If your meeting has stopped retaining new members, we recommend the group conduct a Group Inventory and review the Strong Meeting Checklist. These can help you discover new ways to carry the message of recovery and uncover practices that may be unwelcoming.
An OA group as defined in Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Bylaws is: two or more persons meeting together to practice the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, guided by the Twelve Concepts of OA Service; all who have the desire to stop eating compulsively are welcome in the group; no member is required to … Continued
Your meeting is free to adjust the suggested format in anyway your group conscience decides. You may use as much or as little of the format as your group wants, although reading at least One of the Twelve Steps is encouraged as it lets newcomers know they are in an OA meeting. The only firm … Continued
No. According to Tradition Three, there is no requirement for membership in OA, and honoring that means there also shouldn’t be requirements to participate in a meeting. A meeting may, however, have suggestions for those who wish to share.
Unfortunately, this sort of situation crops up on occasion. Members don’t get well instantly. Although having a sponsor is very helpful in these situations, having a sponsor is not required for membership in OA. Tradition Three tells us, “Nobody is expelled from OA for not working the steps, not getting a sponsor, not respecting the … Continued
There are two possible approaches. First, if it is a newcomer, allow for understanding and flexibility. Newcomers may not be familiar with the Traditions, so he or she may not know a Tradition was compromised. If a longtime member does not honor a Tradition, a friendly reminder or even a Traditions Workshop refresher could be … Continued
Traditions are the glue that holds us together. They address issues that allow OA to exist and work. “Developed through long and sometimes painful experience, the Twelve Traditions embody the same principles for living as do the Twelve Steps” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, p. 108). The Traditions are the principles … Continued
A set of principles that guide us in our interaction with our OA community and in the larger world.