made a part
of the format nor is there a collection taken during the meeting.
If other members have a better method, please share that
information with Lifeline.
— June 1998
COMPULSIVE OVEREATER—RECOVERING OR RECOVERED
• In a past Lifeline story, I saw a reference to a “recovered”
compulsive overeater. Is that an acceptable term? I thought we
were never really recovered.
21

Many OAers use the term “recovered.” Many use the term
“recovering.” Those who use “recovered” are emphasizing the change
within that has given them the miracle of recovery. Those who use
“recovering” are emphasizing the day-to-day work they do to keep
recovering. There are no rights or wrongs in this regard. We use the
words that feel most comfortable to us, keeping in mind that our primary
purpose is to carry the message of recovery to those who still suffer, as
Tradition Five points out.
— November 2001
CONCEPTS—TWELVE CONCEPTS OF OA SERVICE
• At the May 1996 World Service Business Conference, a motion
was passed suggesting that all intergroups, service boards and
regions read the Twelve Concepts at their meetings. What are the
Twelve Concepts, and how do they fit into my personal recovery?
In 1955, Bill W., AA’s co-founder, spoke at a convention about the
Three Legacies—Recovery, Unity and Service—and how the entire AA
Fellowship was responsible for Alcoholics Anonymous’ continuation and
growth. Service, AA’s Third Legacy, was an integral part of the AA
experience as it developed through the Steps and Traditions. In 1962,
AA’s General Service Conference adopted “The Twelve Concepts for World
Service,” written by Bill W.
OA’s Twelve Concepts of Service are spiritual principles that provide
a firm foundation upon which our Fellowship can practice the Twelfth
Step. They are practical guidelines for OA’s trusted servant—from group
secretaries to general service trustees. Just as the Twelve Steps are
spiritual principles we apply in our personal recoveries and the Twelve
Traditions are principles we use to keep our groups functioning well, the
Twelve Concepts are the guidelines we use to most effectively carry the
OA message.
These Concepts concretely describe OA’s service structure.
Concepts One, Two, Six and Eight depict the chain of delegated
responsibility needed for efficient and Higher Power-inspired OA service.
Concepts Three, Four and Five direct the trusted servant to wellconsidered
action: group participation, decision-making, voting and the
courage to question. Concepts Seven and Ten speak to the need for clear
and precise job descriptions. Concepts Nine and Eleven address the
process of choosing those who are most able to be OA’s trusted servants.
Concept Twelve ensures that OA service structures never become
governments, thus allowing the “hand and heart of OA” to be ever
available to those who need it.
Region Three adapted the Concepts for their use early on and
inspired others to study them. OA’s Board of Trustees established a
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Twelve Concepts Special Committee in 1989 to develop the Twelve
Concepts of OA Service. The Committee consisted of World Service
Business Conference (WSBC) delegates, intergroup and regional
representatives, and a trustee serving as co-chair. The committee wrote
several drafts of the Concepts during five years of World Service
meetings and local and area-wide study groups, thus allowing a thorough
discussion within the Fellowship before presenting them to the WSBC in
1993. In May 1994, after further review, discussion and prayer, OA’s
WSBC adopted The Twelve Concepts of OA Service. In addition, a
handbook carefully describing each Concept is currently being developed.
Since service is a basic part of our recovery program, these clearly
defined Concepts benefit all of us in OA.
(Text of The Twelve Concepts of OA Service followed the above.)
— September 1996
CONCEPTS—TWELVE CONCEPTS OF OA SERVICE PAMPHLET
• What are the Twelve Concepts of OA service?
OA’s Twelve Concepts of Service are spiritual principles that provide
a firm foundation upon which our Fellowship can practice the Twelfth
Step. They are practical guidelines for OA’s trusted servants—from group
secretaries to general service trustees. Just as the Twelve Steps are
spiritual principles we apply in our personal recoveries and the Twelve
Traditions are principles we use to keep our groups functioning well, the
Twelve Concepts are the guidelines we use to most effectively carry the
OA message.
The Twelve Concepts of OA Service pamphlet contains the full text
and explanation of the Twelve Concepts (available from the WSO, item
#330, $.75 each plus $2.25 shipping for US orders up to $15).
— June 2004
CONFIDENTIALITY—FIFTH STEP
• I recently did my Fifth Step with another overeater, someone I
felt I could trust. But, sadly, I’m still hearing from her about all
my “wrong doings.” She keeps bringing up the gory details at
inappropriate times, and I’m sure she has told others, too. How
do I counteract these actions?
As acknowledged on page 47 of The Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, “Indeed, admitting the exact nature
of our wrongs to another human being has been a frightening prospect
for most of us, for we’ve never before risked such complete openness
with another person.” Because of this risk, we are advised on page 48
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that, “It is important that we choose a trustworthy and understanding
person with whom to complete Step Five.”
How unfortunate that someone whom you trusted with the intimate
details of your inventory has chosen to violate your trust by bringing up
the character defects that you confided in her. While your question did
not indicate whether this individual was your sponsor, we will assume this
was the case. Likely, you will want to find another sponsor to help you
work through the remaining Steps.
Before doing this, however, you might first consider confronting this
individual in private and expressing to her how her action has been
hurtful to you. You might also read to her a passage from page 49 of our
OA “Twelve and Twelve” which states that in doing Step Five “we are not
looking for someone to tell us how to manage our problems. What we
need is a loving witness, someone who will keep our confidences and will
listen without judging us or seeking to fix us.” If you also have strong
concern that she has broken your anonymity with others, it might be
helpful for you to address this issue in the context of Tradition Twelve.
No matter how you decide to deal with this person, we encourage
you to continue your Step work, even if it means finding another sponsor.
The longer you postpone the continuation of this process, the more
difficult it will be to work your program.
If any other members have handled a similar breach of confidence
with a sponsor or other OA member, please send us the story of how you
were able to resolve this issue, hopefully in an affirmative way.
— April 1996
CONFRONTATION OF INTERGROUP PARTICIPANTS
• Why don’t we confront, and how do we confront, obvious denial
and disease in participants in intergroup?
First, look at your IG bylaws under qualifications for officers,
committee chairs and reps. Does your group have qualifications regarding
resignation if one has returned to compulsive overeating or has other
addictive behaviors related to food? Do the bylaws state whether the
officers/reps should attend OA meetings and work the Twelve Steps of
OA? Next, look at the job the person is doing. Are they meeting the
responsibilities of the job? What is the person’s behavior at IG meetings?
Is it disruptive?
Somehow in OA, we are reluctant to confront this issue. All persons
who state the desire to stop compulsive eating are welcome at meetings.
However, IG is the business of your groups. IG officers have an obligation
to make sure that IG decision makers are making decisions with clear
thinking. If they are into their disease, they cannot make clear decisions.
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State what you see and hear. Ask if the person has a sponsor, if
he/she is working with that sponsor or needs a sponsor? Is the person
going to meetings? Next, the individual and officers must come to a
decision. Is the person willing to become abstinent? Does he/she need to
step down from the position? Carefrontation needs to be done prayerfully
with the interest of the individual confronted foremost in mind.
Shaming is not tolerated. Neither is enabling. Care and love are
what this Fellowship is about.
— July 1998
COPYRIGHT—GUIDELINES (Some parts outdated as of May 2001)
• I am the editor of an intergroup newsletter. Just about every OA
newsletter I’ve seen reprints copyrighted OA or AA literature—
with or without crediting the source. I have, for instance, seen
whole pages photocopied out of For Today. Please give us some
guidelines as to what we may or may not use. Is it okay to quote
excerpts from The Twelve Steps of Overeaters Anonymous (with
credit given)? What about material from OA pamphlets?
Conference-approved literature is the main source of revenue for
OA. Respecting OA’s copyright is a way of guarding our Seventh Tradition
of self-support. Developing literature also fulfills OA’s primary purpose—
to carry the message of recovery to the suffering compulsive overeater.
If service bodies were allowed to reprint OA literature at will, it
would be difficult for OA as a whole to fulfill its Seventh-Tradition
directive. All OA literature, including audio and video cassettes, is
protected under U.S. copyright law. No one, including OA members or
service bodies, can reprint or reproduce excerpts from our literature
without a written request, and permission is only rarely granted.
Duplicating literature for other sources, including AA, also requires
permission. If you wish to print an excerpt from AA literature, write to:
Alcoholics Anonymous, General Service Office, Box 459, Grand Central
Station, New York, New York 10163.
It is faster and simpler to reproduce materials that don’t require
permission:
OA service bodies may reprint articles from Lifeline, A Step Ahead,
and the no-longer published WSO Notebook without permission as long as
credit is given (i.e., “Reprinted from Lifeline, March 1993,” “Reprinted
from WSO Notebook, November/December 1992,” or “Reprinted from A
Step Ahead, February 1993”). (Additional items added in May 2001.)
Under the “fair use” doctrine of copyright law, OA allows individuals
or service bodies to quote up to 50 words from copyrighted OA
publications over 50 words in length without requesting permission in
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advance, as long as proper credit is given. (No longer held to be true,
but it’s interesting to see from whence this came.)
Many well-known slogans and sayings (such as “one day at a time”
or “easy does it”) are not copyrightable and require no approval.
Keep in mind that copyright laws apply to all literature whether or
not you see a copyright notice: “© 19_ _ Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All
rights reserved.”
One of the most common copyright violations is the reprinting of
popular newspaper comic strips, without obtaining permission from the
newspaper syndicate. Printing comic strips or excerpts from outside
literature also violates Tradition Six. Before using material from an
outside enterprise, consider what message is being sent. Will reprinting
this material imply that OA is endorsing or affiliating with the author, the
enterprise, or the ideas contained within?
It might be helpful to have each issue of an intergroup or region
newsletter reviewed, prior to publication, by someone well-versed in OA’s
Traditions. While the WSO editorial staff has a deep understanding of the
Traditions, each issue of Lifeline and A Step Ahead is still reviewed by a
trustee before it goes to print.
The most challenging course for a newsletter editor is to seek out
and print original work. Ask members to submit program-related stories,
poems, and cartoons. This is a fun, recovery-enhancing way for members
to share.
More guidance can be found in the Guidelines for OA Newsletters,
included with the OA Guidelines packet available in OA’s literature
catalog.
— April 1993
CROSS TALK—A DEFINITION
• What exactly is “cross talk”? Are all comments and responses to
another person at a meeting cross talk? Is thanking someone for
something they shared considered cross talk? Or only if it’s
something negative?
There is no specific definition of cross talk in OA literature. The
Group Handbook suggests that in discussion meetings groups should
“give everybody a chance to participate, but discourage cross talk.” The
Suggested Meeting Format comes closer to a definition: “We share our
experience, strength, and hope in OA; feedback, cross talk, and advicegiving
are discouraged here.”
It seems from this that anything other than focusing on your own
experience during your pitch could fall into the category of cross talk.
That may include comments on what someone had just shared, no matter
if you are giving support or offering an opinion. In OA we should feel free
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to express what’s difficult to express elsewhere, unfettered from others’
judgment.
Yet telling how you faced a comparable situation or felt similarly is
common at meetings and can be, depending on your intention and tone,
the best way to share your experience, strength and hope.
Clearly this is a gray area. Part of what we come to OA meetings for
is to hear others’ recovery, see how they dealt with problems and feelings
similar to ours, and to know we’re not alone. But responding to what
others say is not sharing your experience; it’s your view of others in the
room.
The dictionary defines cross talk as “unwanted signals.” Since you
never know if another member will want your comments or not, or how
they will be taken, it’s best to steer clear of making them during a
meeting.
Sometimes it’s hard not to respond verbally immediately,
particularly when someone has shared something deep and painful, or
where there are tears. A loving hug or a pat on the shoulder may be the
best response. After the meeting has ended, talking with the person is
the best expression of understanding and support.
Interrupting another member is also considered cross talk. Beyond
the obvious need to respect each speaker, interruptions can be
disruptive, cut short a member needing to speak and result in someone
not being heard. To prevent this, many groups ask members to raise
their hands and be called upon by that day’s leader for sharing. They also
ask others not to share until it is their turn.
Tradition Four safeguards every OA group’s autonomy—problems
are decided by group conscience. If the cross-talk question troubles your
group, request a steering committee meeting where the issue can be
thoroughly discussed. Be sure each member’s personal definition of cross
talk is heard. Ultimately, the group consensus on what will be considered
cross talk in that meeting should apply.
— October 1992
CROSS TALK—FURTHER CLARIFICATION
• What is cross talk? Are all responses and comments to another
person at a meeting cross talk? Is thanking someone for
something they shared cross talk? Or is it cross talk only if the
comments are negative? (Same question as above but slightly
different answer.)
OA literature does not specifically define cross talk. The Suggested
Meeting Format states: “As you share your experience and strength in
OA, please also share your hope. Feedback, cross talk and advice giving
are discouraged here.”
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Discouraging cross talk provides the freedom in OA to say what is
difficult to express elsewhere. Shares not focusing on your own
experience may constitute cross talk, including comments in support of or
opinions in response to another person’s share. Such responses are not
sharing your experience; they are offering your view of others in the
room.
However, members do frequently share situations or describe
feelings common to the group. Members want to hear about others’
recovery, to see how others have dealt with similar situations and to
know that they are not alone. Your intentions and tone determine
whether responding to another’s situation is the best way to share your
experience, strength and hope. Clearly this is a gray area, and since you
never know how others will interpret your remarks, sometimes it is best
not to comment. It is especially difficult not to respond immediately to a
member in pain. A loving hug, a pat on the shoulder or a talk with the
person after the meeting is the best expression of support.
Interrupting is also considered cross talk. Interruptions may disrupt
the meeting and deny the speaker adequate opportunity to share. To
prevent this, many groups ask members to raise their hands for
recognition before sharing.
If cross talk troubles your group, request a steering committee
meeting to discuss the problem. Consider each member’s personal
definition of cross talk. Ultimately, the group’s consensus on what
constitutes cross talk in its meeting should apply.
— August 1999
CROSS TALK—VERSUS DISCUSSION
• Lifeline has suggestions in “For Discussion” each month.
Recently, I suggested that our OA group hold a discussion on an
article from Lifeline. I was told this was not possible because we
do not allow “cross talk.” How, then, can we ever have a
discussion?
The purpose of discouraging “cross talk” is to prevent members
from commenting on or giving advice relative to another member’s share,
an action that could imply judgment or cause the sharing member
embarrassment or emotional reaction. (For articles on cross talk, see also
Lifeline, February 1995; Ask-It Basket, page 26; and A Step Ahead, OA’s
quarterly newsletter, May 1994.) Obviously, a discussion is not
appropriate in a setting where members are sharing or a speaker is
leading a formal meeting.
However, there may be appropriate times for discussion in OA.
Some groups may hold discussions after the regular sharing meeting or
as part of a special meeting such as a Lifeline meeting as described in the
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Lifeline Meeting Format (available from the WSO). Discussion may be part
of a business or group conscience meeting; many workshops, marathons
and conventions offer opportunities to discuss OA ideas; and a sponsor
and sponsoree or other OA members meeting socially or personally may
discuss program concepts.
You may ask your group to hold a group conscience and determine
what time is appropriate for you to discuss OA ideas. Many people will
relax and speak more freely in a less formal setting, and this is useful for
some. However, it is also important to remember that an OA discussion is
not a forum for outside issues or an opening for personalities to take
over. Consider handing out discussion guidelines, or select an impartial
and respected member to monitor your discussion and keep it on track.
In addition, a discussion on a Lifeline article or topics in For Today,
Abstinence or the OA “Twelve and Twelve” is a wonderful way to receive
more recovery. Many groups handle these topics by each member in turn
reading whatever is selected and then commenting on it until it is time for
the meeting to end. This can be done with sharing and no “cross talk,”
and is a great opportunity for learning more about the program and each
other.
— March 1998
CROSS TALK—VERSUS SHARING
• Sharing versus cross talk: please define the two and explain the
differences, as it relates to an OA meeting.
While this is a gray area in OA, there are major differences between
the two. Cross talk, as defined in Webster’s New World and New
Collegiate Dictionaries, means unwanted signals or interference in one or
more communication channels. So, cross talk could be considered
“interference” in another’s share.
The Group Handbook states: “Give everybody a chance to
participate, but discourage cross talk.” The Suggested Meeting Format
states: “We share our experience, strength and hope in OA, however,
feedback, cross talk and advice giving are discouraged here.”
Therefore, in an OA meeting, one should feel free to express his or
her own personal share without fear of negative or even positive
comments. As stated in the October 1992 edition of Lifeline, “We should
feel free to express what is difficult to express elsewhere, unfettered from
others’ judgment.” This, in turn, helps members to feel safe.
If cross talk is a problem at your meeting, request a steering
committee meeting where the issue can be thoroughly discussed. Be sure
each member’s personal definition of cross talk is heard. Ultimately, the
group consensus on what will be considered cross talk in that meeting
should apply.
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— February 1995
DELEGATE—FUNDING
• Some of the groups in our area do not wish any of their
contributions to go towards funding delegates to the WSBC. Some
groups have actually withheld contributions for this reason. What
should we do?
It would certainly dispel some of the distrust members have of
intergroup and Conference activities if your delegates, upon returning
from the Conference, were to write up business meeting and workshop
highlights for your newsletter. (If an intergroup hasn’t sent any
delegates, then highlights can be taken out of the WSBC Final Report.) If
members can see that the policies and bylaw motions discussed and
voted on at WSBC do, in fact, affect their program, they may be more apt
to want to be represented there.
Our Conference is an annual opportunity for OA members from
around the world to meet and discuss issues that are crucial to our
ongoing ability to carry our message of recovery to those who need it.
So, a group that withholds contributions from its intergroup precisely to
deny sending delegates to Conference is in violation of Tradition Seven
(affecting the intergroup’s ability to be self-supporting) and Tradition Four
(affecting OA as a whole).
You might wish to invite your regional trustee or a regional officer
to hold a Service and Traditions Workshop. And encourage as much open
discussion as you can. Misconceptions can usually be cleared up with
some good, direct communication.
— January 1997
DELEGATE—REPORTS
• I like the WSO summary about WSBC. It’s helpful and timely,
but doesn’t it let delegates off the hook for taking notes and
writing reports for their intergroups and groups?
Each intergroup has bylaws, and many have policy and procedure
manuals. The job description for a world service delegate needs to be
outlined so that the person in that service position knows his/her job. Part
of the job is to give a written report to the intergroup. The intergroup can
then dispense the information as it sees fit. The intergroup may put the
information in its newsletter or in IG minutes, or use other means of
distribution. This is being responsible. A report in one of the intergroup’s
minutes regarding the 1997 WSBC was full of positive happenings at
WSBC. All motions were spelled out, whether they passed or failed, and
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the intergroup delegate stated his vote. The Final Conference Report from
WSO does not come out until several months after the Conference.
— May 1998
EMAIL AT WORK
• Is using work email for OA matters a break in Traditions?
Email is a means of communication similar to a phone call. What is
your employer’s policy regarding phone calls? Is it the same for email?
Use of company time and equipment for personal communication is
often a violation of company policy, and the answer is evident. Have you
spoken with your employer about the issue, or are you doing it secretly?
This question probably falls under the guidelines for personal use of
the company copy machine. If an employee supplies the paper, some
companies permit personal use if it’s not on company time (during a
break, for example). Even so, it would be an “outside contribution,” which
we don’t accept according to program principles and Tradition Seven.
Besides looking at the issue as a Tradition violation, we could look
at it as a violation of the honesty principle. If using email for personal
reasons takes away from your commitment to work a specified number of
hours a day, or if your company has a policy against personal email use,
then the decision is clear. To work an honest program, you could not use
company email for OA matters. If your employer allows limited personal
phone calls or related actions as benefits of the job, you can discuss the
question with your sponsor as an integrity issue.
Another concern is that employers have the right to read
employees’ email, so you might be compromising your anonymity.
— November 2000
ENTERTAINMENT COUPON BOOKS
• For approximately 10 years, our intergroup has been selling
entertainment coupon books as a fund-raising project. This has
caused dissension over the last couple of years because some
people say we are violating Tradition Six by endorsing an outside
enterprise. How is this different from selling a mug or a T-shirt?
The answer to your query does appear to be in a gray area. For this
reason, the OA Board of Trustees discussed the issue at a recent meeting.
The consensus of the board was that selling entertainment coupon books
could be considered endorsement of an outside enterprise. The board felt
that this type of sale would connect the OA program to local businesses,
implying an affiliation. When mugs or T-shirts are sold, the mug or T-shirt
manufacturer is not being promoted.
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We want to stick to our primary purpose, and selling coupons is not
OA’s purpose. We don’t affiliate with anyone, and we are self-supporting.
Since this appears to be controversial, perhaps you could choose a
more traditional fund-raiser that would bring peace, growth and recovery
to your intergroup. You could sponsor a mini-marathon with a suggested
donation or a dance with an OA speaker, or you might even consider
selling T-shirts and mugs.
—January 2000
EXERCISE
• Our group has added exercise as a tool when we read the list of
OA’s tools at meetings. Is there any policy that restricts our group
from doing this?
Although OA groups are autonomous, this autonomy does not
protect actions that might affect OA as a whole. No specific policy states
that groups may or may not add tools at their discretion. However, since
the 2006 World Service Business Conference voted down a motion to add
exercise as a tool, your group’s decision violates Tradition Four.
Opinions vary on the value of physical activity. The OA Fellowship is
not qualified to comment on exercise, nutrition or any other medical or
psychological matter. Just as an OA member makes a personal choice to
use a plan of eating, he or she can choose whether to use exercise as a
tool. The best way to decide is by using resources outside of OA.
— May 2007
GROUP CONSCIENCE—NEEDLEWORK
• One of our groups voted through the group conscience to
prohibit members from working on needlework during meetings.
Some members think that because the only requirement for
membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively, needlework
should be allowed. Others cite group autonomy and think
members who divide their attention between the people sharing
and needlework projects are showing boredom and inattention.
Some who bring needlework say they do it to allay nervousness
and hyperactivity. Was the decision to ban needlework acceptable
or a Tradition break?
“Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting
other groups or OA as a whole” (Tradition Four). Group autonomy
extends to all things that go on within a group that don’t affect other
groups. This group’s decision to change a meeting format to include a
request that individuals refrain from needlework does not violate the OA
Traditions. However, the individuals who do the needlework (or any
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action determined unwanted at a meeting) are likely to take the result of
the group conscience as a personal attack. Such a decision should be
made and implemented carefully or the question might come up
repeatedly at group conscience meetings.
Although the only requirement for OA membership is the desire to
stop eating compulsively, that doesn’t mean a group must condone
members’ actions they find objectionable.
I recall a situation in the early 1980s when groups wanted to ban
smoking at meetings. The same questions arose. Members didn’t object
when the facility where the meeting was held prohibited smoking, but it
created much angst and hurt feelings when the group banned smoking in
a facility that allowed it. However, the group determined the decision was
within the boundaries of group autonomy because the smoking annoyed
enough people to cause a majority to vote for a smoke-free meeting.
We can apply the same principle to the group’s decision to prohibit
needlework.
— April 2004
GROUP CONSCIENCE—TRADITION ONE
• At OA group-conscience meetings, isn’t it a violation of Tradition
One to use a majority vote instead of consensus or “substantial
unanimity”?
Tradition One has to be viewed in conjunction with Tradition Two,
which speaks of our group conscience. Unity does not mean unanimous
agreement. A member can disagree with the group but be unified in
accepting the group conscience in the spirit of unanimity.
Concept 12(d) of the OA Twelve Concepts helps us answer this
question: “The spiritual foundation for OA service ensures that . . . all
important decisions shall be reached by discussion, vote and, whenever
possible, by substantial unanimity.” The more important the decision, the
greater the percentage voting for or against the motion should be.
Sometimes, however, a decision must be made for the good of the group,
and a majority could be the deciding factor. If time permits, however, a
decision on a contentious issue should be postponed until there can be
substantial unanimity.
Concept 12(d) in The Twelve Concepts of OA Service pamphlet,
which was approved by the 2001 World Service Business Conference,
further states: “Although a specified percentage of a vote is required . . .,
issues should be discussed many times whenever possible until the group
reaches substantial unanimity. OA groups are best served when they
diligently listen to the minority and do not decide on matters by a close
vote. A close vote is usually an indication that group conscience has not
yet been reached.”
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Group conscience means to move slowly. The person in the minority
may be speaking God’s words.
— September 2001
GROUPS—A DEFINITION
• The January 2002 issue of Lifeline asked about registered
groups that do not agree with their intergroups. In our area, the
intergroup does not seem to accept groups with the OA HOW
format as legitimate OA groups. It seems unclear why the
intergroup should or should not list HOW groups. Why would
these groups contribute to an intergroup that does not recognize
them? My understanding is that they may be recognized by world
service and not by the local intergroup. Would you help clear up
this confusion?
The definition of an OA group is found in the OA Inc. Bylaws,
Subpart B, Article V, Section 1, Definition, which states:
“These points shall define an OA group:
1) As a group, they meet to practice the Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous.
2) All who have the desire to stop eating compulsively are welcome
in the group.
3) No member is required to practice any actions in order to remain
a member or to have a voice (share at a meeting).
4) As a group they have no affiliation other than OA.”
These criteria are listed on the back of the group registration form,
and any group that submits a completed form is registered by the World
Service Office. It is difficult to answer your questions without knowing
why the intergroup does not recognize OA HOW meetings in the area.
Perhaps the intergroup does not understand the OA HOW concept or
thinks OA HOW groups are not complying with the definition of a group
and practicing the Twelve Traditions. It would seem the solution lies in
creating better communication between the OA HOW groups and the
intergroup to clear up misunderstandings on both parts. OA’s “Unity with
Diversity” statement encourages the entire Fellowship to accept and
respect various concepts of working our Twelve-Step program.
