At many OA meetings, a lot of members hear ’the 9th step promises’ read before the close.

What a lot us don’t realize is, that there are a whole bunch of ‘Promises’ peppered all thru the 1st 164 pages of the Book from “Bill’s Story” to “A Vision for You”! 

Join us as we find them & talk about where they are. The Amount of hope in these ‘Promises’ thru out the B.B. is absolutely amazing. Guaranteed!

Access the file mentioned in this meeting here.

We release the past so that we are free in this moment for all that is possible now…. We are a sponsor and sponsee, both OA long-timers, who have found incredible peace through forgiveness and working the 12 Steps of Overeaters Anonymous.

Access the file mentioned in this meeting here.

My eating disorder began at a very young age. I started eating to survive the day and once I started I found that I couldn’t stop. I’ve been coming and going to program since the 80s and couldn’t find recovery until 2005. My motivation to return to this last time was ONLY to avoid the need to purchase a wheelchair to provide myself with mobility. I’m still a compulsive overeater but today I can walk and talk and breathe all at the same time!

I have been a grateful member of OA since June of 2007.  I learned very quickly that I must surrender to a power greater than myself if I wanted to be relieved of my binging and purging.  My ways of controlling and relieving the control with day-long binges were caught in a Groundhog Day cycle from a very young age day in and day out.  OA~ felt like a free fall at times, but it was so often cushioned by the love, compassion, and support of fellows who had walked before me.  I was given the gift of desperation and with that the gift of abstinence.  That said, my life has had many challenges and grief for which I have been so grateful that I had could utilize the steps and the tools of the OA program, as well as the rich community of lifelong fellows.  I am delighted to have the opportunity to share about how surrendering just one day at a time has strung together 13 1/2 years of abstinence from bulimia.  I had tried everything before I tried this as a solution.  Little did I know that OA had so much more to offer me than relief from my obsessions and compulsions.  Today I experience the beautiful Promises of this program and a life beyond my wildest dreams.  Hang in there.  There is always hope.  No matter what.

We have two fantastic speakers for this Sunday!  One has been an active member in OA for 34 yrs.   She has performed service at all levels. She continues to go to meetings.  Today she lives the program. She still works with a sponsor.

The second speaker has been in OA continuously for 32 years, although she suffered through a relapse in the middle years. She has done service at the intergroup level and enjoys sponsoring people through the steps.

The format: the 1st hour the speakers will each tell their stories (30 mins each). Then we will get into how we live the program on all 3 levels.  There will be a reading from Seeking the Spiritual Path for the 2nd hour, and the 3rd hour will be for questions and sharing.

The “Body Image, Relationships and Sexuality Workshop” is based on OA’s new book by the same title. Once we are abstinent and have worked the steps, these three topics come into sharper focus.

Body Image: Many of us have struggled to accept and love our bodies. The good news is that we can indeed learn to stop verbal and physical self-abuse and become willing to love ourselves and our bodies in recovery. The happy result is freedom to move, live and grow!

Relationships: Bill Wilson said that relationships have been the primary cause of our unhappiness and nothing could yield more satisfying results than to learn how to “live in the greatest peace, partnership and brotherhood with all men and women…” (AA 12& 12, page 77.) Thankfully this is very possible and leads to a life beyond our wildest dreams.

Sexuality:  Then, as we recover from body image and relationship issues, we delve further into one of the most intimate parts of our lives—our sexuality.  Can we love ourselves, HP, and others fearlessly and express and receive that love while being true to ourselves?   One definition of recovery is “learning how to be intimate with our HP, with ourselves and with others…how far are we willing to go when we choose recovery?” (Body Image, Relationships and Sexualtiy, page 47)

      Yes…the age of miracles is still with us and we can be rocketed into the 4th dimension of the spirit in all three of these areas!

The Big Book says we are not a glum lot.  Therefore our speaker feels that if you are using a food plan given to you by a doctor or registered dietitian or nutritionist and if you are under the direction of a sponsor that It is completely possible to spend the holidays not suffering or struggling but being happy joyous and free and often serene.  You may spend it with friends or family spend it on zoom or maybe on your own no matter what it can be just another abstinent day.

Our speakers has been abstaining in OA for 44 years and maintains a 150 pound weight loss.  She has served OA on the levels of inner group region and world service.  She is excited to share that she was sponsored by the founder of OA and before that the woman responsible for much of the spiritual content in our bylaws and literature.  She has gathered an exciting panel of extremely diverse abstaining members from southern California to share with us. Someone will share an authentic holiday experience.  All seven will be available for questions time permitting.  We will end with learning the amazing spiritual exercise of building Gods house.  An experience not to be missed!

Access files mentioned in this meeting here.

Speaker from Bozeman, Montana, with 34 years of abstinence.

I sponsor people through steps 1 through 9 who wish to recover from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviours. Halfway through completing step 9, we are promised lives with freedom, happiness, serenity, and peace. We are assured that “our whole attitude and outlook on life will change” and that uselessness, self-seeking, self-pity, and fear of people and economic insecurity will slip away. These are promises that we all long for and work hard to achieve. (page 84)

The good news is that even more awaits us if we continue to practice the simple spiritual principles outlined in Steps 1 through 9. I see these steps as training for the spiritual discipline necessary for the really big miracle to happen. That miracle…that promise…ensures us that we will be “placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected” and that the compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviours problem will be removed. That it won’t exist for us. (page 85)

This workshop will be focused on the spiritual program of action required for the “daily reprieve”…the miracle of the removal of the problem…that comes through the maintenance of a fit spiritual condition. (page  85) A fit spiritual condition is the Big Book’s code for working steps 10 through 12. This presentation will provide a detailed explanation (both verbal, visual, and by example) of exactly how to work each of these three steps. I will rely on the instructions provided in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous . I invite you to join me in this quest: Bring your Big Book, an open mind, and a willingness to participate. My workshops involve little lecture and much interaction. Together, we will explore and practice workable methods to gain the ultimate freedom we so desire.

Access files mentioned in this meeting here.

Step One with speaker from Portland OR.  She will share her experience, strength and hope on Step 1 both as a newcomer and as a member with time.

Step Two with speaker also from Portland, OR.  She will share how Step 2 has evolved and changed for her over the course of her recovery.

Step Three with speaker again from Portland, OR.  She will share her understanding of step 3 and how she practices it on a daily basis. Each speaker will provide time for Q&A and/or sharing.

So what does it mean to be a Real Compulsive Overeater? Each of us needs to diagnose ourselves. This workshop will demonstrate the two-fold nature of addiction as laid out in the first four chapters in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. I am a Real Compulsive Overeater if I can’t eat my alcoholic foods, alcoholic ingredients or participate in my alcoholic behaviours safely and I can’t be abstinent contently. Join four recovered Compulsive Overeaters as they teach the exact nature of food addiction & why if you identify in as a Real Compulsive Overeater you need the 12 steps to recover.