Starting an OA meeting in your area is easy.
The World Service Office is here to support you in your efforts to carry the message of hope and recovery. This form of service will add to your own program of recovery! All you need is a desire to stop eating compulsively and the willingness to start the meeting.
Order the “Starter Kit,” item #730 at US$20 (plus shipping and handling).
The kit contains materials designed to help your meeting get off to a strong and organized start. It includes Where Do I Start?, the Suggested Meeting Format, and a selection of our pamphlets. Please note that your local service body may offer these materials at a lower cost.
Purchase the OA Handbook for Members, Groups, and Service Bodies, item #120 at $13 (plus shipping and handling).
The OA Handbook is a valuable resource filled with ideas to help you share information about your meeting within your community and to guide your group as it grows. The Handbook is also available in e‑book format.
Translated Resources for Non-English Speakers
For non‑English speakers, the World Service Office provides a variety of digital resources in multiple languages. To view the available materials, please refer to the Digital Files in Translation list and the “ONLINE” format documents in the Document Library. Contact the World Service Office to request translated files.
Find a meeting space.
Be sure to explore churches, community centers, schools, libraries, and hospitals as potential meeting locations. Each group should be self‑supporting, so if the facility you select does not charge rent, your group may wish to consider making a voluntary contribution.
For virtual meetings, numerous audio and video conferencing platforms offer free or low‑cost options, making it easy to host and participate in virtual meetings.
We encourage you to complete this step as soon as your meeting begins so it can be added to our Find a Meeting database. This ensures that individuals searching for a meeting in your area are able to locate you quickly and easily.
Please remember to notify the World Service Office of any changes related to your meeting. A contact name (first name only) and phone number are essential, as they provide newcomers and traveling members with a way to obtain additional information. Every meeting must have a designated contact person and phone number.
If no one in your group is willing to serve as the contact, you may instead list the name and phone number of your intergroup or service board, should your meeting choose to affiliate with one.
We strongly suggest that your group affiliate with an intergroup or national service board.
An intergroup or national service board is composed of several groups within a geographic area or a virtual community. Its purpose is to serve and represent those groups while safeguarding the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of OA Service. Affiliation provides your group with access to this support network.
As your meeting grows, your group will eventually need an intergroup or national service board representative who can attend board meetings and participate actively in the OA community in your area. During the early stages of your group’s development, the intergroup or national service board can be an important source of guidance and encouragement.
If you need help locating an intergroup or national service board, please contact the World Service Office for assistance.
Check out other meetings!
If there are no OA meetings in your area and you are not yet very familiar with OA, you may want to consider taking a “field trip” with other potential members to visit more established meetings outside your community. Traveling together can be enjoyable, uplifting, and beneficial to your recovery, and it offers a valuable opportunity to experience how other groups function.
These visits are also helpful to the groups you meet. Once your own meeting is established, they may choose to return the favor by attending and supporting your group as it begins to grow.
Get the word out!
A helpful next step is to review our free guide Let People Know about Your Meeting! For more detail and instruction, you can purchase the Public Information and Professional Outreach Service Manual. This resource focuses on carrying the message within your community and includes many practical suggestions and examples. It is listed as item #765 and is available for US $20.
You are welcome to contact us at any time at info@oa.org or 1-505-891-2664. Thank you for carrying the message of recovery.
The Spiritual Principles of the OA Program
The Overeaters Anonymous Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of OA Service have Principles related to them. They are listed here:
The Principles in the Twelve Steps
(as listed in Step Twelve of The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition)
- Step One: Honesty
- Step Two: Hope
- Step Three: Faith
- Step Four: Courage
- Step Five: Integrity
- Step Six: Willingness
- Step Seven: Humility
- Step Eight: Self-discipline
- Step Nine: Love
- Step Ten: Perseverance
- Step Eleven: Spiritual Awareness
- Step Twelve: Service
The Principles in the Twelve Traditions
(as listed in the The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition)
- Tradition One: Unity
- Tradition Two: Trust
- Tradition Three: Identity
- Tradition Four: Autonomy
- Tradition Five: Purpose
- Tradition Six: Solidarity
- Tradition Seven: Responsibility
- Tradition Eight: Fellowship
- Tradition Nine: Structure
- Tradition Ten: Neutrality
- Tradition Eleven: Anonymity
- Tradition Twelve: Spirituality
The Principles in the Twelve Concepts of OA Service
(as listed in The Twelve Concepts of OA Service)
- Concept One: Unity
- Concept Two: Conscience
- Concept Three: Trust
- Concept Four: Equality
- Concept Five: Consideration
- Concept Six: Responsibility
- Concept Seven: Balance
- Concept Eight: Delegation
- Concept Nine: Ability
- Concept Ten: Clarity
- Concept Eleven: Humility
- Concept Twelve: Guidelines
- (a) Selflessness
- (b) Realism
- (c) Representation
- (d) Dialogue
- (e) Compassion
- (f) Respect
Blessed Beyond Anything
“Having worked the Twelve Steps, what did I learn about the Principles?
Honesty. I learned to look truthfully at ugly things that I am powerless over yet make my life unmanageable. It takes honest vision to fully understand there is a problem and that I have no way to solve it myself.
Hope. I came to believe I can have a relationship with a Higher Power who can do things for me that I can’t and that I can be restored to sanity. There is hope that the painful parts of my life can change and that HP has a better plan for me.
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Faith. It was a leap of faith that something would sustain me when I stopped my way of doing things. But what I couldn’t imagine doing forever, I could do for one day. Those days added up to a miracle. Aligning my will with God’s and going through scary places in recovery is faith working in my life.
Courage and Integrity. Note the word “fearless” in “fearless moral inventory”; fear and faith don’t coexist. It takes courage and integrity to look back at unflattering moments and share them with another person. To overcome my fear, become vulnerable, and present my true self is the basis for real relationships and connection.
Willingness. It’s the whatever-it-takes clause in the contract with God and being ready, in God’s time, to let go not only of hurtful things we want to change but also defects we enjoy. That’s a scary concept. It’s also one filled with honesty, hope, faith, courage, and integrity – amazing how these Principles work together.
Humility. When I earnestly ask for help, God goes to work, but not necessarily in ways I expect. Humility is acceptance of who we really are and the need to live in harmony with God’s will to find serenity.
Self-discipline and love for others. Life is easier when I avoid doing things that make me owe amends and when I admit my part as soon as possible. The “my part” piece is a revelation – no matter what, I can act with a loving approach.
Perseverance. Even when God’s plan feels difficult, by saying “I can do it today” and doing the next right thing, the todays add up. If I turn back, I’ll never get to the destination.
Spiritual awareness. I came to understand that God is with us always. Spiritual awakening is having a living God in my life; I am taken care of and will get what I need. We are enough and are loved for who we are. I experience God in my connecting with God in others. Connection with God requires work and practice. To hear and understand God’s will, I need to clear my mind.
Service. I don’t only carry the message – I am the message. I don’t need to sell program. I just need to live these Principles. And to keep this recovery, I need to share my experience, strength, and hope with others.
I came to OA thinking I had a problem with food yet learned I had a problem with life. I’ve been blessed beyond anything I ever thought to wish for.”
Lifeline, April 2015
Podcasts you might enjoy
Principles of the Twelve Steps (Primary Purpose Series)
In All Our Affairs (Sound Bites Series)