— January 2003
HOW—ACTIONS IN AN AREA
• Certain actions of HOW meetings in my area concern me.
1. Should the name of OA/HOW be used in advertisements?
2. Should my sponsor dictate the foods I should and should
not eat?
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3. Should HOW members refuse to associate with another
member who is not working the program the HOW way?
4. Should a person not working the HOW program be denied
service positions?
5. Should a sponsor drop a sponsoree who does not weigh
and measure food in restaurants?
All OA meetings should consider whether their actions help
compulsive overeaters find recovery through the Twelve Steps or hinder
their finding recovery. Many meetings identify themselves by their special
interests: Big Book studies, HOW, maintainers, newcomers, men, women.
As long as they don’t exclude others from sharing, they are not breaching
Tradition Three.
All OA members have the right to their own way of treating other
OAers. However, those who insist that others follow a particular food
plan, do not associate with members who work the Steps differently, or
drop sponsorees because their food plans are different should question
whether they are helping or hindering OA as a whole and whether they
are helping or hindering the recovery of an individual member.
Many meetings have requirements for service positions, usually
linked to a notion of the kind of experience necessary to benefit the
group. Requiring those who serve to follow a particular way of doing the
Steps may exclude people who could benefit the group. No one should
feel excluded from a group: That’s what Tradition Three is all about. We
should always remember that OA is our home and we exist to provide a
home to those who suffer.
— December 2004
HOW—GROUPS AND FOOD PLANS
• Our OA group gets quite a few visitors from a nearby HOW
meeting. These members use meeting time to talk about food
plans and the grams of fat in what they eat. I’m a bit confused.
Are HOW meetings recognized by OA?
Overeaters Anonymous’s World Service Office registers any group
that sends in a completed group registration form. On the back of this
form are listed the criteria that define what an OA group is according to
OA’s bylaws. As the form states, only those groups that comply with this
definition may be registered with the WSO.
To paraphrase the criteria, an OA group is any group consisting of
two or more persons that: meets to practice the Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions of OA; welcomes all who have a desire to stop eating
compulsively; requires no member to practice any actions in order to
remain a member or share at meetings; and, as a group, has no
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affiliation other than OA. By submitting this form, a group is stating that
it agrees to abide by the above points.
Within your own meeting, a group conscience might be taken
regarding the discussion of details of specific food plans and dieting tips
during meetings. Perhaps a request might be read at the beginning of
each meeting asking members to keep their emphasis on recovery
through the Twelve Steps.
— July 1992, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
September/October 1991
HOW—HOW CONCEPT AND TRADITIONS VIOLATIONS
• What is the HOW concept of OA recovery? How does it fit into
the larger OA Fellowship? What about Traditions violations, such
as the endorsement of food plans and requirements for OA
membership other than a desire to stop eating compulsively?
HOW is an acronym for “honesty, open-mindedness and
willingness”—the indispensable essentials of recovery as described in the
“Big Book.” HOW meetings began in Phoenix, Arizona, when a difference
of direction divided the local intergroup. Members of the new intergroup
felt the need to emphasize the concrete use of food plans to attain
physical recovery while working the Steps.
HOW meetings emphasize a “disciplined and structured” approach
to working OA’s Twelve Steps. That means members work the Steps with
a concerted effort, study OA literature, consistently follow a plan of eating
(provided or approved by a health-care professional), communicate with
a sponsor and use all the tools of recovery. During their first 30 days,
HOW sponsorees are encouraged to complete the first three Steps,
remain abstinent, make a commitment to attend OA meetings, report
their daily menus and answer Step-related questions. While there are
some variations, these are the practices of most HOW groups.
Since 1981 HOW meetings have migrated to other places in the
United States, Canada and countries in Regions Nine and Ten. Each HOW
group and intergroup is as autonomous as every other group and
intergroup; there is no universal HOW consciousness or any such thing as
a HOW authority, other than the Fellowship of Overeaters Anonymous.
HOW members are “chopping wood and carrying water” at every OA
service level along with the rest of our Fellowship. OA’s “Unity with
Diversity” statement encourages the entire Fellowship to accept and
respect various concepts of working our Twelve-Step program.
Some OAers have questions about whether HOW endorses a
particular food plan. The answer is that HOW groups and intergroups are
encouraging members to adopt a plan of eating; this is in accordance
with OA policies and the guidelines in The Tools of Recovery pamphlet.
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As for requirements for membership or for sharing at a meeting, HOW
groups may have requirements for service, as do most OA groups, but
not for sharing at or attending the meeting.
Sometimes there is confusion about HOW’s use of locally produced
literature, outside literature and OA-approved literature. According to OA
policy, it is okay for groups to use literature created by local OA service
bodies “with the greatest discretion.” When a comparable piece of
literature is available through WSO, the locally produced piece is
discontinued. For example, most HOW groups are discovering that The
Twelve-Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous does a much better job
than the older “30-Day Questions,” which was adapted from another
Twelve-Step program.
However, if a group indisputably exceeds the bounds of OA policies,
bylaws and Traditions, the Board of Trustees, with the approval of
Conference, will cancel the group’s registration as an OA meeting. This
happened in 1996 with the Southern California HOW/OA Intergroup.
Though asked many times over a six-year period to comply with OA
Traditions, bylaws and policies, the intergroup persisted in endorsing and
distributing food plans, imposing requirements for sharing at meetings,
endorsing and selling outside literature and modifying the wording of the
Twelve Traditions. The intergroup and its affiliated groups were deregistered,
though groups were informed of the option to remain affiliated
with OA through another intergroup.
Our widest possible group conscience vote has established the right
of diverse concepts to exist within the same framework established for
every OA group and service body. The First Tradition tells us “ . . .
personal recovery depends on OA unity.” When we focus on everything
we have in common, rather than on our differences, we proclaim our
unity and our own recovery. Then we can dedicate our energies to
fulfilling our primary purpose.
— July 1997
INTERGROUP SERVICES—SUPPORTED BY SEVENTH TRADITION
• People in our area are getting the wrong idea about money
donated to our intergroup. What services should this money
support?
Intergroups typically have expenses to support OA services related
to OA business that they conduct. Those expenses can be meeting room
rental, telephone bills for OA answering services, newsletter expenses
and OA office rental. Intergroups often have special committees whose
mission it is to spread the OA message: special events; public
information; hospitals, institutions, professionals and the military. These
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committees often incur expenses in conducting their activities. The
Seventh Tradition monies donated to the intergroup fund these expenses.
— April 2000
JOURNALS AND DEATH
• The July 1996 issue of Lifeline asked our readers how you would
handle an OA friend’s journals after the member’s unexpected
death. We asked, too, how you would like your surviving family
and friends to treat your writings after your death. Below are
excerpts from responses we received.
Some things are better left unread. Writing has always been my
favorite tool because I could write what I’d never say out loud to
anyone—sometimes with good reason.
I collected a stack of journals over three feet high in eight years in
OA; I thought they were too important to throw away. But then, on two
occasions, the wrong eyes read my writings, and the results were
disastrous. Not too long after, I realized the stack had become a burden.
I looked at it and said to myself, “Not only does it contain extremely
private information, but I will probably never read any of it. It’s full of
painful lessons I’ve already learned, and, basically, I’ve moved on.” I
decided to burn it all during an unusually cold spring night. I’d
recommend the same for any OAer.
S.M., Long Island, New York USA
I save my journals to review the year on New Year’s Day; it’s
surprising how helpful they are. I’ve had some concerns about keeping
my journals, though. I live alone, and my grown sons would be the ones
to find them after I’m gone. So, I’ve decided to attach a note to the
journals. It goes like this:
“The writing in my journals was for the sole purpose of helping me
to understand myself and life in general. If you choose to read them, you
may be shocked at times, bored at other times, and you may question
my sanity at times. I wrote my feelings as I was feeling them, my
thoughts as they came to mind, my beliefs as I saw them at the time.
“However, all of that is flexible and changing, and I don’t write
everything down, so please keep that in mind.
“Life is precious to me, and I believe it continues on even after
death. I want to grow and learn while I’m here on earth, and my
journaling helps me to do that.”
K.S., New London, Minnesota USA
My response to the question of how to handle the journals of an OA
friend or family member who had died is to destroy them without reading
38

them. I believe that no one has the right to the private material in
anyone’s journal, unless a person specifically designates someone to own
and read the journals in the event of his or her death.
I have been in OA five years, and I also teach journaling classes. In
all the material I have read and presented on journaling, and from my
personal understanding of the spiritual and psychological value of journalkeeping,
I think that no one has the privilege of reading anyone’s journal.
I told my oldest daughter several years ago that she is the one to
own my journals when I die. Lifeline has raised a very important issue
with this question; those who keep journals should give prayerful
consideration to the handling of their journals in the event of sickness or
death.
J.N., Poughkeepsie, New York USA
I am 79 now and am living a better spiritual life than I ever thought
possible. I believe I’ve been brought to these rooms of recovery for a
reason: to carry the message of recovery to other compulsive people.
Through my album of writings, I can send a message after I’m gone.
Nothing would please me so much as the fact that all my learning and
understanding from others would be passed on and on. How can we know
to what lengths these messages will travel?
I come from a compulsive family. Maybe someone reading my
journals could see that it is okay to seek help. My Grandma did. She
didn’t fear anyone; she just wanted the obsession to stop talking to her.
I also make a point of donating tapes and literature to newcomers
and to meetings. My heart goes out to those in pain, and I think this
small act will be remembered. I know I inspire others to keep coming
back. This is my reward.
V., Pennsylvania, USA
My husband and I are updating our wills and you can be sure I will
include information on how I would like this handled.
My personal wish is that all my writings and any printed literature
with written notations be discarded without reading them or sharing them
with anyone. Burning would be my choice. I ordinarily do not save any
writings beyond the notebook that I currently use because they contain
information which I do not want to reveal to anyone.
Within the last year, my family was involved in a lawsuit where
some of my OA literature and some of my husband’s writings became
part of the evidence. It was particularly painful to listen to a stranger—an
adversary looking for “dirt”—comb through the information and twist it to
make us out as monsters. As a result I have learned to quickly clean up
my resentments and destroy each day’s writing within the week it was
written. Unfortunately, it has made me less trusting and more fearful of
39

evealing myself on paper. This occurred after a 16-year membership in
OA during which I wrote faithfully every day.
In this program, we learn to take care of ourselves by creating a
safe environment for ourselves. Each of us decides how to do that in a
way that allows us to live free of fear.
Anonymous
— November 1996
LETTERS FORWARDED FROM WSO
• Sometimes our intergroup receives letters forwarded to us that
have been sent to the World Service Office by prospective
members in our area. We’re unsure about what’s been done and
what we’re supposed to do. How does WSO respond to inquiries
from those wishing to start new meetings? What can our
intergroup do?
When someone inquires about Overeaters Anonymous, the World
Service Office staff replies with a special information packet. It contains
the pamphlets OA Cares, About OA, Many Symptoms, One Solution, and
a meeting list for the appropriate area. If the person lives in a remote
area or is otherwise unable to attend meetings, a Service by Mail
pamphlet is also included, along with telephone numbers of the closest
intergroup for personal contacts. [Service by Mail program no longer
exists.]
If the letter asks for help in starting a new group, the WSO staff
sends a $9 Group Starter Kit containing a Suggested Meeting Format, 26
OA-approved pamphlets, a current OA Literature Catalog, a recent issue
of Lifeline, Lifeline subscription forms, a Lifeline Meeting Format and
Writer’s Guidelines for the magazine.
The office has recently discontinued contacting the intergroup in the
correspondent’s area, hoping to avert confusion over the intergroup’s
role. Rather, we encourage the new group to return its Group Registration
form to the World Service Office, and then contact the closest intergroup
themselves.
The intergroup provides the vital contact between the group, region
and World Service levels of OA. Even remote groups can maintain contact
through intergroup affiliation. Sometimes a group or intergroup will
“sponsor” a new meeting for a short period, sending members to attend
and participate. For remote groups, a sponsor-group might send taped
meetings, correspond with newcomers and provide phone support. There
is also an OA meeting on tape available from the WSO.
Ultimately, it’s the personal contact that makes the difference.
Trustees, delegates, representatives and other dedicated members
committed to OA service are the essential ingredients. They provide the
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energy and personal example that breathes life into new groups, nurtures
new members and keeps “old” members coming back.
— December 1995
LIFELINE IN TWELFTH-STEP WORK
• How can our group use Lifeline in our Twelfth-Step work?
Reports from individuals and groups who use Lifeline to carry the
message give a number of suggestions. One group recommends holding a
special session to brainstorm on this subject. Each person is asked to toss
out ideas, which one of the members jots down. Later, the group sifts out
the ones that are workable.
Here are some suggestions that are used in many areas:
Donate subscriptions to the following institutions and individuals.
(Always ask permission in advance if the proposed recipients are non-
OA.)
⎯⎯ Public libraries, school libraries, patients' libraries in
hospitals (contributions of back copies may also be welcome
there).
⎯⎯ Physicians, clergy, guidance counselors, therapists,
nutritionists and others who work with compulsive overeaters.
⎯⎯ Friends and relatives.
Leave copies in waiting rooms and lounges of airports and bus
stations, on airplane and bus seats, in restrooms, coffee shops, exercise
clubs, laundromats, schools, and churches.
Give a copy of Lifeline, past or current, to newcomers at their first
meeting.
Keep a stack of Lifelines where guests can browse through them in
your home.
Carry a copy or two with you to give to someone with whom you
may strike up a conversation about dieting, overweight, and Overeaters
Anonymous.
— November 1992, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
September/October 1981
LITERATURE—APPROVAL AND TRADITION SIX
• Why can't OA give Conference approval to non-OA/AA
literature? There are several publications that do not conflict with
the Twelve-Step program and which our group would like to make
available to the member.
Tradition Six states, "An OA group ought never endorse, finance, or
lend the OA name to any related facility or outside enterprise . . ." To
give Conference approval to non-OA/AA literature would be to endorse
41

and lend the OA name to an outside enterprise, namely the publishers of
the books, pamphlets, or what-have-you.
The history of Alcoholics Anonymous makes clear that the Twelve
Traditions evolved mainly as a result of just such problems of outside
endorsement and affiliation encountered in that Fellowship's early years.
The principles those founding AAs set forth in the Traditions are
comparable in their inspired wisdom only to the Twelve Steps. Through
their built-in protection against anything that would "divert use from our
primary purpose," they make recovery possible for each of us.
— January 1993 and July 1989, reprinted from WSO Notebook,
January/February 1982
LITERATURE—COST OF OA’S “TWELVE AND TWELVE”
• Why does OA’s “Twelve and Twelve” at $10.99 cost so much
more than AA’s “Twelve and Twelve” at $4.25? Can we lower the
price?
The simple answer is that AA is a much larger organization than OA
and sells many more copies of its “Twelve and Twelve.” Therefore, it can
print larger quantities at a lower price and pass the savings on to its
members.
— June 2001
• Why does OA’s “Twelve and Twelve” cost so much more than
AA’s “Twelve and Twelve”? Can WSO lower the price?
The Board of Trustees’ Executive Committee reviews the selling
price of each piece of literature. Committee members consider the cost of
printing as well as any other production expenses.
OA has a much smaller membership than AA, so there are fewer
potential buyers for any given piece of literature. We therefore order
fewer copies at a time, so the cost of printing per book (or pamphlet) is
greater. We do not get the same volume discounts—i.e., the more items
printed, the lower the cost per item.
Literature sales make up a large percentage of the income of
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. In 2005, literature sales were just under 58
percent of the total income, with donations making up most of the
remaining income. For us to support the programs offered to our
membership, we must maintain a reasonable profit margin on our
literature.
The OA “Twelve and Twelve” is now available in a pocket edition.
This smaller size at a lower cost has the complete text found in the fullsize
edition.
— November 2006
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LITERATURE—HOW DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS ARE ADDRESSED
• If OA exists for all people who are obsessed with food,
regardless of their particular symptoms, why do the invitation
cards and other pieces of OA literature address solely the
concerns of the overeater—the one who suffers from weight,
failed diets and so on?
For many years now, a number of people whose obsession with
food included behaviors other than overeating have found recovery in OA.
The 1992 WSBC acknowledged this diversity with a Policy Statement:
“The World Service Business Conference resolves to welcome anorexics
and bulimics in the OA Fellowship as full and equal members.”
While those involved with the development and approval of
literature recognize this fact, their efforts are also guided by this
Fellowship’s primary purpose as stated in the OA Preamble: “Our primary
purpose is to abstain from compulsive overeating and to carry this
message of recovery to those who still suffer.”
Additional guidance for the development of literature is provided by
the WSBC Policy 1982a which states that OA “does not have any
literature for specific eating disorders other than compulsive overeating.
We welcome in love and fellowship all who have the desire to stop eating
compulsively.”
Although we are prohibited from developing literature for specific
eating disorders other than compulsive overeating, our literature does
acknowledge that there are members in our Fellowship who are
recovering from other food obsessions. The leaflet “Many Symptoms, One
Solution” informs the newcomer that our members may vary greatly in
body size as well as in their particular obsessions and behaviors with
food. “Our symptoms may vary,” it says, “but we share a common bond:
We are powerless over food and our lives are unmanageable . . . We find
that no matter what our symptoms, we all suffer from the same disease—
one that can be arrested by living this program one day at a time.”* This
leaflet might be especially helpful to your group in welcoming all
newcomers.
Additions and changes to OA literature are voted on and approved
at the annual World Service Business Conference in May. If you feel
strongly about changing the wording of existing OA literature, talk to your
intergroup’s World Service delegate about having this issue brought up
for discussion at a future Conference.
* “Many Symptoms, One Solution” © 1991, 1995, Overeaters
Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.
— May 1996
43

LITERATURE—NON-OA-APPROVED AND OUTSIDE ISSUES
• Is it a violation of the Sixth and Tenth Traditions if an OA
member distributes non-OA-approved literature to other OA
members or talks about outside issues during the break at an OA
meeting?
Although these folks may be well-meaning, when they bring non-OA
materials or issues into the setting of an OA meeting, they sidetrack the
meeting’s primary purpose. OA members need to carry the OA message.
When members include non-OA literature or outside issues in a meeting,
even if it is during a break, they dilute and divert OA’s message.
While a break during an OA meeting does not have an official
format, it is a part of the meeting process; thus, members most certainly
need to consider Traditions. Use of non-OA literature or the introduction
of outside issues is not in keeping with Traditions Six and Ten. We carry
our OA message of recovery through OA’s Twelve Steps, Twelve
Traditions and the tools. Anything else brought into the OA meeting
environment distorts the message. As our “Twelve and Twelve” states in
Step Twelve, “Also, we’ve found it less confusing to others if we make it a
habit when sharing about the program to concentrate on our OA
experience, rather than on aspects of our experience not related to OA”
(page 102). Therefore, the Steps as well as the Traditions reinforce the
strong suggestion of staying focused clearly and solely on the OA
message at any OA function.
— June 1999
LITERATURE—NON-OA-APPROVED AND TRADITION SIX
• How do you respond to an OA member who keeps requesting
that non-OA-approved literature be set out at meetings?
There are some meetings that still do have non-OA-approved
literature on their tables at OA meetings. First, this gives a confusing
picture to the newcomer. Some of the non-approved literature is
packaged with a lot of color, and the titles are such that persons may
wish to read them. However, we are a Twelve-Step recovery
organization, and, as such, we need to offer the newcomer (and the rest
of us) material pertaining to Overeaters Anonymous. As groups within our
Fellowship, we must abide by the Traditions, by-laws and policies of
Overeaters Anonymous.
The latest policy on this issue is as follows:
“1993b The following Policy Statement was adopted:
“It is the group conscience of the 1993 WSBC that the sale or
display of literature other than OA-approved literature (as described in
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WSBC Policy 1982b) is an implied endorsement of outside enterprises,
and therefore in violation with Tradition Six.”
Each intergroup should have a copy of all of the OA Guidelines. One
of them is the approved list of OA/AA literature.
— April 1998
LITERATURE—NON-OA-APPROVED: CITING IN MEETING
• Recently I redirected a meeting speaker who was reading a
lengthy selection from a non-OA-approved piece of literature.
Later another OA member confronted me about citing a book I
was reading during my share and asked how I could justify this
behavior after criticizing someone else. I said I was just
describing my experience and felt more comfortable having the
authority of a book. I try to share only the idea and not give the
names of books or authors, but, being human, I slip up. Would
you address this issue?
Tradition Three tells us that the primary purpose of an OA meeting
is to carry the OA message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers.
Can the meeting do that well if outside sources are referred to as
authorities? Tradition Ten tells us that we have no opinion on outside
issues. Aren’t outside sources outside issues? If we stick to our primary
purpose—carrying the message—we avoid controversy and make our
meetings places where the OA message, clear and simple, is carried to
those who still suffer.
Citing an outside piece of literature raises problems with respect to
these two Traditions. Referring to books as authorities, whether or not
excerpts from them are read aloud, might raise the same issues. As
always, it is a matter of individual and group conscience.
— June 2003
LITERATURE—NON-OA-APPROVED: OFFERING IN MEETINGS
• Our local meetings are being flooded with literature from eating
disorder centers. I shared my concern about this and found that
none of the other old-timers seems to feel as I do. That scares
me. In offering outside literature, aren’t we violating the
Traditions?
Many OAers agree that displaying outside literature at OA meetings
is at odds with the principles embodied in the twelve traditions. The World
Service Conference of 1976 adopted the following statement, which was
reaffirmed by the 1982 Conference: “In accordance with our Traditions,
we suggest that OA groups maintain unity and protect our Traditions by
selling only program books and pamphlets at their meetings.”
45

While this suggestion is clearly not mandatory, most groups choose
to offer only OA and AA Conference-approved literature at meetings. They
believe that outside literature, regardless of its source, only confuses
newcomers and thus diverts the group from its primary purpose.
If, for example, the newcomer picks up a pamphlet that gives
health tips or diet and exercise information, one could hardly blame the
person for assuming these suggestions are part of the OA program.
OA neither endorses nor opposes any outside enterprise, including
literature. Each of us is certainly free to read whatever we wish and to
recommend it privately to our friends and to those we sponsor. As
members of an OA group, however, we ought to decide what message we
want our group to carry and how best to do so.
— October 1989, reprinted from WSO Notebook,
September/October 1986
LITERATURE—ORDERING FROM HAZELDEN
• I recently began ordering the literature for a new group. I was
told not to order literature from Hazelden, but it is the only place I
can find certain chips/tokens. What should I do?
Groups are urged to keep OA self-supporting by ordering literature
and other products from the World Service Office whenever possible.
WSO offers engravable recovery medallions (available with or
without a velour keepsake case) to acknowledge anniversaries. Also
available are colored plastic tokens to welcome newcomers, as well as to
honor 30-day, 60-day, 90-day, six-month and nine-month birthdays. If
your group wishes to purchase chips that OA does not provide, then you
are free to go to any source that supplies them.
The suggestion not to order from Hazelden or other publishers
applies only to non-OA literature, since the Traditions suggest that only
OA Conference-approved literature be sold at meetings.
— July 1995
LITERATURE—PAYING FOR PAMPHLETS AND SEVENTH TRADITION
• Members and newcomers in my new group are expected to pay
for pamphlets. In my old group, we never thought of charging
desperate people for pamphlets. Were we wrong?
OA’s Seventh Tradition suggests that all groups should seek to be
“self-supporting” through their own contributions. Most group expenses
are met through passing the basket at meetings; for some groups, this
amount is adequate to cover all expenses, including some free literature
for newcomers.
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However, there is nothing “wrong” with charging the suggested
price for the pamphlets in an effort to become self-supporting and to
provide financial support to the intergroup, region and World Service.
(See the pamphlet Self-Supporting the 60/30/10 Way for a more
thorough discussion of how groups traditionally distribute these financial
contributions.)
Ask your group’s treasurer for a financial report, so that the group
conscience can decide the best ways to offer help to the still-suffering
compulsive overeater.
However, remember that part of every Twelve-Step and Twelve-
Tradition program is to take responsibility for our lives and actions in
order to become self-supporting as groups and individuals. Most literature
sells for far less than the newcomer might be spending on her/his
disease. We must convince them in our meeting that it is better to buy
the literature than to compulsively overeat.
— July 1995
LITERATURE—USE OF WORD “GOD” IN
• In OA, I have always understood that I should say “Higher
Power” and not “God” so as not to exclude members whose
religions do not involve one or more deities. Why, then, is OA
literature and speech so oriented toward referring to Higher
Power as “God”?
When one speaks of God as one’s Higher Power, it is not with the
intention of excluding anyone. It is exercising the freedom given to each
member of Overeaters Anonymous to believe in and speak of a God of his
or her own understanding. This freedom is given to us in Steps Three and
Eleven of the Twelve Steps of OA. These Steps invite us to understand
God in our own way. The word “God” is widely accepted in a number of
religions, not just Christianity, and among those who practice no specific
religion at all.
OA literature and speech refers to Higher Power as God because the
Twelve Steps speak of God. However, OA literature does not use the term
“God” exclusively. The references to Higher Power in The Twelve Steps
and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous are too numerous to
cite. One reference that clarifies our freedom to choose a Higher Power of
our understanding is on page 13 of the “Twelve and Twelve”: “OA doesn’t
tell us we have to believe in God—only that a Power greater than
ourselves could restore us to sanity. We are invited to define that Power
however we wish and relate to it in whatever way works for us. OA only
suggests that we remain open to spiritual growth and show tolerance for
others by neither criticizing nor promoting specific religious doctrines in
OA meetings.”
