OA 8 Tools of Recovery

The primary purpose of Overeaters Anonymous is "...to abstain from compulsive overeating and to carry this message of recovery to those who still suffer." The tools help us to recover on all three levels - physical, emotional, and spiritual. The following tools are used to enhance our program of recovery through working the twelve steps of OA.

1. PLAN OF EATING: As a tool, a plan of eating helps us to abstain from eating compulsively. Having a personal plan of eating guides us in our dietary decisions, as well as defines what, when, how, where and why we eat. It is our experience that sharing this plan with a sponsor or another OA member is important.
   
   There are no specific requirements for a plan of eating; OA does not endorse or recommend any specific plan of eating, nor does it exclude the personal use of one.
   
   
2. SPONSORSHIP: Sponsors are OA members who are practicing the twelve steps and twelve traditions to the best of their ability. They are willing to share their recovery with other fellowship members. It is to your advantage to find someone you want to help you, and say "Would you be my sponsor?" The sooner you start working with someone, the better you will work the program.
   
   
3. MEETINGS: Meetings are gatherings of two or more compulsive overeaters who come together to share their personal experience, strength and hope. At meetings you will find the love and acceptance that is the core of the OA program. Try to attend as many meetings as possible to soak up the myriad of stories dealing with recovery.

4. PHONE CALLS: The telephone enables us to share on a one-to-one basis; it alleviates the isolation so common among us. Many members call fellow compulsive overeaters and their sponsors daily. Take numbers from the sign-in sheet passed around at the meetings.

5. WRITING: In addition to making an inventory and listing the people we have harmed, most of us have found writing an indispensable tool for working the steps. Putting our thoughts and feelings down on paper helps us to better understand our actions and reactions to life.

6. LITERATURE: We study and read OA literature including: The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, For Today, Overeaters Anonymous, and Lifeline, our monthly Journal of Recovery. We also study our primary text, the book Alcoholics Anonymous, referred to as the Big Book, and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous to understand and reinforce our program.

7. ANONYMITY: Anonymity, referred to in Traditions Eleven and Twelve, is a tool that guarantees that we place principles before personalities. We are equal in the fellowship, whether newcomer or seasoned old-timer, our outside status makes no difference in OA.

8. SERVICE: Carrying the message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers is the basic purpose of our fellowship and therefore the most fundamental form of service. Any service, no matter how small, that helps to reach out to a fellow sufferer adds to the quality of our own program. Find something you can do for the group, such as setting up or putting away chairs, or cleaning up the trash after the meeting. It will help you and it will help us. Service is its own reward!