Virtual Recovery

A few days ago I finally made it to a meeting...well...it was a phone meeting. I had just gotten off the phone with my sponsor a little after 10pm and realized that if I was going to go to a meeting, then now was as good time as any. So, I looked up the times for a phone meeting, and sure enough, there was one at 10pm. I was only a few minutes late.

I was very skeptical. So much of OA for me is the community, and that comes through so much more when you're meeting with fellow OA-ers in person. But, considering my insane schedule, a phone meeting had to do.

The group leader chose to talk about the traditions. I HATE the traditions. I never saw them as really applicable. I'm more of a 12 steps and Big Book person. They're so much more personal to me. But as with any OA meeting, I got something out of it.

A woman on the phone (from Louisiana I believe) said she just loved the third tradition:

"The only requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively."

I have never really thought about that. But damn, that really did mean something. No matter how long I'm away, no matter how bad I may feel, I always have this to come back to. Even when I don't accept myself, OA does. It takes me as I am, as long as I desire to stop eating compulsively...and that won't ever be a problem. And, I don't even have to WORK. I just have to WISH I didn't eat compulsively. That's an easier club to join than the Church of Scientology!

Anyway, I'm grateful.

Also, the OA Web site has been redone, and it looks great! Check it out at www.oa.org

Phone meetings (USA) can be found at: http://www.oa.org/pdfs/phone_mtgs.pdf