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Since many in OA speak of God, it is apparent that they have
chosen God as their Higher Power. A mention of God by OA members is
not an attempt to exclude people who believe differently; it comes out of
the members’ recovery experiences and does not represent OA as a
whole. With love and tolerance as our code, we allow each member of our
Fellowship to speak of a Higher Power in whatever way he or she
chooses, as long as it is limited to sharing recovery experiences and not a
form of promotion.
— February 2006
MAILING LISTS
• Lately I’ve been receiving more advertising mail than usual.
Does WSO sell OA mailing lists to outside companies?
WSO does not sell or distribute any OA mailing list to anyone
outside the Fellowship.
The World Service Office maintains two lists of registered OA
service bodies. One is a listing of group secretaries representing
registered OA groups. Direct correspondence with OA groups via the
group secretary is one of the limited ways WSO has of communicating
pertinent OA business. The WSO Notebook, which is mailed to all
registered groups via the group secretary, is another. In every case, mail
is sent in unmarked envelopes that simply list WSO’s return address,
without any printed reference to WSO or Overeaters Anonymous. An OA
region office may request mailing labels for groups in their region for a
region-specific OA mailing.
WSO also maintains a directory of intergroup and region offices that
is distributed with group and intergroup starter kits. The intergroup
directory may also be purchased by OA members for a nominal price.
As OA is an anonymous organization, there is not official roster of
individual members.
On every mailing list it clearly states, “FOR USE WITHIN OA ONLY,
NOT TO BE USED FOR PERSONAL OR BUSINESS MAILINGS.” While it is
not possible to monitor every mailing list that is sent to OA service bodies
and members, it is believed that the “OA only” request is honored.
— May 1990, reprinted from the WSO Notebook, July/August 1988
MANDATE
• What is OA’s current mandate, and where do I find it?
OA’s mandate is found in almost all of its literature and is part of
what we refer to as the OA Preamble, read at the beginning of most
meetings: “Our primary purpose is to abstain from compulsive overeating
and to carry this message of recovery to those who still suffer.” (Read the
48

complete preamble on the inside front cover of Lifeline; it begins,
“Overeaters Anonymous is a Fellowship of individuals . . .”) We derive this
mandate from Step Twelve: “Having had a spiritual awakening as the
result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive
overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” Both
individually and as an organization, we compulsive overeaters must carry
the message of recovery to those who still suffer, or we will return to
compulsive overeating. That is the message of Step Twelve.
— December 2001
MEDICAL ADVICE/MEDICATION
• I am writing regarding an issue of paramount concern to several
of us in our OA meeting group. Some sponsors have advised their
sponsorees to refrain from taking prescribed medication.
According to these sponsors, such individuals are in fact “using.”
This is a dangerous precedent. Medication prescribed for people
by their doctors for specific diagnosed medical conditions is
between the person and the health professional. A decision to
terminate medication should never be initiated by “lay people”
and surely not OA members.
I personally know of people who have been told not to take
medication prescribed for depression/suicidal tendencies, manicdepressive
disorders, high blood pressure, inflammation,
menstrual pain, hormonal conditions and heart conditions. What
is OA policy regarding this issue?
No, this is definitely not OA policy. There are several Traditions and
policies that can answer this question.
Tradition Three: The only requirement for OA membership is a
desire to stop eating compulsively. You don’t have to stop eating certain
foods, nor do you have to stop taking any kind of medication. (In fact,
you can take what you want and leave the rest.) The criteria of Tradition
Three is the only requirement to becoming a member of Overeaters
Anonymous.
Tradition Five: Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry
its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers. This is our only
primary purpose.
Tradition Eight: Overeaters Anonymous should remain forever
nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
This includes any professionals in OA providing advice at OA meetings.
This also falls under the category of “no cross talk,” as described in the
OA pamphlet Suggested Meeting Format.
Tradition Ten: Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside
issues; hence, the OA name ought never be drawn into public
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controversy. Imposing an opinion on the issue of “taking medication”
definitely brings OA into internal and possibly public controversy.
Instructing a person to ignore a medical professional’s medication
prescription could result in serious injury or even death to that person. In
some countries, the person or persons in the OA group instructing
sponsorees to stop taking prescribed medication could be charged with
various crimes and/or even be sued for monetary damages.
Tradition Six: An OA group ought never to endorse, finance or lend
the OA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of
money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
From the Board of Trustees Meeting on September 21-23, 1983:
“In adherence to Tradition Six, Overeaters Anonymous does not provide
nursing services, hospitalization, drugs, or any medical, nutritional or
psychiatric treatment; nor does OA provide referrals for the treatment of
eating disorders.”
OA strongly urges its autonomous groups to refrain from partaking
in and/or encouraging this or any kind of similar instructional behavior. It
is very dangerous to both our individual members and to OA as a whole.
Unfortunately, we have received numerous letters on this issue in the last
three months.
— December 1994
MEETING GUIDELINES
• Are there any official or recommended guidelines to conducting
a meeting?
Yes, there are guidelines to conducting a meeting. Refer to the
Suggested Meeting Format, the Group Handbook, the New Group Starter
Kit and/or the Newcomers’ Meeting Leader’s Kit. These items can be
ordered through your group or direct from the World Service Office.
Tradition Five states, “our recovery doesn’t come from simply
discussing our problems with each other. It is in the OA message—in our
Steps and Traditions—that we find solutions to our problems.”
Tradition Six discusses how “those who suffer from the misery of
compulsive eating need to hear about the solution found in working the
Twelve Steps during our meetings . . .”
Tradition Eight emphasizes: “Providing psychotherapy is not the
purpose of OA . . . By working through some of our problems in therapy,
we’ve been able to get our special needs met while we continue to focus
on the Twelve Steps in our OA meeting.”
— February 1995
MEETING RECORD
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• One of our groups keeps in its meeting records a list of first
names and telephone numbers of attendees. This allows members
to call people for special events or to contact those who do not
return to the meeting. Is it a break in our Tradition of anonymity
to keep a record of meeting attendees?
Members who put their names in the We Care book are not
breaking their anonymity. The following paragraphs from pages five and
six of The Tools of Recovery pamphlet may help your group better
understand anonymity:
“Anonymity, referred to in Traditions Eleven and Twelve, is a tool
that guarantees we will place principles before personalities. The
protection anonymity provides offers each of us freedom of expression
and safeguards us from gossip. Anonymity assures us that only we, as
individual OA members, have the right to make our membership known
within our community. Anonymity at the level of press, radio, films and
television means that we never allow our faces or last names to be used
once we identify ourselves as OA members. This protects both the
individual and the Fellowship.
“Within the Fellowship, anonymity means that whatever we share
with another OA member will be held in respect and confidence. What we
hear at meetings should remain there. However, anonymity must not be
used to limit our effectiveness within the Fellowship. It is not a break of
anonymity to use our full names within our group or OA service bodies.
Also, it is not a break of anonymity to enlist Twelfth-Step help for group
members in trouble, provided we refrain from discussing any specific
personal information.
“Another aspect of anonymity is that we are all equal in the
Fellowship, whether we are newcomers or seasoned long-timers. And our
outside status makes no difference in OA; we have no stars or VIPs. We
come together simply as compulsive overeaters.”
In addition, the OA Suggested Meeting Format suggests in Item 9
that we “pass the Meeting Record Book around and ask members to sign
their names with phone numbers. Pass the Record Book around a second
time so members may write down phone numbers to call later.” The
Suggested Meeting Format is available for download on the OA Web site
at www.oa.org/downloadable_files.html.
The Group Meeting Record Book is available from the WSO and the
online catalog (item #500). Providing names and phone numbers is a
voluntary act to reach out to fellow suffering compulsive eaters. A person
who feels it compromises his or her anonymity is not required to sign.
— November 2004
—
MEETINGS—ANNOUNCEMENTS
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• A member of our OA-HOW group asked during announcement
time if members would save empty bottles from a sugar-free
syrup for her friend who is not an OA member. Is this
appropriate? Which, if any, Traditions does it violate? How does
this compare with asking for a ride home or help with car
problems?
The area between what needs to be said and what should be left for
individual sharing is debatable. At meetings, we need to share
experience, strength and hope to achieve recovery from compulsive
overeating. At announcement time, we still need to respect these
program issues; however, it is the time to announce things pertaining to
the meeting, such as what the managers of the building expect of us as
renters.
The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous
guides us in these matters. Tradition Four says, “Groups have promoted
non-OA-approved literature to their members, or focused meeting
discussions on topics not related to recovery from compulsive overeating,
forgetting our primary purpose as expressed in Tradition Five. Meeting
time has been used to promote outside enterprises and issues, despite
our Sixth and Seventh Traditions” (p. 139).
Tradition Five says, “We who have found a sane way of eating and
living have a responsibility to make sure OA doesn’t become sidetracked”
(p. 145). “Tradition Six cautions each OA group to stick to the primary
purpose exclusively, no matter how many outside enterprises may
interest us as individuals” (p. 153). It continues, “Though these
enterprises may be worthwhile, they threaten to divert the attention of
groups from OA’s unique function, which is to carry the message of
Twelve-Step recovery to compulsive overeaters who still suffer” (pp. 153-
154).
“The Tenth Tradition asks us to leave these issues outside when we
walk through the OA doors. Even the most worthy of other causes has no
place in an OA meeting” (pp. 185-186).
At times we may need to bring up something outside the Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions, but we should be aware of what we may be
bringing to our groups then and in the future.
It is slightly different when a member needs help in getting to a gas
station, has car problems, needs a ride home or is not feeling well. These
things don’t affect OA as a whole and are not endorsing an outside
enterprise. Sometimes we have to use common sense.
— September 2004
MEETINGS—ANNOUNCING SOCIAL EVENTS
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• Is it a violation of the Traditions to announce group-related
social events during or after meetings? This seems like a grey
area, considering the role of autonomy in the group conscience,
but I am concerned that such announcements distract us from our
primary purpose of recovery.
This does seem to be one of those “grey areas” in interpreting the
Traditions in our individual groups; and a survey of OA literature does not
bring about a more black-and-white answer. But, referring to our
literature is always wise in such matters concerning the group conscience
and OA as a whole. Let’s have a look.
Our pamphlet, The Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous,
discusses group autonomy as described in Tradition Four, while clearly
stating the limits to a group’s freedom. “We may not do anything which
will injure OA as a whole, and we must remain free from outside
influence. Our decisions must be by group conscience.” The same
pamphlet’s discussion of Tradition Five advises members to bear in mind
that, although we may form important friendships in OA, our groups are
not “social clubs.” Individuals and groups must ask themselves: “Is the
newcomer neglected, while friends are absorbed in conversation?” Can we
infer from this that social announcements will not injure OA as a whole as
long as all members—especially newcomers—are made to feel welcome?
OA’s Group Handbook [OA Handbook for Members, Groups and
Intergroups] states that any event, whether convention, marathon or
retreat, that an OA group sponsors is “bound by the Twelve Traditions
and may use the name Overeaters Anonymous.” Accordingly, your group
may want to consider combining social events with recovery-oriented
events—a panel discussion followed by a party, for example.
OA’s “Twelve and Twelve” offers specific guidance to questions of
applying the Traditions in our groups. In reviewing Tradition Four, it asks
group members: “Does our group always consider the welfare of all in OA
in making group conscience decisions? In planning OA group activities? . .
. Do we stop to consider that our group’s attitudes and actions will mold
many newcomers’ first impressions of OA as a whole?” Here we are
reminded that all group decisions must be guided by spiritual principles,
and that newcomers’ first impressions are often powerful in determining
whether they will come back for a second meeting.
The Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Group Handbook,
and The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous,
© Overeaters Anonymous Inc. All rights reserved.
— June 1996
MEETINGS—ATTENDANCE
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• What can we do to encourage personal attendance at meetings,
and what can we do to attract and keep OA members at meetings?
A very effective way to encourage personal attendance at meetings
is to provide a reason for the person to be there. A compulsive overeater
comes to an OA meeting to hear the OA message of recovery. If this
message is consistently provided, the compulsive overeater will be
attracted and motivated to continue attendance. Sharing recovery is not
necessarily limited to “sunshine and roses” experiences. Sharing about
difficult situations without overeating can be especially meaningful, both
to the speaker and to the listener, when the story includes the program
methods used to reach the solution—the Steps, the tools and the
Traditions. The highest priority for encouraging and keeping members is
for the meeting’s members to be abstinent and working the Twelve Steps.
Healthy groups also attract and keep members. Encourage your
group to take an annual group inventory. Here are some questions you
might use:
What are you offering newcomers? How do you tell them about our
program? Do you spend time talking and sharing with them about the
program? Do you make each person feel welcome? Do you welcome back
with enthusiasm someone who has been away for a while? Does someone
in the group call newcomers and those who have been absent for some
time? Does your group use OA literature at meetings? Do you pitch on
your experience, strength and hope?
For more information and questions, contact the WSO for a Group
Handbook or the pamphlet, Together We Can — Keep Coming Back.
— November 1998
MEETINGS—BORED IN
• I’ve been in the OA program for over eight years and find that
I’m bored in meetings. Is it possible to “outgrow” OA?
Sometimes members who have achieved measurable physical
recovery in OA—reaching a goal weight or finding freedom from their
compulsion, for example—wonder if they still “need” the program.
We’re told that recovery in OA is three-fold: physical, emotional and
spiritual. Each of these three depends upon the others. We cannot
maintain long-term abstinence while chewing on old resentments, for
example, nor can we grow spiritually while continuing to eat
compulsively.
The Twelfth Step says that a spiritual awakening is the result of the
Steps, and directs us to continue to carry the OA message of recovery
and to practice these principles in all areas of our lives.
Step Twelve, then, is not an end, but the beginning of a dynamic,
life-long and life-enhancing journey. This journey is not something we
54

“outgrow,” and it can only be enriched by our participation in the OA
Fellowship.
If you are feeling bored at meetings, perhaps it’s time to bring the
OA message of hope to a newcomer, to carry the literature for your group
or serve as a representative to your intergroup or region.
Some “longtimers” have found over the years that certain types of
service suit them better than others. Perhaps writing articles for Lifeline,
organizing a retreat or acting as a public information contact are more
fulfilling for you than policy making. By listening to that small voice
within, you will be guided to a form of service that serves you as well.
If you have found physical, emotional and spiritual recovery in OA—
whether for eight days or eight years—there is always someone who
needs what you have.
— April 1995
MEETINGS—CLOSING
• I know of two meetings that shut down because no one would
serve as secretary. Should the decision to shut down be made by
only one member or by a group conscience?
If people are willing to take responsibility for a meeting, then the
meeting can, of course, continue. However, if no one is willing to take
responsibility for a meeting, then it is wise not to list it as a meeting.
Consider the effect on a newcomer of going to a meeting and finding no
one there! Those of us who have been in on the closing of a meeting have
used group conscience to determine whether a meeting should close or
whether effort should be made to revitalize it.
— February 2002
MEETINGS—“DIGNITY OF CHOICE” FOCUS WITHOUT EXCLUDING
MEMBERS
• How do I start a Dignity of Choice focus meeting without
eliminating any OA member, regardless of which food plan he or
she uses? I want to keep it within OA’s guidelines and Traditions.
Is a Dignity of Choice meeting brochure available?
No Dignity of Choice (DOC) meeting brochure exists. The Suggested
Meeting Format, available on the OA Web site at
www.oa.org/group_support.html, is the starting point for designing a
new-meeting format. If there were a DOC meeting brochure, members
might use it only in the way they use other literature in a literatureformat
meeting and fail to read the various food plan examples.
In meetings, it is important to respect the Fifth Tradition, which
tells us that our primary purpose is to carry the message defined by Step
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Twelve: “Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these Steps, we
tried to carry this message to other compulsive overeaters and practice
these principles in all our affairs.” If a meeting is to honor Tradition Five,
its message must be the promise of a spiritual awakening as a result of
the Twelve Steps. In a DOC-focus meeting, discussing the details of food
plans, such as portion sizes, substitutions or calorie counts, would
contradict the Traditions and fail to illuminate the spiritual nature of the
OA program. The meeting would become a diet club rather than a path to
spiritual awakening.
Individual food-plan choices are a matter for discussion between an
individual and his or her physician or nutritionist. Once a person has
chosen a food plan, he or she may discuss with a sponsor any problems
of adherence to the plan that arise from character defects. For instance,
unresolved resentment, fear, guilt or remorse can lead to eating outside
the food plan. One may inventory these feelings by following the process
outlined on pages 64 through 71 of the AA Big Book and then resolve
them by completing Steps Five through Nine.
— November 2005
MEETINGS—FOOD AS TOPIC
• Is it a break of Traditions, or is it a taboo, to talk about food in
meetings or to hold a workshop on food and eating?
Mentioning food while sharing in OA meetings is not a break of
Traditions, and there is no taboo against it. It may help others deal with
food in their own recovery, although it is not helpful to have meetings
focus only on food. Ours is a three-fold program—physical, emotional and
spiritual. Because we are compulsive eaters, the issue of food is basic to
our recovery. As it states on page 101 of the Big Book (3rd ed.), “In our
belief any scheme of combating alcoholism [compulsive eating] which
proposes to shield the sick man [or woman] from temptation is doomed
to failure.”
Many compulsive eaters need to talk about their personal difficulties
with food and the means to overcome them. Other members appreciate
listening to discussions about food because it helps their recovery.
However, if meeting shares focus only on food, members might hear what
they need to do with food but not learn how to do it.
Strong meetings focus on recovery through the Twelve Steps. OA
members need the spiritual discipline of the Steps to keep them in the
clear mental state that enables them to abstain from compulsive behavior
with food.
— May 2003
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MEETINGS—FOOD: MENTIONING SPECIFIC FOODS IN MEETINGS
• Several members of our group are wondering about mentioning
specific food during meetings. Many of us have rather tenuous
grips on abstinence. If particular foods are discussed, we fear we
may return to obsessive thing of suffer a relapse. Does OA have a
policy or guidelines regarding the discussion of binge or trigger
foods?
The decision to mention or not mention specific foods while sharing
is a matter of respecting tradition one: “Our common welfare should
come first; personal recovery depends upon OA unity.” According to the
chapter on this tradition in The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of
Overeaters Anonymous, “Individuals are lovingly guided to keep the
needs of the whole group in mind as we share our experience, strength,
and hope.” The group’s needs can be incorporated into a statement to be
read at the beginning of the meeting so that everyone is aware of these
guidelines and can respect them.
OA does not attempt to dictate what a group’s “needs” or
“guidelines” should be – the fourth tradition grants each group the right
to function as it sees fit, provided that the group doesn’t do anything
which will injure other groups or OA as a whole. It is suggested, however,
in the pamphlet A Commitment to Abstinence that one way members
keep their commitment is by refraining from discussing particular foods.
It recommends, “Avoid cultivating or dwelling on thoughts about any real
or imagined pleasure once derived from certain foods, and avoid talking
about them.” Practicing such restraint not only safeguards one’s
abstinence but also, due to the consideration shown to other members,
nurtures the unity and recovery of the group.
— April 1994
MEETINGS—FOOD: MENTIONING SPECIFIC FOODS IN MEETINGS
AND LIFELINE
• At meetings, we suggest that certain foods not be mentioned by
name, yet we still have a problem with more vulnerable members.
While I enjoy Lifeline, sometimes the magazine mentions specific
food as well. Why?
OA has no policy or opinion as to whether or not it is appropriate to
mention a specific food at an OA meeting. This is an issue that prompts
many contrasting viewpoints among the Fellowship, and accordingly, is
best settled by each individual group conscience. With respect to Lifeline,
the content of this magazine is dependent on the contributions sent in by
the membership. The editors must decide how much an individual’s story
can be revised without losing the writer’s meaning and intent. For
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example, if a member's article mentions abstaining from a certain specific
food as being central to a successful recovery, we will not edit those
references. If an article focuses too much on the food problem and too
little on the solution, we will either not run the piece, or we will edit out
the specific foods as irrelevant.
The above questions point to the presence of food as a reminder of
our disease. All of us in recovery from a compulsion with food are
learning to place food in its proper perspective. Ultimately, for the sake of
OA unity, the issues that seem to divide us must be resolved in a loving,
fair manner. Our OA pamphlet, the Group Handbook, says it well: “A
sense of humor, patience, courtesy, willingness to sit still and listen, a
sense of fairness and trust in a Higher Power have been far more useful
than legalistic arguments or personal accusations.” Once the group
conscience decision has been taken, Tradition One reminds us that we
must not allow lingering feelings of conflict to continue. “It is every
member’s responsibility to protect the OA spirit of unity and mutual
support.” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters
Anonymous, page 111) We must place “principles above personalities.”
— November 1995
MEETINGS—FOOD (REFRESHMENTS) AT MEETINGS
• Some of our meetings serve coffee and tea for members. Lately,
other items like sugar-free cocoa and sugarless gum have been
put out. We had a business meeting and decided that cocoa was
out, yet some members contribute it anyway. How can we focus
on our primary purpose with these foods available? Where do you
advise drawing the line?
OA has no written guidelines addressing whether food or beverages
should be allowed or served in meetings or what the specific items of
refreshment should be. This is a matter for the individual, autonomous
groups to decide. Some groups that meet at mealtimes invite members to
bring a meal to eat during the meeting. Many groups offer liquid
refreshment for their members, while others restrict the consumption of
any food or beverage, even chewing gum, during their meetings.
If your group conscience decides on a policy that some members
violate, perhaps one or two members from the group could discuss with
the “violators” the factors that were considered in rendering the group’s
decision. Page 111 of The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of
Overeaters Anonymous states that “... Tradition One makes it our
responsibility to lovingly remind individuals of the group’s guidelines
whenever the group conscience is being ignored.” Tradition One reminds
us that respect for the common welfare of the group and its group
conscience decisions is critical to OA unity and our personal recovery.
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— November 1995
• What is OA’s policy on eating at meetings? I’m on a special diet
and must eat when my blood sugar drops. I ate a hard-cooked egg
during a meeting, and two members told me I was breaking the
rules. I thought members were supposed to accept each other
unconditionally.
OA groups vary in whether they allow members to eat in meetings.
Some do; others allow it only in lunch-time meetings and others only
during breaks. Some groups do not allow eating in meetings because it
may have been unsettling or distracting for those “most important people
in the room,” the newcomers. Some members may feel that not eating
for an hour is an exercise of discipline in recovery, or eating may have
caused past difficulties that threatened the group’s unity.
A group conscience, using the Steps, Traditions and Concepts as a
guide, usually decides issues such as eating in meetings. In this situation,
the group would pay particular attention to Tradition One, unity; Tradition
Four, group autonomy; and Tradition Five, carrying the message to stillsuffering
compulsive eaters. Each group may apply these Traditions
differently, depending on the situation and past experience.
Unfortunately, a tidy black-and-white answer does not exist.
You may find it helpful to ask for a group-conscience meeting to
explain your situation, discuss your needs and perhaps find a solution
that works for you and the group. If you can’t find a solution that works
for you, is there another nearby meeting you could attend instead?
Before asking for a group-conscience meeting, you might talk with
your sponsor to see if together you can reach a solution you haven’t
found alone. The OA Handbook for Members, Groups and Intergroups:
Recovery Opportunities offers valuable assistance. It gives advice on how
groups work and how other groups have resolved problems. It also gives
tips on how to have a group-conscience meeting.
— November 2007
MEETINGS—GRAY SHEET
• Now that “a plan of eating” is a tool of OA recovery, several
meetings in our intergroup have asked to be designated as “gray
sheet” meetings in our meeting directory. Is it a Traditions break
to do so?
The 1987 World Service Business Conference adopted a “Policy on
Food Plans,” saying that “offering food plans at meetings is a violation of
Tradition Ten.” It follows that if a meeting designates itself as one that
encourages members to adhere to one particular plan of eating, it would
also be in violation of this Tradition.
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The “gray sheet” food plan has a lengthy history in OA, dating back
to the early 1960s, when it was known as the “carbohydrate abstainers”
plan. WSO has just published a cofounder’s history of OA, called Beyond
Our Wildest Dreams, detailing how the controversy over eating plans was
debated in OA over a course of many years.
In 1961, several OA members read an article in Grapevine, the
monthly magazine of Alcoholics Anonymous, about one AA member’s
“total AA abstinence from starch, butter, salt and sugar.” The author
wrote that he was addicted to these substances; they were, he said, like
alcohol in his body. A few early OA members used this idea to define a
specific eating plan that eliminated high-carbohydrate foods from their
diets, and there grew an ever-widening split in the infant OA Fellowship
over whether OA as a whole should endorse a single plan of eating for the
entire membership.
These plans were distributed at specific meetings on a variety of
colored papers. Thus, it was known as the “blue sheet” and the “orange
sheet” before it became known as the “gray sheet.” The controversy over
whether OA should endorse a food plan was finally put to rest at the 1987
Conference. Your intergroup might find it useful to read Beyond Our
Wildest Dreams. Perhaps you would find it a helpful way to settle a
controversy that was debated for over 25 years in OA, and which was
finally settled in 1987 by the group conscience of OA as a whole.
— January 1997
MEETINGS—HEALTHY OR STRONG?
• Where do I find information on what a healthy meeting is
supposed to be?
Everything we want to know about a healthy meeting can be found
on pages one through 23 of the OA Handbook for Members, Groups and
Intergroups: Recovery Opportunities. A healthy meeting is one that
focuses on the “solution.” Healthy meetings follow the Twelve Steps and
Twelve Traditions. Other things that contribute to a healthy meeting are
group members who are in recovery and members who take
responsibility by filling service positions, such as opening the door;
chairing meetings; being secretary, treasurer or intergroup
representative. A healthy meeting generally follows the WSO Suggested
Meeting Format, using the Twelve Traditions as a guide.
Other actions that foster healthy meetings are starting and ending
on time, committing to abstinence, celebrating abstinence, focusing on
three-fold recovery, welcoming newcomers and long-timers, conducting
regular business meetings, avoiding “dumping,” introducing and using
sponsors, talking to all group members, practicing good listening skills,
limiting sharing to three to five minutes, taking a group inventory when
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problems arise, creating a safe and comfortable environment, using the
suggestions for membership retention in the OA Guidelines packet, using
OA- and AA-approved literature and practicing the Step Principles.
— September 1999
MEETINGS—READING FAX, EMAIL OR READING STORY FROM IG
NEWSLETTER
• Is reading from an OA fax or email during a meeting a break of
Traditions?
There are several things to consider. If the fax or email is from
another member of the Fellowship and contains personal information,
then reading it would be a breach of Tradition Twelve. Traditions Six and
Ten would be involved if outside issues or enterprises were mentioned.
There shouldn’t be a problem if the content is informative, such as details
about an upcoming OA event or information from WSO or a trustee
regarding a Traditions question.
— July 1999
• Is reading a personal story from an IG Roundletter during a
meeting a break of Traditions?
If the author of the story agreed to have the letter published, then
it would not be a breach of Tradition Twelve to read the letter at a
meeting. Lifeline is made up primarily of personal stories, and some
members of OA have set up Lifeline discussion meetings. The Big Book
has an entire section on personal stories, as does the OA Brown Book
[Overeaters Anonymous]. Many members attend meetings devoted to the
study of those books. It is not a breach of Tradition Twelve to read and
discuss the stories.
—July 1999
MEETINGS—REMOVING SPECIAL-INTEREST DESCRIPTORS FROM
MEETINGS LIST
• Our intergroup is considering removing special-interest
descriptors, such as HOW, gay and 100-pounders, from our
meeting list because it considers the codes outside issues. The
groups welcome all OA members. The intergroup also removed
the announcement sign for a new HOW-concept meeting. Are the
codes and the announcement sign a violation of OA guidelines?
Including special-interest descriptors in meeting lists is completely
within OA guidelines and reflects the 1994 OA policy on special-focus
meetings:
“The Fellowship of Overeaters Anonymous recognizes the existence
of special focus meetings (i.e., gay and lesbians meetings, women’s
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meetings, men’s meetings, 100-pounders, maintainers, old timers, etc.)
which have been formed of persons who can more readily identify with
fellow OAers with similar attributes. According to the Traditions, bylaws
and policies of OA, the only requirement for membership is the desire to
stop eating compulsively. We ask each person attending a meeting to
respect and consider the group conscience. All registered meetings shall
welcome and give a voice to any person with the desire to stop eating
compulsively.”
By labeling special-focus meetings such as HOW, gay and 100pounders
in their local directories, intergroups may help OA members
with similar interests find groups that support their programs without
breaking bonds between fellow members. Identity and recovery are
interwoven, and identity need not be separate from our practice of the
program. Descriptive labeling in meeting lists does not necessarily
endorse an outside issue.
Outside issues, as described in Tradition Ten, are topics that do not
pertain to recovery from compulsive overeating; for example, endorsing
other Twelve-Step programs or religious and political issues. However, if
HOW-concept meetings comply with OA bylaws, they are OA meetings,
and intergroups may list them as such.
Page 140 of the OA “Twelve and Twelve” warns that it is easy for
those in the majority to remove meetings from OA lists because of
personality conflicts rather than principles. We should be mindful of this
tendency before taking such action.
— December 2005
MEETINGS—RINGING CELL PHONES
• What is the best way to handle ringing cell phones during a
meeting, even when before the meeting you had asked members
to turn off their phones?
A cell phone ringing in an OA meeting is a sign of the times.
Meeting leaders can include in the meeting format a request to turn off
cell phones, and adding reminders during the meeting may increase the
effectiveness.
A method used at the 2007 World Service Business Conference
(WSBC) might help. The chair, while holding a cell phone in her hand,
asked the attendees to take out their cell phones or pagers and instructed
them to press the off or silent button. It was very effective; no phones
sounded during the meeting. She repeated the same thing at the start of
every session.
Another option would be to have a meeting greeter give everyone a
hug and a reminder to turn off his or her phone.
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It also might help to have a group conscience to discuss ways of
preventing cell phones from disturbing the OA meeting. Group members
may have additional methods worth trying.
— December 2007
—
MEETINGS—SHARING
• What do we do when most of the sharing at a meeting is about
the problem, not the solution?
Most meetings follow a format. The Suggested Meeting Format,
available from the World Service Office, suggests this statement be made
at the meeting, with other options for different types of meetings: “As
you share your experience and strength in OA, please also share your
hope.” Some meeting formats suggest the sharing be kept to threeminute,
positive pitches. Adding a statement to the format, such as, “If
you share about the problem, we encourage you to share about the
solution as well,” can also help.
It is the leader’s responsibility to keep the meeting flowing.
Sometimes a person shares something that diverts the flow. When this
happens, the leader immediately says something to put the meeting back
on track. Some topics, such as holidays, deaths, aged parents, husbands,
mothers and children, can trigger negativity. Therefore, it’s a good idea to
choose topics carefully. Step One is a good place to start when a meeting
needs to refocus.
Individual members also have a responsibility to keep the meeting
focused on the solution. This is particularly true if the leader is unable to
step forward to assume this role. If sharing about the problem is
recurring at the meeting, members may ask for a business meeting to
lovingly discuss how to make the meeting more centered on Twelve-Step
recovery.
— July 2002
MEETINGS—SHARING-REQUIREMENTS IMPOSED
• We have a meeting that won’t allow sharing unless a person
also is abstinent from caffeine and nicotine. Can this be
considered an OA meeting, and does it violate the Traditions?
An Overeaters Anonymous group is defined in the Bylaws of
Overeaters Anonymous Inc., Subpart B, Article V, Section 1 a) as follows:
“1. As a group, they meet to practice the Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions of OA.
2. All who have the desire to stop eating compulsively are welcome
in the group.
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3. No member is required to practice any actions in order to remain
a member or to have a voice (share at a meeting).
4. As a group they have no affiliation other than OA.”
When an OA group registers with the World Service Office, it agrees
to comply with the stated bylaws and Tradition Three: “The only
requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.”
A meeting that imposes qualifications or requirements for members to be
allowed to share does not comply with number three in the bylaws
definition above.
It also treads on several Traditions, as described in The Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous. Tradition One
says, “Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends
upon OA unity.” On page 111, the “Twelve and Twelve” states “Ideally,
OA is a place where every member has ample opportunity to share . . . ”
This embodies the principle of unity. Tradition Two begins with “For our
group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He
may express Himself in our group conscience.” The bylaws were adopted
by the World Service Business Conference (WSBC), which is the group
conscience of OA as a whole. Ignoring a part of the bylaws means
ignoring OA’s group conscience.
In the chapter on Tradition Three, page 132, a question appears
that groups should answer: “If people have to meet special requirements
in order to have any voice in the meeting, aren’t they being denied
effective membership in the group?” According to Tradition Five, “Each
group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the
compulsive overeater who stills suffers.” Experience has shown the need
to focus on our primary purpose and not become sidetracked by other
issues. This brings us to Tradition Ten, “Overeaters Anonymous has no
opinion on outside issues; hence the OA name ought never be drawn into
public controversy.” The use of nicotine and caffeine are outside issues
about which OA as a whole has no opinion. We need to concentrate on
recovery from compulsive eating.
— October 2001
MEETINGS—SHARING REQUIREMENTS VERSUS TRADITIONS
• We have a meeting that won’t allow sharing unless a member is
also abstinent from caffeine and nicotine. Can this be considered
an OA meeting, and does it violate the Traditions?
Tradition Three says that any person who wants to stop eating
compulsively is welcome. Thus, meetings that exclude some compulsive
overeaters from participation would contradict that Tradition. In the OA
Bylaw’s definition of a group, all who have a desire to stop eating
compulsively are welcome in the group, and no member is required to
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practice any actions in order to remain a member or to have a voice
(share at a meeting). [Article V, Section 1 of Overeaters Anonymous,
Inc., Bylaws Subpart B]. This does not stop meetings from deciding,
through group conscience, to emphasize certain interests.
The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous
says on page 133, “There are also special-emphasis groups in OA. . . . In
cases where there are registered OA groups, they should not exclude any
compulsive eater who wants to attend and share, even though the
member might not fit the category toward which the meeting is geared.”
The experience of most OAers has been that by sticking to our
primary purpose, abstaining from compulsive overeating and carrying this
message to the suffering compulsive overeater, we are strengthened and
more likely to be available to those who need us now and in the future.
—October 2004
MEETINGS—SPECIAL INTEREST/FOCUS MEETINGS
• Is it within the Traditions to create “special interest” OA
meetings, such as meetings for members who have lost more than
100 pounds, for those of a particular faith or religion, for men or
women only, for people from alcoholic families or for people
under 20?
Meetings that focus on certain special needs of members are
acceptable and do not break any Tradition. The chapter on Step Four in
OA’s “Twelve and Twelve” discusses this issue in detail. OA acknowledges
that some members share a common life issue in addition to the shared
problem of compulsive overeating. Special-focus meetings provide an
opportunity for members with special circumstances to come together.
Young people, gays and lesbians, and members in relapse are some
examples. Meetings focusing on outside issues, such as alcoholism and
specific religious affiliations, would not be acceptable special-focus
meetings. These meetings would violate Tradition Six.
All meetings, including those aimed at the needs of specific groups,
must welcome all compulsive overeaters. No OA member is barred from a
special-focus meeting because he or she does not have the special need.
— February 2001
MEETINGS—STARTING A NEW MEETING
• I think an OA meeting is two or more people, and I’m interested
in spreading the word of OA. What literature can I use to help
start a meeting? What are successful ways to develop a meeting?
What is a meeting format?
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You are correct. A group is composed of two or more people, per
OA Bylaws Subpart B, Article V:
“Section 1—Definition
“a) These points shall define an Overeater Anonymous group:
“1) As a group, they meet to practice the Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous.
“2) All who have the desire to stop eating compulsively are
welcome in the group.
“3) No member is required to practice any actions in order to
remain a member or to have a voice (share at a meeting).
“4) As a group they have no affiliation other than Overeaters
Anonymous.
“Section 2—Composition
“a) A group may be formed by two or more persons meeting
together as set forth in Article V, Section 1.
“b) Groups compose the intergroups as set forth in Article VI
hereof.”
The OA Handbook for Members, Groups and Intergroups: Recovery
Opportunities is a resource for starting OA meetings and is available for
purchase on OA’s Web site, www.oa.org/literature_catalog.htm (item
#120). The following links also offer help:
• How to Start a Meeting, www.oa.org/pdf/How_to_Start.pdf
• Suggested Meeting Format, www.oa.org/pdf/2DSugMtgFormat.pdf
• Excerpt from the OA Handbook for Members, Groups and
Intergroups: Recovery Opportunities,
www.oa.org/pdf/OAHandbook_excerpt.pdf
• Ways to create successful meetings, www.oa.org/pdf/
Let_People_Know.pdf
— August 2007
MEETINGS—STEERING COMMITTEES
• Please explain the difference between a steering committee and
a group conscience. Which method is recommended?
The best answer to this question comes from the OA Handbook for
Members, Groups and Intergroups: Recovery Opportunities:
“What Is a Steering Committee?
“In many groups, all regularly attending abstaining members are
invited to participate and vote in monthly steering committee meetings,
held before or after the regular meeting. Changes in meeting format,
allocation of group funds, election of officers and other business matters
are discussed and decided by group conscience. To safeguard the stability
of the group, the steering committee may establish abstinence and
program requirements for the secretary, treasurer and program
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chairperson. In this way, the weekly group meeting doesn’t have
excessive time taken up in business matters. Occasionally, matters of
major importance may be brought before the entire group for a vote” (p.
9).
Overview: A steering committee is composed of abstaining
members of a group. A group conscience is the action taken on an issue
by the committee or the entire group.
— October 2003
MEETINGS—THEATER-STYLE SEATING
• In our area we have a meeting which has changed its seating to
theater style. Members must read or speak from the front of the
room. What suggestions do you have to help members who are
reluctant to share in the front of the room come forward?
OA meetings use many types of seating arrangements. A group
conscience determines which type a particular group will use, and the
group may experiment with different types. “Theater-style” seating has
chairs arranged in rows facing the front of the room. Each speaker stands
at the front of the room to address the group.
OA used theater-style seating in its formative years, and OA’s
cofounder, at her May 1998 WSBC workshop, demonstrated an early
theater-style meeting. Some OAers believe that members take theaterstyle
meetings more seriously and that theater-style seating fosters
surrender and discipline. It also reduces distractions.
As the theater-style meeting continues, more people will speak out.
It is part of the recovery process. And when reticent members see others
take the risk and reap the rewards of sharing, they will overcome their
reluctance to speak at the front of the room.
— April 1999
MEETINGS—TIMEKEEPING
• Our group will start using a timekeeper to limit members’
sharing to three minutes. The steering committee voted to try this
because some people talk on and on while others do not get a
chance to share at all. Does this violate the spirit, if not the letter,
of the OA Traditions?
Most groups that have tried this strategy would probably tell you
the only thing it violates is the character of the meeting. All groups seem
to have a few members who habitually take more than their fair share of
time; but the real problem, many groups find, is an outgrown meeting
format. In other words, when the meeting gets too big, it becomes
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impossible to continue to have “around the table” discussions, with each
person sharing according to need.
Setting a strict time limit often creates dissension, with some
members strongly opposed to such regulation. Even if everyone abides by
the limit, however, as the meeting continues to grow, it takes longer and
longer for all to have a turn.
Groups that have weathered this problem recommend a number of
solutions: (a) change the format to speaker or pitch meeting in which the
seating is arranged theater-style and individuals speak from the front of
the room as scheduled in advance or as called on by the leader; (b)
separate into two groups which, if space permits, can meet at opposite
ends of the room; and (c) form a “spin-off” group to meet in a different
location.
— February 1992, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
January/February 1986
MEMBERS—DIFFICULT AND/OR DISRUPTIVE
• My home meeting is having a problem with a member who acts
in a threatening manner. People are worried, and the group is
losing members. Besides legal action or contacting the police, is
there any OA policy on how to handle difficult members? Can we
kick a member out of a meeting and/or out of OA?
Unfortunately, this question is not uncommon, and there is no easy
answer. Although OA has no written policy of its own on this matter, we
can refer to the long form of Tradition One in the Big Book, Alcoholics
Anonymous. It states that each member is but a small part of a great
whole. The Fellowship “must continue to live or most of us will surely die.
Hence our common welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows
close afterward.” In AA’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions it explains
that no one “can compel another to do anything; nobody can be punished
or expelled.”
Yet the prevailing consideration is still the good of the Fellowship
and its survival. While each member has the freedom to work the
program as he or she chooses, it does not come at the expense of the OA
group. Should a member’s actions or behavior be disruptive or even
become dangerous, the OA group needs to protect itself; if not, the
meeting may fold and the opportunity for recovery is lost for everyone.
How a meeting protects itself can cause conflict and controversy.
Each situation is unique and should be evaluated individually. You may
want to contact your local intergroup, and even your region, for a
detached perspective of the events. Most groups begin “informally” on a
one-to-one level—one member may approach the individual to discuss
the problem and look for solutions. Let the Twelve Steps and Traditions
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guide you—always striving “to place principles before personalities.” If
possible, offer positive alternatives to attending the meeting, such as
seeking professional help or guidance from trusted friends or family.
If necessary, a steering committee meeting may be needed for
open discourse. Be sure to provide an equal hearing for all. Ask everyone
to come to the meeting with healthy, tolerant, and supportive attitudes.
Blame and accusations help no one. It may be decided that this individual
should be asked to leave for the good of the group. There is no way,
however, to enforce this decision other than on the good will of all
parties. We cannot expel this person from OA—no one can do that—but
we can ask an emotionally disturbed person to leave the meeting. If a law
has been broken, or the situation appears dangerous, it may be best to
call the police or other local authorities.
Ultimately the answer to this very uncomfortable question is a
paradox. Members are never forced to do anything and are encouraged to
“take what they like and leave the rest.” Yet for a group to survive,
members must willingly adhere to the Fellowship’s spiritual principles and
put our common welfare first.
— August 1993
MEMBERS—LONGTIMERS
• How can we get longtimers involved with intergroup?
If the apparently reluctant longtimers have a recent and extensive
history of serving at intergroup, perhaps they are practicing rotation of
service. It is of great value to any service body, however, to have a
balance of OA members who are beginning to contribute their time and
talent to a service body, along with some OA folks who have experience,
strength and hope to share from holding service positions.
One of the best methods to attract OA members, regardless of
experience, is the personal approach. Personally invite a service prospect
to attend the next business meeting. Inform that person of the service
opportunities available and suggest a position you think that OA member
would be well-suited to hold. Encourage attendance by arranging to go
with the person to the meeting. Nominate that person during the election
process.
Some OA members are reluctant to serve if taking a service
position involves doing all of the tasks or recruiting other OA members to
help out. That need not be the case if the prospect is assured that there
are OAers ready to serve, too.
Another effective way to foster service in OA is for sponsors to
encourage their sponsorees to become involved with OA service. This idea
can be incorporated into a sponsorship workshop.
— February 2003
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MEMBERS—NEGATIVE OA MEMBER OR DUMPING
• A member who attends our meeting every week is very negative
about the program, which can give a bad impression of OA to
newcomers. How can we help this person develop a more positive
attitude and refrain from speaking negatively?
Everyone who wants to stop eating compulsively is welcome to
attend OA meetings. You can speak to the person whose effect on
newcomers concerns you and provide the positive message he or she
needs. You might want to schedule a group inventory to discuss how well
your meeting is reaching newcomers; this might allow people to talk
about the importance of not “dumping” in meetings. You can emphasize
Tradition Five: “Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its
message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers.”
On page 131, the OA “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions”
discusses “members who disrupt the harmony of meetings . . . We have
found that most personality problems can best be dealt with one-to-one
through sponsorship. Our OA meetings aren’t always going to be perfect,
but we can find recovery in them despite their imperfections. When every
person is respected and treated lovingly, the group survives and emerges
stronger than ever from the experience.”
— March 2001
MEMBERSHIP RETENTION—MEMBERSHIP DECLINE AND
INTERGROUP SERVICE
• Our intergroup has two questions. First, the meetings in our
area have been slowly declining in membership; is this a national
trend, and what can we do about it? Second, how can we get more
of our current members involved in the intergroup?
WSO’s executive director stated in the January 1995 issue of
Lifeline that OA membership has declined worldwide in the last few years.
When asked if this is still the case, he said recently that it is. “We don’t
have membership rolls to do a count,” he said, “but we can see the
decline in subscriptions to the magazine, group contributions and
literature sales.” Other Twelve-Step fellowships are noticing a decrease in
membership too, he added, as are other weight-loss and eating-disorder
treatment facilities.
It seems clear that our loss in members is not because compulsive
overeating is no longer a problem. This is a time for those of us who have
found a solution in OA’s Steps and Traditions to redouble our efforts at
public outreach, as well as Twelfth-Step-Within work for members in
relapse. If your current intergroup membership is too low to effectively
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take on public information activities right now, there are some things you
can do to solicit more active involvement in the intergroup.
Sending intergroup representatives to unrepresented groups to talk
about how the intergroup works and what it means to be a group
representative is a good start. Perhaps your intergroup’s officers could
hold an informative panel discussion at one of your area’s better-attended
meetings. And don’t forget to ask for help from your regional chair and
trustee as well as other regional intergroups. We are all here to help each
other.
When attendance at your intergroup meetings is a little higher, you
can focus your efforts on public information activities. Study the “PI
Manual” and the new membership retention pamphlet. Make a plan to use
the audio/video public service announcement now available from the
World Service Office. Attending health fairs, putting up billboards, making
sure OA meetings are advertised in your local paper: these are things
your intergroup can do to begin to increase community awareness of OA.
Finally, it’s important not to focus on the decline in membership as
a “failure.” It is an opportunity. If we keep our meetings as strong and
focused as we can, we will attract new members and keep them.
— March 1996
MEMBERSHIP RETENTION—REASONS FOR MEMBERSHIP DECLINE
• Why do you think numbers in the Fellowship are declining?
This is a simple, but not easy, program. If it were easy, our
meeting rooms would not be big enough to hold all our members. The OA
program takes commitment and a willingness to change through working
the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. Some people are not ready to
surrender the food obsession and accept what this program has to offer.
Numbers in the Fellowship are declining because of ignorance about
the disease and how it affects our body, mind and spirit. Some people are
looking for the easier, softer ways society offers and may turn to a
commercial competitor.
Members of the Fellowship can take responsibility for the declining
membership by reaching out to still-suffering OA members and by
carrying the message of recovery to professionals and the public.
Members also have a responsibility to be good examples by displaying
recovery, so that still-suffering compulsive eaters will have hope. In the
end, no matter what we do, we can’t convince people to stay in OA if they
are not convinced they have a disease and cannot see this as a way of
life.
— August 2007
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MESSAGE OF OA—PRIMARY MESSAGE
• What exactly is the “message” we in OA are supposed to carry
to the suffering compulsive overeater?
Simply put, the message we are to share is recovery from
compulsive overeating through the Twelve Steps of Overeaters
Anonymous. By sharing our experience, strength and hope with others,
we give credence to the healing power of the Twelve Steps, thereby
attracting new members to the Fellowship. Additionally, work with
newcomers and other suffering members, as well as efforts to inform the
public about OA, are part and parcel of the message referred to in
Tradition Five.
OA’s primary message—Twelve-Step recovery—is a simple one. Yet,
occasionally, that message gets confused with other ideas. It’s important
for all of us to remember that the OA message is not about food plans or
specific rules and regulations; nor is any one individual’s interpretation of
the Twelve Steps applicable to all of us, no matter how “successful” he or
she may appear.
In the September issue of Lifeline, one member shared the
following in an article entitled “What Is the Message?”
“Recently, I realized that the only message I can carry is my own
recovery. By the grace of God, I have recovery and the willingness to
share it with others. I do not need you to recover the way I do. You are
free to discover your own path. The only thing we need to have in
common is the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.”
It’s that simple.
— September 1991, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
September/October 1988
MESSAGE OF OA—WHAT IS IT?
Step Twelve says, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result
of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive
overeaters.” What is “this message”?
It is the message of the miracle of recovery through the Twelve
Steps. It is the lesson we have learned through doing the Steps—that we
have had a spiritual awakening that provides us sanity, and we no longer
are drawn to compulsive overeating but live free of the obsession.
We carry a simple message of a miracle in our lives: We came to
this program powerless over food, and through the Twelve Steps we have
found a power greater than ourselves that has restored us to sanity.
— December 2003
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NEWCOMERS—MEETING
• My group would like to start a meeting for newcomers. How
would we conduct such a meeting?
Some areas have separate meetings for newcomers that are often
general meetings with a speaker. Some groups set aside a newcomers
meeting time before or after the regular meeting. Some have volunteers
who lead the newcomers meeting, reading Our Invitation to You as
source material, taking questions and sharing their experiences. Other
meetings have a designated “newcomer greeter” who works with
newcomers before or after the meeting. Many have a Newcomers
Committee; the members spend time with newcomers and call them
between meetings.
The key is not to overload the newcomer with information and
jargon. No one understands the program after one meeting. “Keep it
simple,” and “easy does it.”
The Newcomers Packet from WSO (item #710K/$2 each;
#711K/$17.50 pk. 10) is invaluable; the packet includes the pamphlet A
Plan of Eating. The Newcomers Meeting Leader’s Kit (item #740, $3) is
another helpful resource that includes Guidelines for Leading Newcomers
Meetings, the OA Handbook and other OA literature.
Lifeline will gladly publish ideas from meeting groups and
intergroups about how they work with newcomers.
— September 2000
NEWCOMERS—PACKETS
• Is there a policy regarding availability of Newcomer’s Packets at
meetings? Some meetings I attend have them and some don’t.
There is no world service policy regarding the Newcomer’s Packet.
The packet contains a range of literature, including the pamphlet A Plan
of Eating that can be particularly helpful to a newcomer. The group
conscience process determines the group’s literature purchases, and each
group decides whether to make the Newcomer’s Packet available.
The packet is a very effective way to convey the message of our OA
recovery program to the newcomer.
— March 2000
OTHER TWELVE-STEP PROGRAMS
• So many people come into OA from other Twelve-Step
programs. Isn’t OA asking a lot from them to expect that they
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omit references to other programs that are part of their story? Do
the Traditions apply here?
OA recognizes that many members have multiple addictions and do
belong to other Twelve-Step programs. Our Traditions acknowledge that
references to other Twelve-Step programs have a place in their stories.
However, our Traditions specifically state that “OA is unique in offering
recovery through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions to those who
suffer from compulsive eating. This is a vital role that no other fellowship
can fill (emphasis added). Thus, OA groups focus their discussion on
recovery from compulsive eating, rather than on other issues” (OA
“Twelve and Twelve,” page 187).
— November 1999
OUTREACH—FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO NEW GROUPS
• Is it all right for an intergroup or a well-established group to
give financial support to a new group by buying literature or
giving an initial loan for rent, for example? Which Traditions
support this?
Tradition Six tells us we ought never endorse, finance or lend the
OA name to any related facility or outside enterprise. A new OA group is
not an outside enterprise. Tradition Seven, perhaps one of our most
misunderstood Traditions, says we are self-supporting, declining outside
contributions. Our Traditions were established to save us from weakening
our autonomy through diversion from our primary purpose or by being
beholden to any person or outside organization. We learned the hard way
that there is no such thing as a free lunch.
While any new group should endeavor to become self-supporting as
soon as possible (including supporting the wider OA structure), a wellestablished
group may elect to extend a helping hand to get the new
group started. Many now-thriving groups would never have survived
without support from other groups, just as newer members receive
support from longer-term members.
Ways we can support new groups include not only giving them
material and financial support, but also visiting their meetings and
ensuring that they become an active part of our OA Fellowship by
attending intergroup meetings and by being listed in the local meeting
directory. Learning to take responsibility is a major part of our program,
at both the personal and group levels. We ought not create any
unnecessary or unhealthy dependency. However, we should always help a
group get started, weaning them off the help as soon as it is appropriate.
Some intergroups and regions have special funds to assist new groups.
— August 2002
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OUTREACH—TO GROUPS IN OUTLYING AREAS
• What is the best way for us to support groups in outlying areas?
The best way to help is to attend these groups’ meetings. Even if
you have a long drive, get a group of people together and have three
meetings: one getting there, the one you attend while you’re there and
one coming home. The members making the effort and the ones in the
outlying meetings all will benefit.
In addition, regularly let groups in outlying areas know that
intergroups and regions are available to help them. Intergroups can send
these groups information about services they provide and about special
OA events. Intergroups or regions can buy inexpensive telephone cards
for outreach committee members to periodically call groups in outlying
areas. The personal contact is usually a welcome surprise.
— October 2002
OUTSIDE ISSUES—ANNOUNCING FUNCTION AT MEETING
• I would like to have an after-meeting gathering at my home for
an OA member who is leaving the area, and I want to invite
everyone in our Fellowship. Would it break an OA Tradition for me
to announce the function at the meetings I attend? Could I pass
around a flyer with the date and directions to my home? If this
would not be correct, how could I announce such an affair? What
Tradition would this question come under?
This sounds like an open meeting since everyone is included in the
invitation. A special event, such as a marathon or an IDEA Day or Unity
Day celebration, can be announced. These are times when people come
together around a common theme. The proposed meeting sounds like a
wonderful opportunity for members of the Fellowship to support the
member who is leaving.
I cannot think of any Tradition that would be broken by announcing
this event. You are carrying the message to the compulsive overeater
who still suffers by extending a caring hand and showing the strength of
the Fellowship by sharing the love and common bond we feel toward one
another. As long as the person who is leaving does not mind others
knowing about her plans to move, her anonymity is not being broken.
If in doubt, you can take a group conscience to see if anyone
objects to the announcement being made at the meeting. If anyone
objects, you will have to extend the invitations individually so as not to
violate the feelings of the group as a whole.
This reminds me of OA’s Promise: “I put my hand in yours . . . and
together we can do what we could never do alone! No longer is there a
sense of hopelessness, no longer must we each depend upon our own
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unsteady willpower. We are all together now, reaching out our hands for
power and strength greater than ours, and as we join hands, we find love
and understanding beyond our wildest dreams” (I Put My Hand in Yours,
p. i).
You are together and reaching out sharing your hope, strength and
love to support another compulsive overeater, so she will be better able
to share hers as she continues in program in her new location.
— January 2004
OUTSIDE ISSUES—NON-OA REQUESTS AT MEETINGS
• A member of our OA-HOW group asked during announcement
time if members would save empty bottles from a sugar-free
syrup for her friend who is not an OA member. Is this
appropriate? Which, if any, Traditions does it violate? How does
this compare with asking for a ride home or help with car
problems?
The area between what needs to be said and what should be left for
individual sharing is debatable. At meetings, we need to share
experience, strength and hope to achieve recovery from compulsive
overeating. At announcement time, we still need to respect these
program issues; however, it is the time to announce things pertaining to
the meeting such as what the managers of the building expect of us as
renters.
The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous
guides us in these matters. Tradition Four says, “Groups have promoted
non-OA-approved literature to their members, or focused meeting
discussions on topics not related to recovery from compulsive overeating,
forgetting our primary purpose as expressed in Tradition Five. Meeting
time has been used to promote outside enterprises and issues, despite
our Sixth and Seventh Traditions” (p. 139).
Tradition Five says, “We who have found a sane way of eating and
living have a responsibility to make sure OA doesn’t become sidetracked”
(p. 145). “Tradition Six cautions each OA group to stick to the primary
purpose exclusively, no matter how many outside enterprises may
interest us as individuals” (p. 153). It continues, “Though these
enterprises may be worthwhile, they threaten to divert the attention of
groups from OA’s unique function, which is to carry the message of
Twelve-Step recovery to compulsive overeaters who still suffer” (pp. 153-
154).
“The Tenth Tradition asks us to leave these issues outside when we
walk through the OA doors. Even the most worthy of other causes has no
place in an OA meeting” (pp. 185-186).
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At times we may need to bring up something outside the Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions, but we should be aware of what we may be
bringing to our groups then and in the future.
It is slightly different when a member needs help in getting to a gas
station, has car problems, needs a ride home or is not feeling well. These
things don’t affect OA as a whole and are not endorsing an outside
enterprise. Sometimes we have to use common sense.
— September 2004
OUTSIDE ISSUES—RELIGION
• Religion should not be a priority in OA, yet it seems to be a
cause for concern in many meetings and even in our region
assemblies. Some want to discontinue religious-based raffles and
prizes. OA has always included the Lord’s Prayer, as has AA, but
now it isn’t good enough to close OA meetings. How can certain
OA members keep their faith and belief systems from being
trampled at the region and world service levels?
Please refer to the OA preamble in OA’s “Twelve and Twelve” (p. v);
the OA Handbook for Members, Groups and Intergroups (p. 34, second
paragraph); and the Traditions, especially One, Two, Four, Five, Six, Ten
and Twelve. Also refer to the Business Conference Policy Manual,
Continuing Effect Motion 1993a, which covers suggested closings for OA
meetings.
OA members come from varied backgrounds, so it’s best to focus
on our common bond rather than on our differences. Well-intended
members often donate raffle prizes. If someone objects to using a
particular prize, the group might hold a group conscience to decide
whether to use the prize. If the group decides to use it, the objecting
members may choose not to purchase a ticket for that prize.
Groups may close meetings with the Lord’s Prayer if they choose,
even though the 1993a motion does not include it in the list of suggested
closings. The word suggested does not mean “must.” It is important to
have a group conscience to resolve any concerns, especially those related
to “religious” items. If the group decides to use that prayer, it is not
violating the Traditions.
— May 2004
OUTSIDE ISSUES—TALKING IN MEETINGS ABOUT NON-OA
ORGANIZATIONS
• Why can’t we talk in OA meetings about organizations that have
helped us get well?
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It may seem innocent to mention people, places and things in
addition to OA that have helped us get well, but the Twelve Traditions
were intended to preserve the special character of the program for which
they were created. The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, who wrote the
Steps and Traditions, had seen other organizations, which were also
trying to help alcoholics, crumble because they endorsed and involved
themselves with outside entities. The AA founders realized that their
singleness of purpose was their strength.
We acknowledge the many avenues that have helped us in our
journeys, but in meetings, other than passing references, we confine our
sharing to talking only about the OA program and how it has helped our
recoveries. Newcomers come to OA seeking help from the OA program.
Our job is to make sure that legacy is there for them.
— September 2003
• How can a group secretary handle people bringing up outside
issues by name—such as exercise clubs, doctors, therapists or
books—during sharing?
This is always a touchy issue. Members squirm when an
enthusiastic member says something like, “I’ve lost 4 pounds (2 kg) since
I joined Mike’s gym. They have a great sign-up special this month,” “Dr.
Brown prescribed a great appetite suppressant for me” or “That new
book, Fat and Fabulous, makes a lot of sense to me.”
Generally, it is the meeting secretary’s role to gently interrupt the
share with a comment like, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m uncomfortable
hearing an outside issue mentioned at our meeting. Our group conscience
has stated that this meeting follows the Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions. Discussion of outside issues is against our Sixth Tradition.”
If the secretary does not intervene, any group member may
interrupt the share. If no member brings up the Tradition violation at the
time it occurs, several things can be done; for example:
• Hold a group-conscience meeting and reinforce the need to refrain
from mentioning outside issues during sharing.
• Call the person involved and kindly suggest that he or she
remember not to bring outside issues into a meeting.
• Ask the member’s sponsor, if known, to call the member to
discuss the issue.
None of these options is comfortable or easy, but the alternative is
to allow outside issues to dilute our OA message. This can be confusing to
both newcomers and longtimers. It is the responsibility of every OA
member to respect and protect the Traditions and the integrity of our
meetings.
— December 2006
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OUTSIDE ISSUES—TENANTS’ MEETING
• The venue in which an OA meeting is held has asked the OA
group to send a representative to its tenants’ meeting. Would it
break any Tradition for OA members to participate in this
meeting?
Sending an OA member to a tenants’ meeting does not break any
OA Tradition. A venue holds tenants’ meetings usually to communicate
information to the tenants or to address their concerns. This could also be
an excellent opportunity for public information work. OA members’
participation will inform the community that OA exists in the area.
— September 2002
OUTSIDE OPINIONS
• Why can’t we have an opinion on organizations that fit in with
and support OA? They help us, so why can’t we help them?
The answer to this question lies in Traditions Six and Ten. According
to Tradition Six, “An OA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the
OA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of
money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.”
Tradition Ten states, “Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside
issues; hence the OA name ought never be drawn into public
controversy.”
We are fortunate to enjoy and appreciate the support of many
organizations, and we express that appreciation privately in many ways.
However, our greatest strength has always been our singleness of
purpose. Founders of the first Twelve-Step program looked back in
history to see why earlier attempts to help people suffering from
compulsive diseases had failed. They discovered that these earlier
programs had foundered when they became involved in issues outside
their primary purpose.
We may privately have opinions both for and against other
organizations, may privately recommend them to others and may even
be personally involved in them. However, as OA members and as
representatives of OA as a whole, we talk only about Overeaters
Anonymous, what it does and what it has done for us. In doing so, the
confused newcomer and the public at large receive a clear message from
us about what we do and who we are. We avoid potential disagreement
among ourselves about things we would never agree on and that would
divert us from our primary purpose: to carry our message to the
compulsive overeater who still suffers. Concerning all outside issues, it’s
“live and let live.”
— May 2002
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OUTSIDE SPEAKERS—IN GROUPS
• A priest who works with behavior modification for overeaters
but who has no Twelve-Step background was invited to speak to
our group. Several of us objected, but we need to know what OA
policy is on outside speakers so we can present it to the group.
Whether we are considering outside literature or outside speakers
for OA meetings and other functions, the question that should be asked
is: Are we fulfilling our group purpose, which is to carry the OA message?
The people who come to OA meetings are there to hear about the
OA program; if they wished to learn about other programs, they would be
elsewhere.
When we present speakers whose experience or expertise is in
areas outside the Twelve-Step program, we not only confuse newcomers,
we also give the impression that we must not have much confidence in
the OA program if we feel we have to supplement it. Moreover, we may
appear to endorse outside enterprises or have opinions on outside issues.
With nearly a quarter century of experience, OA’s resources of
program literature and program speakers are readily available to groups
in most areas. In communities where OA is new, help may be found by
contacting the nearest intergroup or the region office and asking for
speakers.
We can say without hesitation that there are recovering OAers
everywhere who consider it a privilege to travel long distances to give
away what they have received.
— February 1990, reprinted from the WSO Notebook, July/August
1984
OUTSIDE SPEAKERS—AT MARATHONS
• At marathons, do speakers need to be from the OA Fellowship?
Can addiction counselors be speakers, or are they considered an
outside issue?
Our primary purpose is to carry the message found in the Twelfth
Step: “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we
tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice
these principles in all our affairs.” The promises of the Ninth Step assure
us freedom from our compulsion as a result of the spiritual awakening. It
is critically important to recognize that only in OA can we hear this
message and see the results of practicing OA’s Twelve Steps.
If counselors could have solved the problem of compulsive eating,
there never would have been an OA. That is why we must ensure that
those who come to our meetings, conventions, marathons and retreats
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hear our message, because it is a message that saves lives. Outside
speakers who have not experienced the hell of compulsive eating are
unable to convey the experience of escaping from that hell by means of
the Twelve Steps of OA. Our Fifth Tradition tells us to keep it simple by
focusing on our message.
Our Sixth Tradition tells us that we must never lend the OA name
by endorsement. Selecting a particular counselor, counseling philosophy,
nutritionist or other outside physical or mental self-improvement
counselor is a form of endorsement and is not appropriate for any OA
service body or group.
Our Tenth Tradition tells us that we take no position on outside
issues, and counseling approaches can be issue ridden. Selecting a
specific counselor involves taking a position on an outside issue. Based on
fairness, other counselors with other approaches would then want access
to our membership as well.
— April 2005
PLAN OF EATING—PRESCRIBED
• How do you respond to a newcomer or relapsed OA person who
insists that he/she needs a prescribed plan of eating?
This is really not a problem. If a newcomer asks this of you,
suggest that the person see a qualified professional (e.g., a nutritionist or
dietitian). If an individual continues to ask for suggestions, have him or
her make a list of personal binge foods. Suggest that the person try to
avoid eating the foods on the list. Of course, some people can binge on
any food, so before making this suggestion, you might want to talk with
the member to discover if this is a problem. A plan of eating is an
individual matter. No two people have the same metabolism or digestive
system. Each person approaches problems with a personal perspective
and a different approach.
For further guidance and many suggestions, please read the justreleased
pamphlet A Plan of Eating. It was approved at the 1998 World
Service Business Conference.
— September 1998
PHYSICAL RECOVERY— “RECOVERED” OVEREATER
• Is it acceptable to call oneself a “recovered” compulsive
overeater, as I read in a past Lifeline story? I thought we were
never really recovered?
Since our OA program is based on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics
Anonymous, many OA members refer to the Big Book (Alcoholics
Anonymous) when seeking information about recovery. In the Foreword
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to the First Edition, the word “recovered” is used in the first two
sentences: “We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred
men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of
mind and body. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have
recovered is the main purpose of this book.” The word “recovered” is
used 10 more times in the first 164 pages of the Big Book.
Some OA members like to make a distinction between being
“recovered” and “cured.” On page 85 of the Third Edition we find, “We are
not cured of alcoholism,” but it also says “ . . . the problem has been
removed.” However, there is a contingency that “ . . . we keep in fit
spiritual condition.”
The use of these terms has been of interest to OA members for
quite some time. The following is a helpful answer to a similar question
that appeared in the Lifeline Ask-It Basket in November 2001:
“Many OAers use the term ‘recovered.’ Many use the term
‘recovering.’ Those who use ‘recovered’ are emphasizing the change
within that has given them the miracle of recovery. Those who use
‘recovering’ are emphasizing the day-to-day work they do to keep
recovering. There are no rights or wrongs in this regard. We use the
words that feel most comfortable to us, keeping in mind that our primary
purpose is to carry the message of recovery to those who still suffer, as
Tradition Five points out.”
— January 2007
PHYSICAL RECOVERY—WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
• Why is physical recovery important?
We have a three-fold disease, and the solution is three-fold also. Is
having only physical recovery better than having only emotional recovery
or only spiritual recovery? Can a compulsive overeater recover in only
one aspect of our disease? Probably not. For most of us, abstinence from
compulsive eating comes first. We must abstain from compulsive
overeating before we can think clearly, find a Higher Power to work with
and work the Steps. In working the Steps and using the tools, we will
have recovery in all three areas.
— July 2000
POLICY STATEMENTS
• I understand that OA’s policy statements are passed by the
World Service Business Conference. Were any new policy
statements adopted by Conference 1993?
The two policy statements printed below were passed at this year’s
Conference. OA policy statements were conceived to help clarify complex
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questions and provide suggested guidelines for OA service bodies. They
are submitted to Conference by intergroups as new business motions,
and then debated and voted on by the delegates. Board-approved policy
statements are adopted by the Board of Trustees.
The Business Conference Policy Manual contains all of OA’s policies.
It’s included in the OA Final Conference Report, available for purchase in
the OA literature catalog.
(Policy statements regarding suggested OA meeting and event
closings and sale or display of other than OA-approved literature in
violation with Tradition Six were printed here.)
— September 1993
POWERLESS OVER FOOD BUT HAVE CONTROL
• How can a person be powerless over food but have control?
How much control can I have if I’m powerless?
You ask a question that is at the core of the OA program of
recovery. The first three Steps of OA recovery have been summarized as
“I can’t; Higher Power can; I think I will let Higher Power.”
At www.oa.org you can read: “Overeaters Anonymous offers a
program of recovery from compulsive overeating using the Twelve Steps
and Twelve Traditions of OA. Worldwide meetings and other tools provide
a fellowship of experience, strength and hope.” Individual OA members
deal with your questions in different ways. Some find strength in turning
their food over to the Higher Power of their understanding. Others find
that developing a food plan with a health-care professional and
committing to following it with a sponsor helps them control their food.
Others believe the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, upon which
our OA program is based, promises total freedom from the hopeless state
of mind and body that characterizes many people who come to OA for
help.
“Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by
which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves.
Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power?
“Well, that’s exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to
enable you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your
problem” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 45).
I encourage the writer to attend many different OA meetings and
find an OA sponsor who has what this person wants in recovery. We who
have recovered are obliged to pass on this gift according to Step Twelve.
Keep coming back.
— July 2005
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PRAYER—LORD’S PRAYER
• Can we say the Lord’s Prayer in OA? If a group votes to close
with the Lord’s Prayer, is this against suggested guidelines?
The answer to the first question is yes. It is for the group
conscience of the meeting to decide this matter. The answer to the
second question is also yes. The answer is the same for both because
meetings are free to go against suggested guidelines. When meetings
consider doing so, it is helpful to have a thorough group-conscience
discussion about OA’s Traditions.
Because the Lord’s Prayer is associated with specific religious
beliefs and is used in at least two different versions by different religions,
it can be a barrier to unity for those who are not affiliated with those
religions. Our First Tradition tells us our recovery depends on OA unity.
Any action which may threaten that unity threatens our recovery.
Our Fifth Tradition tells us, “Each group has but one primary
purpose—to carry its message.” The message is found in the Twelfth
Step: “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we
tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters.” Our purpose is not
to provide a sectarian prayer ceremony, which is available in appropriate
churches, nor is it to convey the idea that specific beliefs about a Higher
Power are associated with OA. It is helpful to remember that OA exists
because various religious organizations were unable to free their
practitioners from the chains of our disease. To use OA meetings to
support the practices of specific religions is to fail to recognize the unique
message of OA, which is available to people of any religious persuasion.
The World Service Business Conference (WSBC), which is the
worldwide group conscience of Overeaters Anonymous, has considered
this subject often and has refused to include the Lord’s Prayer in the list
of suggested closings. Some believe the WSBC has rejected
recommending the Lord’s Prayer because doing so would endorse a
particular religious tradition and would open the door to legitimate
expectations of including prayers of other religious traditions. Also, the
WSBC may have considered the prayer divisive in its spirit rather than
uniting.
The WSBC adopted the first formal expression of this concern for
unity in Policy 1993a (Business Conference Policy Manual, 1962–2004, p.
13). It reaffirmed it in 1997, 1999 and 2001 by defeating motions to
include the Lord’s Prayer in the list of suggested closings.
— June 2005
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PRAYER—HP’S WILL, NOT SELF-WILL
• Even after lots of prayer, how does one know when actions
taken are HP’s will, not self-will?
I begin each day praying for God’s direction and the power to carry
it out. As my conscious contact with God increases and I grow spiritually,
I am more in tune with God’s will for me. I have a feeling of rightness—
an inner calmness that tells me I am in line with my Higher Power’s
wishes for me. I can never be certain that my actions are God’s will, but I
have some criteria I follow to help me make that determination. First, I
put any pending decision in my Higher Power’s hands. Then I continue to
do what is in front of me, focusing on service to others to diminish my
self-centeredness. When my proposed action is obvious, comfortable and
complete, it feels like God’s will. I learned this from my sponsor. If one of
these components is missing and there is a struggle, I don’t take any
action but continue to pray and wait until those missing pieces are in
place.
An example is when I considered running for the trustee position.
When it was first mentioned to me, it was not obvious or comfortable. I
turned over this decision, and my desire to run for the position increased,
so it became comfortable. I then received my region’s affirmation, so it
became obvious I could do this. I also needed my husband’s support
because of the increased travel schedule and time required to perform
trustee responsibilities. My husband gave me his blessings, and it became
complete. It felt like God’s will for me.
I don’t always make the best decisions, and as the Big Book states,
“It is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might
pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas”
(Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 87). As I have continued to ask for
freedom from self-will and trust in my Higher Power’s guidance, my
actions have become less absurd and more obvious, comfortable and
complete.
— July 2006
PRAYER—SERENITY PRAYER
• One local meeting ends with the Serenity Prayer followed by
these words: “Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a
time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking this world
as it is, not as I would have it . . . trusting that You will make all
things right if I surrender to Your will.” Is this ending Conferenceapproved?
Where does the Serenity Prayer come from?
The 1993 World Service Business Conference passed a motion to
suggest that all OA meetings and events be closed with one of the
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following: the Serenity Prayer, the Seventh-Step prayer, the Third-Step
prayer or the OA Promise, “I Put My Hand In Yours.” If your group has
decided upon an expanded version of the standard three-line Serenity
Prayer, then that is your group’s decision, and the suggestion from
Conference is broad enough to support it.
The Serenity Prayer first came to AA’s attention in 1942, when one
member noticed it in an obituary in the New York Herald Tribune. Feeling
that it captured the Twelve-Step philosophy, members immediately
printed cards and distributed them at meetings.
According to the August/September, 1992 issue of “Box 459: News
and Notes from the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous,” the
exact origin of the prayer has been “shrouded in overlays of history, even
mystery” over the years. The newsletter claims that undisputed
authorship belongs to Dr. Rheinhold Niebhur, who said he wrote the
prayer in 1932 as a “tag line” to a sermon he delivered, although its
source may be much more ancient.
Certainly the prayer’s themes of wisdom, faith, courage and
acceptance are common among history’s philosophies and religions.
Further research in the 1950s and ’60s found a similar prayer, as
reported in AA’s Grapevine in 1964, on a plaque in a West German hotel,
attributed to the 18th century priest, Friedrich Oetinger. This was
accepted, until 1979, as the prayer’s true origin. AA researchers then
discovered a much earlier form of the prayer in a book by the Roman
philosopher, Boethius (480-524 CE), as well as a card with the same
prayer dubbed as the “General’s Prayer,” dating it to the 14th century.
Through all the claims, Mrs. Reinhold Niebhur insists that her
husband was the Serenity Prayer’s author, and that he “used and
preferred” the following form:
“God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot
be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and
the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”
— February 1996
PUBLIC INFORMATION—ANONYMITY AND TRADITIONS ELEVEN
AND TWELVE
• Several members of our group are concerned about the public
relations policy of our intergroup. The public information chair
and others believe it’s OK to use their full names in the public
media as long as they are representing the intergroup. It is our
understanding that Traditions Eleven and Twelve apply to all
members. Can you clarify?
The writings of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill W. provide a
wealth of information relating to the Eleventh and Twelfth Traditions. Yet,
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the principle of anonymity is often misunderstood and misapplied, almost
always with the best intentions.
The Traditions are a legacy of safeguarding the existence of our
Fellowship and, therefore, the personal recovery of each of us. They
protect us against the potentially catastrophic effects of disunity, selfseeking
and the countless other foibles and follies we have in common
with the rest of humanity.
The anonymity Traditions reflect the principle of humility, which Bill
W. called “the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can ever
have.” For many long-time members, humility is also the greatest
safeguard of personal recovery.
To understand why it is so important to “maintain personal
anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television, and other public
media of communication,” each of us would do well to read – and reread
– the text of Traditions Eleven and Twelve in Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions published by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
— July 1990, reprinted from the WSO Notebook, March/April 1986
PUBLIC INFORMATION—CAMPAIGN
• Our intergroup is planning a public information campaign for the
coming year. To assist us in getting OA’s message out to the
community, we would like to know what resources are available
from the WSO.
The following is a list of public information resources at WSO.
Pamphlets and flyers:
• OA Is Not a Diet Club
• Questions and Answers
• 15 Questions
• A Program of Recovery
• Many Symptoms, One Solution
• About OA
• OA Cares
• New-Prospect Card
• To the Newcomer
• To the Compulsive Overeater in the Military
• To the Man Who Wants to Stop Compulsive Overeating, Welcome
• To the Teen
• To the Teen Questionnaire
• Compulsive Overeating: An Inside View
• Introducing OA to Health Care Professionals
• Introducing OA to the Clergy
• Introducing OA to the Military
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• The Obese Employee
Manuals:
• Public Information Service Manual
• HIPM (Hospitals, Institutions, Professionals and Military) Service Manual
Posters:
• Poster Display Kit (10 posters)
• Bulletin Board Attraction Card
Videotapes:
• It’s Not What You’re Eating, It’s What’s Eating You (Public Service
Announcement)
• OA—It Works
In particular, consult our Public Information Service Manual, which
suggests appropriate literature for particular PI events and activities.
The WSBC Public Information Committee is also a useful resource
to contact for ideas and materials regarding public information activities.
Many regions have active public information committees that
coordinate region-wide PI activities. Your intergroup can contact your
regional PI committee chairperson for support and ideas in planning your
campaign.
— February 2000
PUBLIC INFORMATION—LIMIT TO MEMBERS ONLY AND
ADVERTISE EVENTS TO PUBLIC
• As public-information chairperson for our IG, I need to know
whether it is a break in Traditions to limit attendance to
“members only” at our day-long or weekend marathons.
Conversely, is it breaking a Tradition to advertise these events to
the public?
If your intergroup does not have a copy of the Public Information
Service Manual, consider ordering one from the World Service Office. It
contains a wealth of information to help you in your PI work and can
guide you in how and when to use the media to attract new members.
If your group conscience decides it wants to hold an event for
members only, there is no rule that says it should not. However, you
would not be upholding the spirit of Tradition Five—that each group has
the primary purpose of carrying the OA message to those who still
suffer—if you barred anyone from your meeting who had a desire to stop
eating compulsively. Your intergroup might want to spend some time
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discussing what types of special events you want to hold and how much it
would be appropriate to advertise different events.
For example, weekend marathons are often held at hotels, where
there is usually a charge for those attending. Also, such marathons
usually have a focus on maintaining recovery, and there are not a lot of
newcomers in attendance.
But it’s important not to neglect using the media as a significant
way of attracting new members. There would certainly be no Traditions
break in choosing to advertise an event. Many newcomers first hear of
Overeaters Anonymous through a newspaper advertisement or a public
service announcement on radio or television, and it’s always exciting
whenever someone’s first encounter with OA is a marathon or retreat.
Step Twelve suggests that we try to carry the OA message to other
compulsive overeaters. As OA members, we must ask ourselves: How
well am I practicing this part of the Twelfth Step? Each group, intergroup
and region needs to ask itself this question, as well. We must remember
that by focusing our best efforts on attracting those who still suffer, our
groups get stronger, we ensure our own recovery, and we help those who
may otherwise feel hopeless.
— February 1997
PUBLIC INFORMATION—LIMITED BUDGET
• In February’s column, we asked members how their groups and
intergroup undertake public information activities with little or no
budget. Here are two responses.
Here are some of our intergroup’s low-budget PI methods:
• Radio stations are required to broadcast a certain number of
public service announcements. Keep the message brief and include a
phone contact, if possible. This announcement will need to be updated
monthly or bimonthly. And don’t forget public radio stations; they are
usually more eager to cooperation.
• Bright-colored signs for bulletin boards can be handmade. We put
a tear-off pull-tab at the bottom of the sheet with a local contact number
on each tab. These work very well tacked or stapled on boards in grocery
stores, Laundromats, churches, etc.
• Weekly shoppers, community newspapers and some local daily
papers place notices at no charge in their “community bulletin” sections.
Some of these need to be renewed monthly.
• We send meeting lists to employee assistance programs at
companies with a large number of employees. Calling first to get a name
helps get the information to the right person.
– R.T. & L.V., Central Illinois Intergroup, Bloomington, Illinois USA
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Our little meeting (three to eight OA members per week) focuses on
service in a number of ways.
We hold two OA-sponsored events a year. In the winter we call it a
“public information seminar” and hold it in the community room at the
local library. This requires a room deposit but no room charge. We type
up flyers and have copies made for a minimal cost. I think two weeks’
worth of the Seventh-Tradition collection covers this expense. We leave
flyers wherever we go: grocery stores, libraries, university buildings,
doctors’ offices, bookstores, health clubs. We all carry a roll of tape with
us at all times.
We advertise the public information seminar in the local
newspapers, and on radio and TV stations. All of these offer free public
service announcements. Unfortunately, it is hard to get free space on the
radio or TV, but we keep trying. At the meeting we distribute back issues
of Lifeline, our monthly local newsletter and the pamphlet Fifteen
Questions to help newcomers determine if they need our program.
The second OA event we sponsor is a picnic in the summer. We try
to focus on inviting the community to have some fun and get to know us
and our recovery program. We do the same type of advertising as for our
other event.
We also purchase a few dozen Fifteen Questions flyers from the
WSO and write our intergroup’s phone number on them, as well as a
contact person’s number for our meeting. We pass these out all over, too.
The cost is minimal for the flyers.
Our group has also committed to writing brief articles for our local
OA monthly newsletter the first week of each month. This puts us in the
service mode. I know that our small group is strong because of all the
service work we do. I want to encourage every group out there to spread
the OA message to the public.
Anonymous
PUBLIC INFORMATION—PHYSICAL RECOVERY REQUIREMENT
• We’ve heard that members who speak to health professionals
and other community groups should be in physical recovery (not
overweight). Is there a statement explaining this
recommendation so that those who are still overweight don’t take
it personally?
The Public Information Manual suggests the following: “OAers who
speak to non-OA meetings should have an established recovery from
compulsive overeating, a good appearance reflecting their physical and
emotional well-being, and thorough knowledge of the OA program and
the Traditions.
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Clearly the reason for these recommendations is rooted in the fact
that body size is the standard automatically applied to persons who say
they are recovering from compulsive overeating. We in OA know
members who, having lost a lot of weight, are still only halfway to normal
size. Does such an individual make a good spokesperson for the OA
program?
The answer can only be based on the circumstances. In considering
your options, the best choice may well be the member who has more
weight to lose but who is making excellent progress at all levels of
recovery.
Just as we do in speaking to OA groups, members addressing non-
OA audiences should qualify briefly, giving former and present weight (or
the total lost), before going on to tell of the inner change brought about
by the Twelve-Step program and its effect on the quality of our own and
others’ lives.
— January 1992, reprinted from the WSO Notebook, May/June
1984
• Our intergroup is reserving a booth at a large health fair. Many
OA members who have agreed to volunteer at the booth have
little or no physical recovery. Should our intergroup require or
suggest that volunteers be an attraction to OA by having physical
recovery? What if no one with physical recovery volunteers?
The HIPM (Hospital, Institutions, Professional, Military) Service
Manual suggests that volunteers at health fairs have physical, emotional
and spiritual recovery. Our purpose in attending a health fair is to tell
people how our obsession with food lifted through working the Twelve
Steps of Overeaters Anonymous. At these events the volunteers are
representing the OA program. Displaying a healthy body weight gives the
message that the Twelve Steps work.
For those who are overweight, weight loss is a byproduct of
recovery through the Steps. Volunteers who do not have physical
recovery give little credence to OA’s program of recovery. What kind of
message are we carrying if volunteers at an OA booth are overweight?
Many volunteers have reported after a health fair or professional
conference that attendees commented on the volunteers’ slim physical
appearance. Physical recovery piques the public’s interest in learning
more about OA.
The intergroup’s group conscience should decide whether or not to
have an abstinence requirement for these events. OA’s cofounder
stated in one of her addresses that it was better for a service position to
remain vacant than for a nonabstaining member to take it on. It might be
better for an intergroup not to participate in this health-fair event than to
send volunteers who convey the wrong message about Overeaters
Anonymous.
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— January 2006
PUBLIC INFORMATION—PUBLIC AWARENESSS CAMPAIGN
• Delegates to the 2007 World Service Business Conference
passed a motion to initiate a Public Awareness Campaign using an
outside advertising agency. The Eleventh Tradition states, “Our
public relations policy is based on attraction rather than
promotion.” Why is it okay to collect money for an outside
advertising person to spread the message of OA?
No compulsive eater should be denied the solution found in
Overeaters Anonymous because she or he lacks knowledge of the
program. For this reason, the delegates at the 2007 World Service
Business Conference overwhelmingly voted to support a motion by the
Board of Trustees to initiate a Public Awareness Campaign using the
services of an outside advertising agency. The delegates also voted to
finance the initial phase of this campaign through member donations.
Some members have concerns about the use of an outside agency
to spread OA’s message. An analogy may be helpful. When we print a
new piece of literature to carry our message, we do not go out and buy a
printing press. We get information about services and prices from several
printers and make the best selection possible.
In the same manner, the delegates voted to select an advertising
agency to carry the message of OA, especially since the World Service
Office staff has neither the time nor the experience to conduct a national
campaign. Several agencies presented bids, and the Executive Committee
made a selection. This action is in keeping with Concept Eleven: “Trustee
administration of the World Service Office should always be assisted by
the best standing committees, executives, staffs and consultants.”
The agency is fully aware that our goal is to attract members to OA
through education and information, not through celebrity endorsements,
extravagant promises or personal appeals. The Board of Trustees will
approve and oversee the entire campaign, with careful consideration of
our Steps, Traditions and Concepts.
To fulfill the delegates’ mandate to have the first $20,000 of the
campaign supported by member contributions, the WSO has informed
service bodies of the campaign and requested that they initiate a program
to collect member donations for this fund. This will provide every member
of Overeaters Anonymous an opportunity to help carry our message of
recovery to the still-suffering compulsive eater.
— September/October 2007
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PUBLIC INFORMATION—RADIO AND TV ANNOUNCEMENTS
• Can we announce our meeting on radio or TV? If so, what can
we say?
You are encouraged to announce OA meetings through the public
media. “Each group has one primary purpose—to carry its message to the
compulsive overeater who still stuffers,” states our Fifth Tradition. Public
service announcements are a good way to do this.
Members are anonymous, but the group is not. Give basic facts
about meeting date, time and place, some brief information about OA
(emphasizing that we are not a diet club and that we have no dues or
fees), and provide a post office box or telephone number.
Radio and TV spot announcements may be purchased from the
WSO. Also, you will find samples and helpful suggestions in the Public
Information Service Manual.
Radio and TV stations are required to provide a certain amount of
time for public service announcements. If they agree to air your OA
announcement, this service will be free of charge.
— February 1993, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
January/February 1982
SALES AT OA EVENTS
• I recently attended an OA convention in my hometown that
someone who was not an OA member videotaped. He also
displayed tapes and literature from another Twelve-Step group.
During the convention dinner, this person’s wife announced that
she was an OA member. She went on to promote the tapes her
husband was selling, and I objected. Was I wrong to object to her
promoting the tapes, and was she wrong to participate in the
promotion?
Tradition Six: “An OA group ought never endorse, finance or lend
the OA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of
money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.” See
page 154 in The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters
Anonymous for a further discussion of this issue in the context of
Tradition Six.
The Guidelines for OA Events give more specific guidance:
“It is the responsibility of all of us to act as guardians of the
Traditions. Most Tradition violations occur through misunderstanding or
misinformation. We must always be aware that we may inadvertently
make some precedent-setting decision that could adversely affect our
own and other groups, and thus OA as a whole . . .
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“The OA-approved literature list of books and pamphlets that may
be offered for sale at this event can be obtained from the World Service
Office. Intergroup and group-prepared local literature should be used with
the greatest discretion.
“If you choose to sell merchandise [at OA events], follow these
guidelines:
“1. All sales be made by and for OA service bodies.
“2. Each sale item be approved by group conscience.
“3. Sales at OA events and functions should be conducted in such a
manner so as not to divert or distract from our primary purpose to carry
the message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers.
“In accordance with our Traditions, each group, intergroup, region,
world service and other service body may determine whether or not to
sell merchandise. Overeaters Anonymous must be ever mindful of our
Traditions, which warn against endorsement of outside enterprises.”
Contact the WSO to order the OA Guidelines packet, which contains
the full text of Guidelines for OA Events and sheets on related topics
(catalog #570/$1.35).
— January 2001
SERVICE—ABLE TO DO IF UNABLE TO ATTEND MEETINGS
• A member who no longer comes to meetings because of a
disability offers to do service by making calls, especially because
of our need to follow up with newcomers. Since we do not know if
she is working the OA program and able to carry the message,
should she be involved in this service?
Tradition Three says, “The only requirement for OA membership is a
desire to stop eating compulsively.” Our book, The Twelve Steps and
Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, says that no one who has
this desire can be barred from any OA group. The same book teaches us
that service is the principle underlying Step Twelve. In OA, we learn we
can’t keep recovery unless we are willing to give it away. Ironically, we
seldom know if a member is working a program well enough to be able to
pass it on.
Usually OA service bodies have abstinence requirements for service
positions. Often, our service bodies ask individuals if they meet those
requirements, and service bodies must take the answers on faith and
trust. This is true whether or not an individual is able to use the tool of
meetings. In this situation, it seems your group’s decision does a service
to this member in allowing her to practice Step Twelve and ensures that
newcomers receive a follow-up welcome by someone in program.
— May 2006
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SERVICE—BURN OUT
• What do we do about members burning out at service jobs
because so few are abstinent or are willing to do service on any
level?
No one or two people can do all the work. For a meeting to recover
from the fatal disease of nonparticipation, all members need to work
together . . . together we can! We need to ask ourselves: What is my
recovery worth to me? Is my life in recovery better than before recovery?
Doing service keeps me coming back.
If you or a few of you are the only ones doing the work, ask those
you sponsor to carry the key or put out the literature. Because people
sometimes come from backgrounds in which they didn’t feel worthy, we
need to ask them to do service and tell them that they can do a job.
— August 2000
SERVICE—INVOLVING LONGTIMERS IN INTERGROUP
• How can we get longtimers involved with intergroup?
If the apparently reluctant longtimers have a recent and extensive
history of serving at intergroup, perhaps they are practicing rotation of
service. It is of great value to any service body, however, to have a
balance of OA members who are beginning to contribute their time and
talent to a service body, along with some OA folks who have experience,
strength and hope to share from holding service positions.
One of the best methods to attract OA members, regardless of
experience, is the personal approach. Personally invite a service prospect
to attend the next business meeting. Inform that person of the service
opportunities available and suggest a position you think that OA member
would be well suited to hold. Encourage attendance by arranging to go
with the person to the meeting. Nominate that person during the election
process.
Some OA members are reluctant to serve if taking a service
position involves doing all of the tasks or recruiting other OA members to
help out. That need not be the case if the prospect is assured that there
are OAers ready to serve, too.
Another effective way to foster service in OA is for sponsors to
encourage their sponsorees to become involved with OA service. This idea
can be incorporated into a sponsorship workshop.
— August 1998
SERVICE—POSITIONS AND LOSING ABSTINENCE
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• What should I do if I relapse while holding an OA office with an
abstinence requirement at the intergroup, region or world service
level? Should I step down from the office, tell my group or what?
If you are holding a service position with an abstinence requirement
and you return to compulsive overeating (or relapse), then you should
immediately notify the service board, admit you are compulsively
overeating, and resign the position. In other words, step down and
concentrate on your recovery. Keeping a service position thinking you will
regain your abstinence can cause more problems for you and for the
group. Your own recovery and the group’s welfare should be of primary
concern. Remember to pray about this situation and ask your Higher
Power for guidance.
— April 2002
SERVICE—POSITIONS REQUIREMENTS AND TRADITION THREE
• Our group holds a “century meeting” in which service positions
are open only to those who have lost or plan to lose 100 pounds
or more. Is this a break in Traditions?
Many meetings have requirements for service positions, such as a
certain length of continued abstinence or experience beyond the group
level. Groups set these requirements because they believe a certain kind
of experience will benefit the group.
Maybe your group should ask itself whether the 100-pound
requirement for service is designed to meet the group’s needs. If a
nonabstaining person who needs to lose 100 pounds or more can take a
service position, but an abstaining person who has lost 50 pounds cannot,
it might be worthwhile for the group to evaluate the purpose of the
requirements. No one should feel excluded from a group. That’s what
Tradition Three is all about. We should always remember that OA is our
home, and we exist to serve all those who suffer.
— April 2001
SERVICE—ROTATION OF
• Several members in our group are having a difficult time giving
up their service positions. What is the theory behind the rotation
of service positions espoused in OA?
OA experience has shown that groups, as well as individual
members, benefit most by rotating service responsibilities so that all
members have a chance to serve. Whether it's for coffee person,
secretary or literature-committee chair, rotation puts new energy into
group life, enabling even the greenest newcomer to "give it away in order
to keep it."
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Many groups have found that when rotation becomes an established
practice, not only do newcomers, as well as those in relapse, tend to keep
coming back, they also begin working the program earlier. When new
people are responsible for such indispensable services as opening up the
meeting room or setting up the literature table, it helps to counteract
their feelings of shyness and encourages participation in group
discussion.
Rotating service positions also prevents one person from becoming
overly possessive or controlling about a job. Members who have "served
long and well" need an opportunity to reduce the ego aspect that comes
from being in charge. Such a member could move on to the role of "elder
statesman," encouraging others to take over and fostering trust that new
ideas and a fresh approach will enhance and empower both the group and
themselves.
Rotation offers every member of the group the privilege of giving
service. It also gives us the opportunity to practice the principles of the
program right where they were first presented to us in our home group.
Service terms may vary, but most terms last six months. The task
of establishing service terms and conducting elections to fill them are
carried out by group members. (For detailed information, consult the OA
Group Handbook.
— January 1995, as adapted from WSO Notebook,
September/October 1989 and Lifeline June 1991
SEVENTH TRADITION—ALLOCATION
• What is the suggested distribution of the money received
through our Seventh Tradition collections? There seems to be
some confusion about this.
The OA Board of Trustees suggests that, after paying current
expenses and keeping a prudent reserve, the remaining funds be
allocated as follows:
60% to intergroup
30% to WSO
10% to region
Some groups make frequent small contributions while others prefer
to distribute their funds on a quarterly basis. It isn’t necessary to wait
until a large sum has accumulated before sending in a group donation.
Small amounts, sent regularly, are the backbone of the Twelfth-Step work
done by our service offices.
— March 1993, reprinted from WSO Notebook,
November/December 1981
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SEVENTH TRADITION—ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS AND
BABYSITTING
• I was disturbed when the basket was passed four times at a
recent meeting. Besides the usual Seventh Tradition collection,
there were additional collections for the Conference delegates’
fund, to buy a Big Book for “a struggling member in Mexico” and
to pay babysitting expenses for two group members. Any
suggestions?
This problem is best resolved by group conscience. It’s probably
safe to say, however, that most groups prefer to keep collections to one
per meeting except for emergencies such as not having enough in the
kitty to pay the rent.
If the group makes regular donations to intergroup, it is
automatically contributing its share toward delegates’ expenses. (For
suggested allocation of group funds and an explanation of how OA service
arms use your donations, see the pamphlet, Self-Supporting the 60-30-
10 Way.)
If group members want to give more toward funding delegates,
they may prefer to increase their donation to intergroup for a time or two
rather than take extra collections. Group conscience can also decide
whether or not to set aside a portion of the group’s funds for such
purposes as buying gift copies of program literature.
Babysitting is a personal expense and as such is excluded from the
Seventh Tradition. Individual OAers may certainly give money to needy
members on a private basis, but it should not be made part of the
Seventh Tradition collection.
— January 1991, reprinted from WSO Notebook, May/June 1982
SEVENTH TRADITION—ANNOUNCING NEED AT INTERGROUP
MEETINGS
• How do intergroup reps announce at their meetings that their
intergroups need more than a one-dollar Seventh-Tradition
contribution?
It is difficult for a small intergroup to support the normal range of
intergroup services, such as a hotline and newsletter, from a very small
donation base. The best discussion of this is in the OA “Twelve and
Twelve,” pages 161 through 169. It may be helpful to list all intergroup
expenses and show how much each group needs to contribute to pay for
the services it receives. Groups gain new members because of the
hotline. They have access to meeting lists because intergroups publish
them. In addition, intergroups maintain and update group records. WSO
maintains a database to help people find meetings. The annual
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Conference, which requires funding, makes OA’s global conscience
possible.
OA has 6,000 groups, and these groups must generate about
$600,000 in contributions each year to support the work of the trustees
and the WSO. This means each group needs to contribute an average of
$2 per week to the WSO just to keep OA going.
In another example, one intergroup has an annual budget of
$2,400 for 30 groups, which means each group must donate an average
of $80 per year through group or individual donations at special events to
keep the intergroup solvent. Explaining the numbers may help group
members discover if they are getting a free ride, and if so, from where:
intergroup, region or WSO.
— September 2005
SEVENTH TRADITION—CONTRIBUTIONS
• Must a registered group contribute regularly to its intergroup?
What can an intergroup do if a local group refuses to support it
financially because the local group disagrees with the way the
intergroup is run?
No person and no group must contribute to OA. Tradition Three
makes that clear: “The only requirement for OA membership is a desire
to stop eating compulsively.” Some groups do not contribute to their
intergroups or to World Service for various reasons, yet they are
registered and listed as OA groups. It is unfortunate that this particular
group does not contribute to its intergroup because it disagrees with the
way the intergroup is run. Perhaps members who participate in intergroup
could attend a business meeting of this group and encourage open
discussion about intergroup activities. Misconceptions can usually be
cleared up with direct communication. If the group does not participate in
intergroup, invite them to send a member to represent them and assume
some responsibility for running the intergroup.
It is doubtful that a group that deliberately withholds contributions
from its intergroup is practicing the Seventh Tradition, and their actions
could prevent the intergroup from helping compulsive overeaters who still
suffer. OA might wish to invite your regional trustee or a regional officer
to hold a Service and Traditions Workshop in your area.
— January 2002
SEVENTH TRADITION—FREE RENT
• The church where our group meets does not charge rent for use
of the meeting room. Some of our members feel it’s okay to
accept the rent-free arrangement as long as we’ve offered to pay,
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ut others believe it’s a serious violation of Tradition Seven. We
haven’t been able to find any guidelines on this subject.
In many communities, churches and other institutions traditionally
offer free use of meeting space to nonprofit organizations. For Twelve-
Step groups such as OA, however, acceptance of any outside offering is
considered a breach of the Seventh Tradition.
With that principle in mind, many OA groups have looked for other
ways to compensate their generous landlords. Some groups provide
“janitor service,” appointing a clean-up committee to leave the meeting
room and any adjacent washrooms sparkling clean after the meeting.
That, obviously, is a service that cuts the institution’s maintenance costs.
Another alternative is to contribute regularly to any employee
welfare fund or other program operated for the benefit of the facility.
A number of groups report that a solution was found after
discussing the matter with the person in charge of the institution’s public
relations. A surprising number of nonprogram people are familiar with the
Twelve Traditions, and many administrators, especially, have dealt with
similar situations. So don’t hesitate to ask. An explanation of Tradition
Seven has never yet failed to make a good impression.
— October 1991, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
September/October 1987
SEVENTH TRADITION—MEETING IN HOME
• If we have a weekly OA meeting in a member’s home, is it a
break of Tradition Seven not to pay the member some money for
the use of her home? What do we do if she refuses to take the
money?
Many meetings may start up in one person’s home; however, when
the group begins to grow, a public meeting place should be sought.
Tradition Seven clearly states we may become too dependent on this
person’s generosity and become less than free ourselves. The need to
maintain good relations with the donor could divert attention from our
primary purpose. This could also result in the donor expecting to have a
greater voice in the group’s decisions. The group may vote upon the
matter of money, and if the donor does not wish to accept payment, the
group may donate it to the intergroup, region and World Service in honor
of her recovery.
— December 2000
SEVENTH TRADITION—PHOTOCOPYING
• Some OA members do OA-related photocopying at work. It
seems to me that this is in violation of Tradition Seven. Is it?
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Yes, performing OA-related photocopying at work without paying
for it is a violation of the Seventh Tradition because it constitutes an
outside donation.
The guiding principles of the Twelve Traditions came directly out of
the experiences of the early AAs. Regarding money, a number of
approaches were tried. In the early years, several people befriended AA
with gifts of property and money. But AA learned that accepting outside
donations had two essential drawbacks: individual AAs were less inclined
to financially support the organization, and outside contributions
sometimes resulted in outside interference.
Then it was thought that no money in the AA treasury would
eliminate all problems. But it was soon apparent that no money meant
that AA couldn’t provide the basic services needed by alcoholics looking to
get sober.
These experiences led to the development of Tradition Seven, which
places responsibility for the organization in the hands of each individual
member and group.
The total monetary figure amassed by your example may seem
insignificant; but according to the Seventh Tradition, the same principles
apply to it as to the offer of a large donation. Even if an employer
consents, Tradition Seven enjoins us as OA members to make some
financial compensation to that employer.
— April 1991, reprinted from the WSO Notebook, January/February
1989
SEVENTH TRADITION—TREASURER’S REPORT
• The person who started our meeting is a likeable, hardworking
OA who sponsors most of us and rarely says no to any service
request or plea for help. This same individual, however, has never
given an accounting of the money received in our weekly Seventh-
Tradition collection. We hesitate to bring the matter up because,
for all we know, the money may be going to all the right places. Is
there a tactful way to handle this?
Experiences such as yours are not uncommon, especially among
newer groups in isolated areas. One suggestion is to present your
treasurer with a copy of the Group [Meeting] Record Book, available from
WSO for $2.50. Another OA publication concerned membership will find
useful is the Group Handbook [OA Handbook for Members, Groups and
Intergroups], which suggests that an accounting of group finances be
made monthly.
In cases where mishandling or theft of funds is suspected, key
members of the group should lose no time in asking for an explanation
and relieving the person of any further financial responsibility.
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Money is a “sticky wicket” for most people, but no group can afford
to ignore it.
— October 1990, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
November/December 1983
SEVENTH TRADITION—TREASURER’S REPORT AND RIGHT TO
KNOW
• What do we do when our treasurer never makes a treasurer’s
report? Do group members have a right to know where their
money goes?
Handling the money contributed at OA meetings is a weighty
responsibility, to be sure. And, of course, group members should be
informed as to how the group collections are disbursed.
Fortunately, many potential problems can be avoided by taking care
when electing your group treasurer.
The OA Group Handbook [OA Handbook for Members, Groups and
Intergroups] outlines the treasurer’s major tasks and responsibilities.
Because this position carries some financial accountability, the
“Handbook” also suggests that it may be advisable for the treasurer to
have six months of abstinence, a deep involvement in OA and familiarity
with bank statements.
In addition, it notes that “the treasurer usually keeps good, simple
records and keeps the group informed about how much is taken in and
how it is spent.” A Group Meeting Record Book (available from WSO for
$2.50) provides an easy format for keeping financial and other group
records.
If you haven’t heard a treasurer’s report in some time, it may have
been an oversight. Perhaps at an upcoming meeting you can ask the
treasurer to prepare a report for the following week, citing the suggestion
in the OA Group Handbook [OA Handbook for Members, Groups and
Intergroups].
If the individual resists or if mishandling or theft of funds is
suspected, key group members should ask for an explanation and, if
necessary, relieve the person of any further financial responsibility.
— February 1991, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
January/February 1988
SEVENTH TRADITION—TWO DOLLAR DONATION
• With our $2 suggested donation, are we not really imposing an
unofficial fee on our newcomers?
Editor’s Note: The following exchange between an OA member and
the Treasurer of OA’s Board of Trustees concerns WSO’s Suggested
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Meeting Format, which provides a statement regarding the Seventh
Tradition to be read at meetings. “The financial support of OA is our
responsibility as members of the Fellowship,” it says, “starting with the
first meeting at which we acknowledge ourselves to be compulsive
overeaters. A suggested donation of $2 or more by each member will
help ensure that not only are the group expenses of rent and literature
met, but that there are funds to support the work carried out by our
intergroup, region and World Service Office. While we recognize that
there are those among us who may be experiencing financial struggles,
we also acknowledge that we have the responsibility to do what we can,
when we can, giving back some of the help we have been given in OA.”
QUESTION: I am an old-timer in the program (16 years), and I am
concerned with how the new Seventh-Tradition policy in our meeting
format will affect newcomers to OA. They are the lifeblood of our
program, and without them we wither and die. They come to us feeling
depressed and alone, often rejected by friends, family and society. They
have been the prey of many kinds of financial scams devised to feed on
their weight and eating problems. We welcome them saying, “You are not
alone anymore,” and “There are no dues or fees for membership.”
My heart leaps when I see their faint smiles appear when we say,
“Newcomers are asked not to contribute, but to buy literature instead, if
they wish.” For the first time in their overeating careers, they are in a
group of fellow sufferers who know how they feel, and who are not out to
take advantage of them. I never feel more proud of being an OA member
than at those moments.
The new Suggested Meeting Format has changed all that for me.
Our trusted servants have discovered that the guilt and insecurity
newcomers bring to OA are a previously untapped financial resource.
They forget that the other qualities newcomers bring to the Fellowship
are an exceptional brightness and emotional sensitivity. These
newcomers realize, as I do, that this seemingly innocuous addition to our
meeting format concerning the Seventh Tradition contains not-so-subtle
“shoulds” and “musts” about money. And we wonder why some
newcomers and old-timers don’t return?
There are many OA meetings each day in my area. It has been
common for members to gain or reinforce their program by attending 30
meetings in 30 days. Now we have placed an unofficial price tag of $60
on their recovery. Some members have told me that they attend fewer
meetings because they can’t always contribute to the Seventh-Tradition
basket. If they can’t spare a buck or two, often they just don’t show up.
If OA fails, it won’t be for lack of money. We will fail because
members drop out when they don’t feel as welcome as they once did.
Money and property and prestige must never take precedence over
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another’s welfare. We must trust in a Higher Power who will always meet
our financial needs.
I cannot speak for others, but the more that is demanded of me
through guilt and coercion, the less I am willing to give. That goes for
money or love or anything else.
RESPONSE: The topic of the Seventh Tradition has always been a
contentious one for old-timers and newcomers alike. Many members have
tried more costly methods to control their compulsive eating: weight-loss
clinics, shots, diet pills, health clubs, etc. Because of the Twelve
Traditions, the Fellowship must look to its members for support.
I was on the Board of Trustees when the new Suggested Meeting
Format was approved; however, the changes regarding the $2 suggested
donation came about from the Finance Committee at the World Service
Business Conference in the early 1990s. The Twelfth-Step-Within
Committee made major revisions to the Suggested Meeting Format, and
suggested the wording regarding the Seventh Tradition. Both of these
committees—independent of one another—realized the importance of the
newcomer. But they also understood that if a meeting does not collect
enough money to pay expenses, the meeting will fold, and the OA
message of recovery will not be available to newcomers and old-timers
alike. These particular committees, part of the WSBC, are composed of
grass-roots members from all over the world and provide the broadest
possible group conscience in OA; they made these suggestions in OA’s
best interest. Like you, the committee members realize the importance of
newcomers and of the group’s financial responsibility to all OA members.
I believe OA does not play on the guilt and insecurity of
newcomers, but begins to instill in them a sense of responsibility. On
page 165 of The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters
Anonymous, it states, “As soon as possible, OA groups need to pay their
share of the costs for the services they receive from other OA service
bodies. The same principle applies to individuals in OA. Even those of us
experiencing financial struggles find we need to make some contribution
to our OA meetings. For many of us, our willingness to pay our own way
is a sign that we are recovering and maturing emotionally.”
The Suggested Meeting Format asks us to contribute only at “the
first meeting at which we acknowledge ourselves to be compulsive
overeaters.” Newcomers may not decide to do this at their first meetings.
The $2 is only a suggestion; the statement acknowledges “that there are
those who may be experiencing financial struggles.”
Despite your fear of losing newcomers, meetings all over the world
have used this format without any of the negative effects you discussed
in your letter. This statement in the Suggested Meeting Format has been
a boon to some struggling meetings. Meetings that were once on the
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ink of collapse are now experiencing good attendance and financial
stability. I have found that once OA members are aware of where their
money is going, they are willing to share their financial resources with the
Fellowship as a whole.
When newcomers attend a meeting, they see no scales, no fee
structure, no dues. But we all have the responsibility to carry the
message, which we can only do through physical and monetary footwork.
Some newcomers may not find OA because of lack of funds, due to the
fact that groups are unable to support the service bodies that assure the
OA name remains visible to the public. This idea of being self-supporting
is exceptional; we will never know how many new members actually
begin to feel a part of the organization because they can make the choice
to contribute whatever they can afford.
The Board of Trustees is made up of members of the Fellowship,
like you. I can wholeheartedly assure you that the Board members do not
see newcomers as a “previously untapped financial resource.” We see
newcomers as the lifeblood of the organization, who, as they recover,
become an asset in spreading the message of recovery to those who still
suffer.
Michael K., Treasurer, OA Inc.
— August 1996
SLIP VERSUS RELAPSE
• What is the difference between a slip and a relapse?
Since OA’s policy allows each member to define his or her own
abstinence, it would seem consistent to do the same with slip and
relapse. The following contains an example:
“OA Bylaws, Subpart B, Section 4, [Trustee] Qualifications: c) 2)
Continual recovery including abstinence and maintenance of a healthy
body weight throughout the entire term(s) of office. Each person shall be
the judge of his or her own recovery including abstinence and
maintenance of a healthy body weight.”
Both “slip” and “relapse” describe a “deviation” from a recovery
path, to use a board member’s word. Another board member referred to
slips as behaviors that could lead to relapse. A surprising number of OA
members share that they regained all of their lost weight while abstinent.
In an August 2004 Lifeline article entitled “Photo Fact” (p. 5), the
writer’s “occasional ‘slips’” kept her 60 pounds (27 kg) overweight for
eight out of her 12 years in OA while she proclaimed abstinence. She had
lost 190 (86 kg) pounds but was unwilling to reduce her food intake to
release the remaining weight that her doctor recommended. Finally, a
photo of herself confirmed she was “still fat,” and she wrote the article for
Lifeline to describe how the awakening process shocked her.
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What does this have to do with the question about the OA definition
of “slip” and “relapse”? Perhaps a slip is a smaller deviation from recovery
than a relapse, judged by the individual OA member.
— October 2005
SPEAKERS LIST
• Our intergroup is planning a retreat and would like to know if
WSO keeps a list of approved leaders and speakers for OA events.
If not, how do we go about choosing one?
The World Service Office does not maintain a list of “approved”
speakers. One suggestion is to ask your intergroup or regional office for
references. Another plan might be to ask members attending retreats and
workshops elsewhere to get the names and contact numbers of speakers
they found valuable.
In our OA literature, however, we do have a set of guidelines
available to service bodies who are planning OA events. Guidelines for OA
Events details a few things to keep in mind when choosing speakers and
organizing your event:
• Paying a speaker a fee beyond reimbursement for travel, food and
lodging is a violation of our Traditions.
• Avoid putting speakers on a pedestal, keeping in mind our
Tradition of placing “principles before personalities.” The 1990 World
Service Business Conference passed a motion suggesting that groups
refrain from publishing the names of speakers on flyers or other
advertisements.
• If you ask OA members who work professionally in the field of
eating disorder treatment or who are members of other Twelve-Step
programs, advise them to speak only from their OA recovery experience.
This avoids confusion about what the OA program is and also avoids an
implied endorsement of outside enterprises.
• Let prospective speakers know they cannot sell their own
literature, tapes or other products at an OA event.
• Take topics from OA and AA literature.
• The group sponsoring the event determines the eligibility
requirements for speakers. It is a good idea to discuss abstinence
requirements with potential speakers before the person is invited to
participate in the event.
• Speakers should share from their personal experience as
recovering compulsive overeaters in OA.
• Do not hesitate to ask invited speakers and leaders what they
plan to do at the event, and give them specific guidance on what types of
activities you want and do not want.
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It is important for your planning committee to establish a clear
understanding of the conduct expected of invited leaders. This will help to
ensure that speakers at your events possess the experience and maturity
that would best benefit the Fellowship as a whole.
— November 1997
SPIRITUALITY
• What is the spiritual aspect of anonymity?
“To be anonymous in OA means to be one among many, to accept
ourselves as no better or worse than our fellows. This acceptance places
us in a state of humility. It makes us teachable” (Anonymity, p. 8).
The spiritual basis of anonymity is humility. I take no pride in my
recovery because God has given it to me through the program.
Gratitude, not pride, will keep me well. Therefore, when speaking of
my recovery experience to individuals or large groups, I describe my
experience but claim no achievements. This puts the focus on the
program rather than on me. It just happens that at that moment I am the
person whose victory over difficulties can demonstrate the power, the
love and the way of life of God.
If speaking of my recovery in the public media, again I am only a
vessel through which the power of the program can be demonstrated.
The focus must be away from me and onto OA. I should not be
recognizable. My practice of anonymity and humility may make OA
famous—not me.
Anonymity has another spiritual aspect. Anything I say in an OA
meeting, to my sponsor or to any OA member is heard compassionately
and is not repeated. I may do something generous or something cruel.
Whatever I do, those who receive my actions will not tell others what I
did. This care of my anonymity leaves me free to face and assess my
words and actions without the distorting fear of what others may think of
me.
The converse of that is my responsibility: to similarly guard your
anonymity.
“Anonymity—the feeling that ‘I am nothing special’—is of
tremendous value in maintaining abstinence. It fosters humility and thus
guards against reemergence of that blind self-will that leads to the
compulsion to overeat. This kind of anonymity is truly our most precious
possession” (Anonymity, p. 9).
— March 2004
SPLINTER GROUPS
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• Is it a break of Traditions to mention splinter groups in personal
sharing? Are splinter groups part of OA? Can you explain why
splinter groups are not considered OA groups and should not be
announced at meetings?
Tradition Ten teaches us to focus on OA recovery only. Groups that
have requirements for sharing, specific definitions of abstinence or a
requirement of abstinence for membership are not practicing OA’s policies
and bylaws; therefore, they are not OA groups. Announcing these groups
at OA meetings would be bringing an outside issue into the meeting. To
help keep the message clear for the newcomer, we must adhere to the
philosophy that “only OA is spoken here.”
— May 2000
SPONSORS—A DEFINITION OF
• We have looked in the literature for a definition of a sponsor but
haven’t been able to locate one. Are there different types of
sponsors? Must they meet certain qualifications?
In regard to sponsorship (as with most things in OA), there are no
hard and fast rules or definitions. It is generally understood that a
sponsor is an individual who helps guide a less-experienced member
through the Twelve-Step program. In the pamphlet, A Commitment to
Abstinence, it says, “A sponsor’s primary function is to share her or his
experience, strength and hope with you, answer your questions, listen as
you discuss your feelings and guide you in understanding the Steps.”
Some members may want extra support with the physical aspect of
recovery. They often find it helpful to commit their daily food plan to their
sponsor or another OA member. But as the pamphlet explains, “Calling in
your food plan is by no means a ‘must.’” Some OAers discuss their
program of recovery, including food, with their sponsor.
There are no specific qualifications for sponsorship in OA. Naturally,
it is more beneficial to work with a sponsor who is committed to
abstinence and to working the Steps. When looking for a sponsor, the
pamphlet Tools of Recovery suggest members keep in mind that
“sponsors share their program up to the level of their own experience . . .
find a sponsor who has what you want and ask how it was achieved.
— August 1992, reprinted from the WSO Notebook, May/June 1988
SPONSORS—ANONYMITY OF
• Why is it inappropriate to say who your sponsor is?
Tradition Twelve tells us: “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of
all these Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before
personalities.” In keeping with this Tradition, one is led to share his or her
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sponsor’s message. In the scheme of things, the messenger is less
important than the message. The OA program encourages us to elevate
the recovery message, not the carrier of the message by identifying the
carrier. Because of personal challenges or other program considerations,
a sponsor may end up being a temporary link in carrying the message.
The permanent link is the message.
The sponsor is humble in asking that his or her name not be
shared. The sponsoree then focuses on the message, not the messenger,
increasing his or her chances of being okay while experiencing the
recovery journey.
— August 2006
SPONSORS—FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
• There is a new teen OA member who has been attending my
home group. I’ve thought of offering to be her sponsor, but I’m
hesitant. Are there any suggestions for sponsoring young OA
members?
As our pamphlet A Guide For Sponsors says about sponsoring in
general, “Attitude is important.” Attitude is probably even more important
in a relationship between an adult sponsor and a teen sponsoree. Every
newcomer to OA is looking for someone who understands his or her
feelings and experiences regarding food, weight and the despair of being
unable to stop eating compulsively. Teens need such compassionate
friends, too. But they also need sponsors who can relate to the particular
issues of being an adolescent with this disease.
According to a Gallup survey, 63 percent of OA members were
under the age of 18 when they began to have problems with food in their
lives. If you are among those members whose disease began in their
childhood or adolescence, sharing your experience as a young overeater
could be a way for you to initiate contact with a young person in your
group.
There is no specific suggested method for sponsoring young people,
but members have found a few ideas that are helpful in relating to teen
members.
• Don’t talk down to a young person. A teen needs a respectful,
trustworthy sponsor, not another parent.
• Encourage young people to get involved with OA service—
carrying out meeting responsibilities, reaching out to other teens, making
phone calls and sponsoring other young people.
• Be reliable. Be available when you say you will be available.
• Listen. A nonjudgmental ear could be just what a young person
needs to feel safe enough to begin working the Steps.
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• Try not to have unrealistic expectations of your sponsoree. Young
compulsive overeaters come and go, but they will not forget OA.
• As with any sponsoring relationship, focusing your discussions on
the OA program—the Steps, the tools and spirituality—will most benefit
you and your sponsoree.
If your group would like to attract more young people, you could
arrange talks for local high school students; list meetings in college
newspapers; leave meeting lists and literature, with permission, at
doctors’ and pediatricians’ offices; establish a “young people’s corner” in
your intergroup newsletter; hold in-service meetings with school nurses
and counselors; and host special retreats for young people.
If you are successful in drawing young members to your meeting,
you might want to suggest that your group set up a transportation
coordinator, so that young people can get to your meeting consistently.
You could also set up a teen meeting in the same building and at the
same time as your regular meeting. Young people might be inclined to
share more openly and honestly with each other than with other adults.
Readers who have experience with sponsorship and young people
may send articles to Lifeline for possible publication. For more information
on sponsorship and working with young OA members, see A Guide for
Sponsors, Young People’s Meeting Kit, Public Information Service Manual,
To the Teen and A Guide to the Twelve Steps for You and Your Sponsor.
— March 1997
SPONSORS—NEED FOR
• We have a shortage of people willing to sponsor in our area. Is
this a widespread problem? How can we find more sponsors?
Lack of sponsors is a problem in some areas. These suggestions
may help you find more sponsors:
1. Look outside your immediate area. Attend meetings of groups
and intergroups, and go to marathons, retreats and conventions.
Lifeline’s Datebook, your region newsletter or a region or intergroup Web
site lists these events.
2. [Program referenced no longer exists.]
3. Contact your local intergroup about hosting a sponsorship
marathon or workshop. Invite a panel of speakers to share their
experience and answer questions from a “sponsorship ask-it basket,”
where members ask questions anonymously. Read aloud from OA
literature. You’ll find helpful information in these OA pamphlets: A Guide
for Sponsors, The Tools of Recovery and A Guide to the Twelve Steps for
You and Your Sponsor.
4. Emphasize at meetings the importance of sponsorship. Recovery
is essential to the strength of any meeting, and sponsorship is important
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for recovery. Sponsors share their experience and listen to sponsorees’
experience. This supports mutual recovery on all three levels.
5. Sponsor each other. Most beneficial is working with a sponsor
committed to abstinence and experienced in working the Steps. While
looking for a sponsor, you might partner with another member and begin
working the Steps together in The Twelve-Step Workbook of Overeaters
Anonymous. Before long, you and your partner will be able to share your
experience, strength and hope with others, answer their questions and
guide them in understanding the Steps. You’ll both be sponsors!
— March 2002
SPONSORS—NOT ABSTINENT
• How does OA regard sponsors who are not abstinent? As an OA
newcomer, I see many sponsors who have been members for
years and are not abstinent. They may have on-and-off
abstinence, but they have not reached or maintained an abstinent
weight. For me that’s like an AA member with a sponsor who is
drinking, a license to continue abusing while still feeling
righteous.
Judging someone by body size is not advisable. Some members of
the Fellowship have severely damaged their bodies and may never look
svelte. The Big Book speaks of a sponsor being a guide. It is difficult to
imagine being helped down a path by someone blinded by the food. They
lack clarity of direction.
A person does not have to be at maintenance to sponsor another
person. For most of us, being abstinent is an important criteria of being a
sponsor, but it is not necessary to be at goal weight. If someone is
sponsoring and working the Steps with a sponsoree, that sponsor can
only give as far as the sponsor has proceeded. Certainly, one can help
another with the first three Steps while not having done all Twelve Steps.
One can also help as a sponsor without having reached an abstinent
weight. Being abstinent and having reached maintenance are different
things.
OA has no official policy regarding abstinence requirements for
sponsors. You may order an excellent pamphlet on sponsorship, A Guide
for Sponsors, from the World Service Office. The Big Book is also a
wonderful source. If you see someone suffering, speak to him or her and
do Twelve-Step work within OA. Speak to the person about his or her
recovery. For someone not abstinent and struggling with the food, being
a sponsor is not the best service position to take on; being a sponsoree
is.
— July 2004
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SPONSORS—PREPARING TO BE ONE
• My home group is in desperate need of sponsors. Not one of us
feels ready to sponsor, even those of us who have been members
for two or three years. Is there anything we can do to prepare
ourselves to sponsor others and to encourage those with OA
experience to share it?
It is important to realize that there is in no one, perfect way to
sponsor. A sponsor is simply one OA member working with another to
better understand and live the Twelve-Step program. There are as many
different methods of sponsoring as there are OA members. The key to
being a sponsor is to share one’s experience, strength and hope as it
relates to OA’s Twelve-Step program.
If there are individuals in your group who have maintained any
length of abstinence and are working the Twelve Steps, they have
something to share. There is no graduation date when members
magically become ready to sponsor. As we learn in OA, all progress is
worth sharing.
Occasionally intergroups hold workshops or marathons on the topic
of sponsorship where selected speakers share their experience. You may
want to contact your local intergroup or other area intergroups and
propose such an event. Additionally, you’ll find much helpful information
in two OA pamphlets, A Guide to the Twelve Steps for You and Your
Sponsor and The Tools of Recovery.
— August 1991, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
January/February 1991
SPONSORS—PROPER ROLE
• In my area there are whole OA communities where sponsors
behave as if they have the right to run their sponsorees’ lives. I
see this as a dangerous tendency, undermining the newcomer’s
independence. What is the proper role of a sponsor?
The concept and practice of sponsorship is as old as the OA
Fellowship itself—as inherited from our predecessor, Alcoholics
Anonymous—and has grown and changed over the years.
As with the tool of abstinence, there is no official OA policy on
methods of sponsorship, although certain guidelines are suggested in our
pamphlets. A Guide for Sponsors states that, “Styles of sponsorship vary
from person to person. We are each free to approach it in our own way.”
This pamphlet discusses the tendencies of some newcomers to place a
sponsor on a pedestal, looking to this one person as the sole source of
advice and guidance. In such instances, the recommendation for sponsors
is simple: “Examine your own expectations . . . Just as a sponsor is not
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esponsible for the sponsoree’s disease, neither are we responsible for
her or his recovery.”
Early OA literature that mentions sponsorship reveals an attitude of
some condescension toward the newcomer, which may be reflected today
among some members in our Fellowship. A 1973 guideline for sponsors
found in the OA archives (origin unknown) refers to sponsorees as
“babies.” Surely their intentions were appropriate, though: “Our attitude
as sponsors should be firm, loving, guiding. We are not psychologists, we
are not God, we are only channels of recovery.”
If you are experiencing problems with sponsorship in your area,
your group or intergroup could hold special meetings and workshops to
discuss this topic. Reading from OA literature and passing a “sponsorship
ask-it basket” (where members can ask questions anonymously) will keep
discussion focused. If you feel that the problem is too deeply entrenched
to be solved within your own intergroup, ask for help from the region.
Perhaps members who are not involved in personal conflicts could more
easily bring their positive experience as sponsors to your group.
Sponsorship is a vital aspect of our Fellowship in OA. How each
member conducts the sponsor relationship, as with any other
relationship, is ultimately up to the individual and her or his Higher
Power.
— June 1995
SPONSORS—SPONSORING OPPOSITE SEX AND THIRTEENTH
STEPPING
• For some time now we’ve been hearing about the problems that
arise when OAers cross sex boundaries in sponsoring. Now it has
happened in our group, with devastating consequences for one of
our members. Please explain the unwritten tradition, observed in
Alcoholics Anonymous and all the anonymous fellowships, that
men sponsor men and women sponsor women.
First, it is important to understand that great care must be taken in
choosing a sponsor, even when we observe the rule of considering only
persons of our own sex. Practice of the Twelve-Step program calls for
openness and honesty in digging out our defects and wrongdoings and
holding them up to the light. We need the help of someone, generally a
sponsor, whom we can trust with our most intimate confidences.
When we choose a sponsor of the opposite sex, we burden both
ourselves and our sponsor with an extraneous and potentially explosive
element: the possibility of sexual attraction. When that attraction is acted
upon, it is called “thirteenth stepping,” a practice that can, and often
does, undermine much of our progress in the program.
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Male or female, we need to take responsibility for our own actions
within the Fellowship as well as in other areas of our lives. A good place
to begin is in seeking a sponsor who is a member of our own sex.
— August 1989, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
January/February 1984
SPONSORS—SPONSORS ONLINE
• Is it possible to get a sponsor just by attending online
meetings?
Having an online sponsor is very common among us online people.
My sponsor is an online one in a different continent, and I have two
sponsorees who are solely online and another two whom I met face-toface,
but we communicate a lot by email.
There are several online groups, and many maintain lists of people
willing to be online sponsors. They also maintain phone lists of people
willing to take calls from other compulsive overeaters. Just as in face-toface
meetings, I encourage online members to ask prospective sponsors
if they have the recovery the members want, rather than just select a
name from a list. When members go to online meetings regularly, they
hear different people share and get to know them. Members who are
familiar with the online world would probably feel at home with the many
email loops, be able to get to know people online and then find the sort of
people who would be good sponsors.
Some online groups maintain a Web site with lists of online
meetings, and the OA Web site offers a list of online meetings. Go to
www.oa.org/online_meetings.html.
— June 2006
SPONSORS—TWENTY-ONE (21) DAYS ABSTINENCE REQUIREMENT
FOR SPONSORSHIP AND SERVICE
• Some OAers place special significance on 21 days of abstinence,
even making it a requirement for service— especially sponsorship.
Did this originate out of WSO? Is it a requirement for
sponsorship?
Rozanne S., OA’s founder, describes the origin of this attitude in a
January 1978 Lifeline article.
“How did the concept of ‘21 days’ come to such estate, one of my
listeners wanted to know. A logical question deserves a like answer: a
certain book, it was discovered by one of our tireless early servants,
suggested that it took 21 days to break a habit. So, we were off and
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unning with another ritual. Some groups declared that you had to ‘make’
21 days even to be a member!”
There is plenty of service to be done by all OAers, even newcomers.
There are no specific rules for sponsorship, though it is suggested that we
sponsor only up to the level of our own experience. One thing we might
remember is that alcoholics are encouraged to help those who still suffer,
starting with their first day of sobriety.
Newcomers are usually advised to seek as a sponsor someone who
has what they want. For most people, this is abstinence, but we would do
well to look also for the qualities that indicate spiritual awakening: a
sense of harmony with oneself and the world, humility and a loving
attitude.
— June 1993 and September 1989
STEPS—CHANGE WORD “GOD” IN STEPS AND TRADITIONS
• Is it a Tradition break to change the wording for God in the
Steps and Traditions so it is not gender-specific, as in “God as we
understand God”?
Nothing in the Twelve Traditions addresses changing the wording of
the Twelve Steps. However, the Bylaws of Overeaters Anonymous Inc.
(available on www.oa.org/intergroup_region_support.html) do address
this issue. Page 21, Article XIV, Section 1 says: “e) Amendments to
Article I (Twelve Steps) and Article II (Twelve Traditions) of Subpart B of
these bylaws may only be adopted if, in addition to d) above, they are
ratified by three-fourths of the registered Overeaters Anonymous groups
responding within six months of notification, provided at least fifty-five
percent of the registered groups have responded.”
Intergroups must also have bylaws that conform to OA Inc. bylaws.
Therefore, a single intergroup or meeting cannot modify these items.
Conforming intergroup bylaws state that the Steps, Traditions and
Concepts are not amendable by the intergroup. Changing the Steps orally
or in writing violates the bylaws under which OA operates.
Changing the Steps causes much concern, bordering on fear. While
we are a separate Fellowship, it sometimes helps to read what the early
members of AA wrote about such things. On page 81 in Alcoholics
Anonymous Comes of Age, they tell the story about Buddhists in Thailand
who felt the Twelve Steps would be more acceptable to their alcoholics if
“God” was replaced by “good” since they did not understand God as the
western members did. Then it says, “To some of us, the idea of
substituting ‘good’ for ‘God’ in the Twelve Steps may seem like a watering
down of A.A.’s message. But here we must remember that A.A.’s Steps
are suggestions only. A belief in them as they stand is not at all a
requirement for membership among us. This liberty has made A.A.
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available to thousands who never would have tried at all had we insisted
on the Twelve Steps just as written. But changes in them seldom last; the
original version usually wins out.”
We have an example of the original version winning out in OA’s
history book, Beyond Our Wildest Dreams, written by OA’s cofounder. You
will discover our cofounder initially modified the Steps by removing all
mention of God. This did not last, of course. Some members would
modify the Steps, such as by replacing “Him” with “God” when reading
them in meetings. As they progressed in recovery, they realized it was
not a big deal and today read them as they are written.
— August 2005
STEPS—CHANGE WORD “HE” TO “HE OR SHE”
• Our group would like to know if we have the authority to change
the “he” to “he or she” in OA’s Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions
and other OA literature?
Our Twelve Steps specifically state: “God as you understand Him.”
One of the greatest freedoms in OA is that we each get to choose our own
conception of a Higher Power. That being the case, you can make your
Higher Power whatever gender you please, or genderless for that matter.
However, our Twelve Steps are adapted from AA’s Twelve Steps
and are copyrighted as such. Although you are free to change the
wording in your personal recovery, the Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions cannot be altered by any group, meeting or service body.
If you read some of our literature (The Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous), you will find that throughout the
book references are made to “God as you understand God” or “Power
greater than ourselves.”
Most people have found it fairly simple to use their personal
conception and wording when referring to “God,” and that seems to work.
— May 1999
STEPS—STEP PRINCIPLES
• What are the Step Principles, and where can I read about them?
Many people ask this same question regarding the Twelfth Step
where it says, “and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” The
principles referred to in this Step are implied throughout the Step
chapters in The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters
Anonymous and are explained on pages 103 through 106. The principles
are the practical, functional way in which the Steps can be practiced in
our daily lives. The corresponding principles for each Step are honesty for
Step One, hope for Step Two, faith for Step Three, courage for Step Four,
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integrity for Step Five, willingness for Step Six, humility for Step Seven,
self-discipline for Step Eight, love for Step Nine, perseverance for Step
Ten, spiritual awareness for Step Eleven and service for Step Twelve.
Discussion of these principles is an excellent workshop, meeting or
retreat activity.
— July 2001
• What are the Step Principles, and where can I read more about
them?
Step Twelve refers to the principles of the program: “Having had a
spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this
message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all
our affairs.” Our book, The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of
Overeaters Anonymous, asks a similar question on page 103 and answers
it by aligning a principle with each Step.
Step One teaches us the principle of honesty. In Step Two we learn
hope, and in Step Three we learn faith. Steps Four and Five teach us
courage and integrity, Step Six teaches us willingness, Step Seven
teaches humility, and Steps Eight and Nine teach self-discipline and love.
In working Step Ten, we learn perseverance and in Step Eleven, spiritual
awareness. Service is the underlying principle of Step Twelve.
The book goes on to say that those who work the Steps “have
embarked on a lifelong journey of spiritual growth” and use “the great
spiritual principles embodied in the twelve steps as the map to guide our
way” (p. 106).
— March/April 2006
STEPS—STEP-STUDY GROUP
• The idea of a Step-study group has always attracted me. What
does a Step-study group do? How would a meeting go?
Groups can use several methods to conduct a Step-study meeting.
The Suggested Meeting Format, available from the World Service Office,
includes a Step-study segment. Here a group would use the regular
meeting format and select a Step as the reading and the sole focus of
discussion. Other groups read the particular Step from the “OA Twelve
and Twelve,” the “AA Twelve and Twelve” or both. They use the questions
from the “Twelve-Step Workbook” as the basis of the discussion. They do
this every week, or they do it by studying the Step of the month at the
particular month’s meeting set aside for that purpose. Some groups use
the workbook combined with the writing tool, reading the Step from the
“OA Twelve and Twelve.” They then allow 20 minutes for writing answers
to the questions and then more time for those who want to share their
responses with the group.
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You can use any of these methods; your meeting’s group
conscience would determine your choice. Many of the people who have
attended Step-study meetings have found that such meetings enhanced
their program with interesting and informative content. It works well for
newcomers, as well as for OA veterans.
— December 1999
TELEPHONE ANSWERING SERVICE
• Our intergroup is in the process of selecting a telephone
answering system. Any suggestions?
Most OA members will agree that the first call we made to an OA
office listed in our local telephone directory was a crucial step in our
recovery. Additionally, members returning to OA after a lapse in
participation and regular members traveling to new areas often rely on
the intergroup’s phone service to obtain up-to-date meeting information.
Some intergroups staff their phones with OA members who provide
program and meeting information. Others use a recorded message that
announces intergroup office hours, meeting locations and contact people.
This system can be designed to allow the callers to leave names and
numbers for a callback, if desired. And many intergroups rely on
professional answering services to answer calls and provide meeting
information in the absence of volunteers. It is helpful to provide
employees of these services with a contact name and number for people
who need additional program or business information.
There is probably not one among us who would knowingly keep
information from reaching those who want it. To ensure that the OA
message gets to where it needs to go, many intergroups spot-check their
phone service or recorded message on a regular basis. Making periodic
calls to check both the accuracy and audio quality of recorded
announcements or the professionalism of an answering service is not only
good business—it’s service.
— August 1990, reprinted from the WSO Notebook, May/June 1987
THIRTEENTH STEPPERS—HOW TO CAUTION THEM
• A serious problem involving “thirteenth-steppers” recently came
to light in our area. These people, many of them married, are
highly visible members with impressive weight loss and
supposedly “strong” program. How can we caution people about
the dangers to themselves and others of misdirected sexuality?
A thought often expressed in conversations between OA members
runs something like this: Wouldn’t it be great if Oaers—unlike the rest of
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the human race—had all their destructive impulses under control at all
times?
As they recover, many OAers become aware of problems that arise
as a result of the recovery process itself. One of these problems is
emerging sexuality. For people who are regaining their physical
attractiveness and their self-esteem, these feelings can be powerful and
frightening. Many OAers, including some of the most successful, are
totally unprepared to deal with them.
This is a subject sponsors might well consider bringing to the
attention of their sponsorees. Beyond being forewarned, however, only a
strong commitment to the principles of our program can give us the
strength to live in a way that will not seriously harm ourselves, other
people or our Fellowship.
The temptation to jump into damaging relationships may be beyond
our power to resist, but like the disease that brought us here, it is no
match for the Power that can—and will—remove those shortcomings we
humbly ask to be removed.
— April 1990, reprinted from the WSO Notebook, May/June 1986
THIRTEENTH STEPPERS—SPONSOR, SPONSOREE
• What is OA’s opinion about sexual relationships between
sponsors and sponsorees, commonly referred to as thirteenth
stepping? Some men have used the tool of sponsorship to gain
access to women. They usually prefer newcomers, but have also
approached veteran members. Unfortunately, some of these
devastated women have left OA. What can a group or intergroup
do in this situation?
Sponsoring members for purposes other than carrying the message
of recovery from compulsive overeating through the Twelve Steps of
Overeaters Anonymous is ill-advised. It can jeopardize members’
abstinence, emotional stability, mental peace and spiritual balance. The
problem is not confined to male members and female newcomers, nor to
sponsors and sponsorees—it can happen in a variety of ways.
The pamphlet A Guide for Sponsors suggests: “We do not
recommend a sponsor-sponsoree relationship between people who are—
or could be—sexually attracted to each other” (p. 10).
The OA Handbook for Members, Groups and Intergroups: Recovery
Opportunities addresses this issue: “You will not find the answers here.
No one can set down the law for OA, but most groups have faced and
solved problems like these by applying the Twelve Traditions through the
group conscience” (p. 21). If necessary, the issue could be discussed at a
group conscience meeting of the group, making sure not to single out a
specific member.
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What can an intergroup do? Many issues can be resolved on a oneto-one
basis. Perhaps a longtime member could take the time to explain
to both members the difficulties that may arise for all those involved in
such a situation. Many problems arise out of lack of understanding of the
consequences, and a quiet word at the outset can often resolve an issue
simply and effectively. If further action is needed, plan a sponsorship
workshop that clearly addresses the issue of thirteenth stepping. Such
issues can be addressed if we do a searching and fearless inventory (Step
Four). Are we aware that if we engage in relationships with newcomers,
harm may be done to others (Steps Eight and Nine)? Step Twelve carries
the message of spiritual recovery. Are we giving away our recovery, or
are we taking gratification from others? To minimize the possibility of it
becoming an issue of personalities, the intergroup might consider asking
the region trustee or a longtime member from outside the area to
conduct the workshop.
Intergroups can recommend to groups having problems that they
change their meeting formats to state that the groups do not recommend
sponsor-sponsoree relationships between people who could be sexually
attracted to each other. Newcomers would then have information to guide
them. The language should be general to cover alternative lifestyles as
well.
The Twelve Traditions and common sense are the guiding forces in
these situations. Those members slow in getting the message should be
approached in the spirit of OA: They are most welcome in OA, but
thirteenth-step behavior is not.
— May 2005
TOOLS—CREATION OF
• The OA tools help me work the Steps, achieve recovery and
create a better me! Where did the “tools” of our beloved OA
program come from? I cannot seem to find information anywhere.
The tools were developed within OA! The “creation” of the tools was
actually an evolutionary process. There are no easy answers. However,
here’s what has been surmised with the help of the OA archives; the
publications manager, Sandra Herzog; and OA co-founder, Rozanne S.:
Around 1963, a piece of OA literature was available entitled
“Questions & Answers about the OA Program.” It first mentions several of
the tools, but doesn’t recognize them as tools. In 1966, with the first To
the Newcomer pamphlet, again several tools were mentioned.
As time went on, a pattern was being developed and noticed within
the Fellowship. Thus, in 1973, the first The Tools of Recovery pamphlet
featured six of the now eight tools: Abstinence, Sponsorship, Meetings,
Literature, Telephone and Anonymity. In 1976, there was a second
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printing of the pamphlet, when Service was added as the seventh tool. In
the 1981 version of the pamphlet, Writing appears for the first time as
the eighth tool.
This evolutionary process seems to keep going based on current or
future needs of the Fellowship. Changes, additions or deletions can occur
during the World Service Business Conference where delegates
representing the grassroots of OA the world over vote on a variety of
motions, one which could include the tools.
We hope this helps, and thanks for the question!
— March 1995, third paragraph corrected in May 1995
—
Correction:
We have been made aware that the March 1995 Ask-It Basket
regarding the origin of the OA tools needs some clarification. In 1973, the
first Tools of Recovery pamphlet featured six of the current eight tools:
Abstinence, Sponsorship, Meetings, Literature, Telephone and Anonymity.
In 1976, there was a second printing of the pamphlet, when Service was
added as the seventh tool. In the 1981 version of the pamphlet, Writing
appears for the first time as the eighth tool. Thanks to those who wrote.
— May 1995
TOOLS—PAMPHLET OUTDATED, REWRITTEN OR SHORTENED
• A recent Ask-It Basket question in Lifeline dealt with a meeting
using an older tools pamphlet. What if a group has knowingly
chosen an outdated version or has rewritten the tool completely
or shortened it substantially?
Ask why the group or intergroup insists on using an outdated
pamphlet. Then ask why they are altering the literature. OA’s eight tools
of recovery are a plan of eating, sponsorship, meetings, the telephone,
writing, literature, anonymity and service. Some groups add tools such as
love, humor, etc. This is confusing for the newcomer. If the group insists
on adding tools, then when the tools are read, a statement should be
made indicating which are the actual OA tools. Using out-of-date
pamphlets is not acceptable, and the group should dispose of its current
stock. Group autonomy does not cover altering literature. Rewriting,
shortening or otherwise altering OA Conference-approved literature
affects other groups and OA as a whole.
— January 1999
TOOLS—USING OUTDATED PAMPHLET
• How would you approach a meeting that is reading from the old
“tools” pamphlet?
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A Board of Trustees member attended a meeting last summer
where this occurred. At the appropriate time in the meeting, the trustee
asked if the group knew that a new tools pamphlet had replaced the old
one. The group did not know this. The group then placed this issue on its
next steering committee agenda. The trustee attended the committee
meeting and brought the new tools pamphlet. The committee voted to
throw out the old one.
Sometimes we just need to educate ourselves. If a group does not
send a representative to intergroup, the message of what is new or
changing in OA is not passed back to the group. Also, the WSO, through
its mailings, informs groups about new and revised literature. To receive
the mailings, the name and address of the group secretary must be
current at WSO. If the group secretary has changed or has moved, the
group should send the new name and/or address to the WSO as soon as
possible. By keeping this information current, the group stays informed of
OA literature and other news.
— October 1998
TRADITIONS—AND BYLAWS
• Is it a break in Traditions to change Steps Three and Eleven
when reading aloud? Rather than saying “Made a decision to turn
our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood
Him,” we might change Step Three to read, “Made a decision to
turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we
understood Her (or It)”? Is this a violation of Traditions Two, Four
or Ten?
Changing the Steps or Traditions in this way may seem minor, but
it is changing them. Experience has shown that while minor changes may
seem innocent, they could be taken as precedent and used as an excuse
for other changes. The OA Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, Article XIV, Section 1,
items d and e, specify a procedure for making changes to the Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions. The need expressed by some to make
changes in our own way and time appears to be disregarding the group
conscience of OA as a whole.
We find it wiser to leave things as they are and trust in the due
process, which is set in the bylaws as determined by the World Service
Business Conference, the group conscience of OA as a whole.
— August 2003
TRADITIONS—BREAKS OF DURING SHARES
• Can you suggest a tactful way to handle Tradition breaks during
shares at meetings?
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When someone shares in a meeting, we understand that what that
person says is his or her current understanding of the program. It is not a
definitive statement about OA’s Steps, Traditions or policies. As we grow
in recovery, our understanding grows. It is important that this statement
from the Suggested Meeting Format be read in meetings: “The opinions
expressed here are those of individual OA members and do not represent
OA as a whole.”
People who make Tradition breaks usually are not yet familiar with
the Traditions. They need education, not criticism. When a person breaks
a Tradition during a share, usually it is best to let him or her continue
speaking—however serious the Tradition break. Challenging the Tradition
break in a meeting can lead to a heated discussion that can disrupt the
meeting.
Occasionally, a Tradition break can be addressed in a meeting by
someone sharing a circumstance in which he or she upheld that Tradition,
without noting the Tradition break that occurred. However, this requires
great care or it can seem to become a criticism of the original share.
When someone’s anonymity is broken, the rest of us in the group
must not break the Tradition ourselves by repeating what we heard. An
even tougher discipline is to not allow what we heard to influence the way
we react to the person whose anonymity was broken.
Consider two things we can do outside the meeting:
Group Help—If Tradition breaks happen often or if people in the
meeting are very upset by a Tradition break, it is probably best to call for
a group conscience to discuss Tradition breaks in general. We can start
the group conscience with a short workshop and discussion on the
Traditions and their importance. It may help to read from Tradition Two in
the OA “Twelve and Twelve”: “Not all our group decisions will be wise and
practical. We do make mistakes sometimes and have to look for better
answers to a problem. Another group conscience vote can be taken when
something needs to be corrected” (p. 122).
Individual Help—Someone (perhaps that person’s sponsor) can take
the person breaking the Tradition out for coffee and talk about the
Traditions, speaking not as a teacher, but in a way that enables the two
members to feel equal. The person talking about the Traditions must be
as free of self-will, pride and criticism of the other as possible. It helps to
think of all the good things about the other and to mention these things if
it seems appropriate, praying before attempting this.
— March 2005
TRADITIONS—PROTECTING
• How do you protect the Traditions without becoming an OA cop?
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Most people do not knowingly violate the Traditions; they simply
need to know more about how the Traditions came into being and what
purposes they serve. Many groups conduct regular Tradition-study
meetings on a monthly basis. These serve to inform all members of the
group about the Traditions. The OA “Twelve and Twelve” enumerates
many examples of Traditions violations; studying and discussing the
chapters help to alert members of the group to possible Traditions
problems.
Occasionally, individual members are called upon to address
Traditions violations. It is entirely appropriate to approach a person after
a meeting and suggest that his or her actions might not be in keeping
with the Traditions and to ask the person to examine that possibility by
reading the appropriate chapter in the “Twelve and Twelve.” It is our
responsibility, both as individuals and as groups, to protect our
Traditions.
— October 1999
TRADITIONS—TRADITION FOUR, AUTONOMY
• Tradition Four says we are “autonomous except in matters
affecting other groups or OA as a whole.” How do we decide if a
matter affects other groups or OA as a whole?
Remembering that the Traditions are simply that—traditions that
have been developed out of our experience—and not rules, we should
look at Tradition Four in conjunction with Traditions Two and Five.
Tradition Five says that the primary purpose of an OA group is “to
carry its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers.” A group
should consider whether any decision it makes will help or hinder it in
carrying its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers. When
faced with this sole criterion, many apparently good ideas lose their sense
of urgency!
Tradition Two suggests that our ultimate authority is “a loving God
as He may express himself in our group conscience.” Thus each group
has to formulate its own group conscience, taking into account all
opinions within the group as to whether a decision might be contrary to
Tradition Four. Remember to listen most carefully to the opinions of those
you disagree with, since they may be speaking great truths!
The chapter on Tradition Four in The Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous (pages 137-144) discusses this
Tradition in detail and provides examples of matters that can affect other
groups or OA as a whole. Generally these are actions by groups that
involve either not adopting the Twelve Steps or Twelve Traditions or
acting in a way that is contrary to one or more of the Traditions, such as
limiting membership or the ability to share, accepting outside donations
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or promoting outside enterprises. The questions at the end of the
discussion will help groups make a decision that might affect other groups
or OA as a whole.
— January 2005
WAYS AND MEANS
• What fundraising activities are consistent with OA Traditions? Is
it all right for members of the Fellowship to sell items to
nonmembers? May we sell items that are not related to the OA
program to nonmembers?
OA events such as marathons, retreats and workshops are excellent
fundraisers. You can sell T-shirts, mugs and other items to members.
However, we suggest that all sale items be approved by group conscience
and that sales be conducted in a manner that will not divert attention
from our primary purpose or endorse an outside enterprise.
To answer the second question, we must keep in mind the Seventh
Tradition: “Every OA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining
outside contributions.” Selling to non-OA members would be accepting
outside contributions. For more information, see Fundraising and Prudent
Reserve Guidelines for Groups and Intergroups, included in the OA
Guidelines packet, and The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of
Overeaters Anonymous.
— November 2003
WORLD SERVICE BUSINESS CONFERENCE (WSBC)— SUMMARY
AND DELEGATES USE OF
• I like the WSO summary about WSBC. It’s helpful and timely,
but doesn’t it let delegates off the hook for taking notes and
writing reports for their intergroups and groups?
Each intergroup has bylaws, and many have Policy & Procedure
Manuals. The job description for a world service delegate needs to be
outlined so that the person in that service position knows his/her job. Part
of the job is to give a written report to the intergroup. The intergroup can
then dispense the information as it sees fit. The intergroup may put the
information in its newsletter or in IG minutes, or use other means of
distribution. This is being responsible. A report in one of the intergroup’s
minutes regarding the 1997 WSBC was full of positive happenings at
WSBC. All motions were spelled out, whether they passed or failed, and
the intergroup delegate stated his vote. The Final Conference Report from
WSO does not come out until several months after the Conference.
— May 1998
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WORLD SERVICE BUSINESS CONFERENCE (WSBC)—WHERE TO
FIND REPORT
• While our intergroup wanted to send a delegate to the World
Service Conference, we were not in a financial position to do so.
However, we are interested in the results of the meeting. Can you
help?
The current Final Conference Report, compiled each year after
Conference, was mailed to all Conference delegates in September. The
Final Conference Report contains the minutes of the business sessions;
OA Bylaws as revised by the Conference; a roster of the Board of
Trustees and Conference committee chairpersons; summaries of all
committee meetings, workshops and presentations; and a list of
Conference delegates. Delegates are urged to share their copy of the
Final Conference Report with their intergroup.
The report was also sent to all registered OA intergroups that did
not send a delegate to the Conference. In addition, their intergroups
received a set of the contents of the Conference binder, which includes
the full agenda for the five-day business meeting and other information,
material and publications.
Additional copies of both the OA Bylaws Subpart B and the current
Final Conference Report are available for $2 each on the literature order
form.
One final note: To raise the necessary funds to send a delegate to
the World Service Conference each May, some intergroups schedule a
variety of fundraising activities throughout the year, earmarking the
proceeds for delegate expenses. Contact other intergroups and your
region office for more information.
— June 1992, reprinted from the WSO Notebook,
November/December 1987
WSO CORRESPONDENCE
• How do we ensure that correspondence from the World Service
Office, regions and other service bodies reaches all OA members?
The World Service Office (WSO) and OA service bodies depend on
OA members who assume service responsibilities to communicate
information to groups. The WSO and the regions also depend on those
giving service to communicate information to them. For example, the
person who keeps meeting directories up to date is responsible for
communicating correct mailing addresses for groups and intergroups to
the WSO and regions. Group and intergroup secretaries are responsible
for notifying groups of correspondence received. Group chairs are
responsible for making certain that each group discusses the
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correspondence chairs receive and for making it available to each
member.
WSO and Region Mailings: When and Why
When: The WSO sends material to each intergroup and service
board seven times a year:
In January, April, July and October, it sends general mailings, which
can include meeting lists, literature catalogs, messages from the Board of
Trustees and other material.
In September, January and March, the WSO sends information
about the World Service Business Conference (WSBC) held in April or
May. In January, the WSO sends proposed motions for the next
Conference. The intergroups and service boards vote to determine which
motions should go to the WSBC. In March, WSO sends the voting results.
In September, it sends the report from the previous Conference. Groups
may also receive correspondence. Regions send newsletters and other
correspondence to groups.
Why: The WSO exists to serve the membership and implements
decisions made by the Board of Trustees or the WSBC. It keeps our
meeting directory and Web site current, produces (but doesn’t write) our
literature, responds to media inquiries and provides a link among OA
groups and members who need information or help. The WSBC elects the
Board of Trustees, whose purpose is also to serve the membership.
The correspondence sent by regions and the WSO doesn’t set rules
that members or groups should obey. It is simply part of an ongoing
discussion among OA members. Sometimes the correspondence reflects
the group conscience of OA as a whole through resolutions from the
WSBC. These are important for OA members to read and discuss because
they affect the ability of OA as a whole to carry the message to
compulsive overeaters who still suffer. Tradition Five says that each
group’s primary purpose is to carry the message.
Tradition Two makes clear that no person is in charge of another
person in OA; the only authority is “a loving God as he may express
himself in our group conscience.”
Our Twelfth Step says we must try to carry our message to the
compulsive overeater. OA as a whole exists to do that job as well as
possible. Correspondence from the WSO and the regions helps us carry
our message. Let’s all make sure it is read and discussed.
— March 2003
YOUNG PEOPLE
• I started eating compulsively as a young teen but didn’t find OA
until fifteen years later. How can I spread the message of OA
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ecovery to young compulsive overeaters in my area? I don’t want
them to suffer as I did.
Many OA members began having problems with food when very
young. Forty-five percent were under twelve; 18 percent were between
twelve and seventeen. 1 Among the many things you can do to reach
young people are:
Publicize and start a young people’s meeting in your area. For
assistance, refer to our Young People’s Meeting Kit, the Young People’s
Meeting Format and the Teen Meeting audiocassette. If you establish or
change a young people’s meeting, notify the World Service Young
People’s Committee (in care of the World Service Office). The committee
maintains a list of all young people’s meetings.
Photocopy “One Day the Young People’s Way” 2 OA’s young people’s
newsletter, and distribute it at your meetings and to interested young
people. The newsletter is a forum for young people’s recovery and
creativity.
Spread the word about OA’s young people’s pen-pal program.
Members under age 25 can register for the program by returning the
form on page 24. This program is especially helpful in areas where young
people’s meetings are scarce and transportation to meetings is difficult.
Pen pals automatically receive a subscription to “One Day the Young
People’s Way” [no longer available].
Start a Young People’s Committee at your intergroup level.
Establish a young people’s corner in your intergroup and region
newsletters.
Have meetings and fellowship for young people at intergroup and
region events.
Offer free literature to young people at meetings. Items to have on
hand include The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters
Anonymous: A Kid’s View, Billy’s Story, [no longer available] and To the
Teen (brochure and checklist).
Offer a “taxi service” for young people who can’t get transportation
to meetings.
Leave OA meeting lists and literature (with permission) at doctors’
and pediatricians’ offices. The new flyer, “To Parents and Concerned
Adults,” poses questions that could help these individuals detect whether
a teen has problems with food.
Donate books/pamphlets to school libraries.
Participate in school and shopping-mall health fairs.
Arrange talks for local high school students.
Arrange for showing of OA films at PTA meetings.
1. According to the 1992 OA membership survey analyzed by the Gallup Organization.
2. Formerly called “A New Life.”
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Hold in-service meetings with school guidance counselors and
school nurses.
List meetings in school newspapers.
Place public service announcements (PSAs) on cable TV channels
frequently watched by young people.
For other helpful outreach information, consult the Public
Information Service Manual and the Hospitals, Institutions, and
Professionals Service Manual.
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