Lifeline Magazine Will Live On in OA Literature
The following article can be found: https://oa.org/app/uploads/2020/10/asa-q4-2020.pdf
Lifeline magazine, our much-beloved “Meeting on the Go,” will see its production come to an end in December 2020 after fifty-five years of publication. Since the original 2018 announcement of its discontinuing, many OA members have enthusiastically expressed their gratitude for the support and community that Lifeline has provided over the years.
Lifeline was conceived in the early 60s, when our founder, Rozanne S., and others recognized the need for a “sharing place for O.A. ideas and news” and “a forum for the thoughts, feelings and growth of the individual O.A. member.” The magazine’s pledge was to “minimize the geographical handicaps to communication between groups” and “grow and respond to the needs . . . of its participants . . . represent the O.A. way of life as it is offered in the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, and serve as a supporting companion in our daily lives” (Beyond Our Wildest Dreams, p. 199). Lifeline has indeed lived up to this pledge, peaking at 25,000 subscribers in 1990 and declining steadily ever since as digital communications began bridging the geographical barriers to communication across the Fellowship.
Though we are saddened to see our magazine go, loyal Lifeline fans will continue to have the opportunity to dive in and rediscover Lifeline’s real stories of recovery through our thoughtful compendiums of past Lifeline articles. These books are available in print from the online shops mentioned below and in e-book formats for Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Barnes and Noble Nook.
Lifeline Sampler was first printed in 1985 and is now reissued as a print-on-demand paperback solely through Amazon. This OA classic has not seen its compelling messages of hope and recovery dull over time and features members writing candidly about their struggles and successes with compulsive eating. Pick up a paperback copy at amzn.to/33NmSK3 to see keen spiritual insights abound on timeless topics, such as abstinent living, slips and relapse, food and weight, and the Steps and Traditions themselves!
Seeking the Spiritual Path: A Collection from Lifeline is written for OA members by OA members and contains more than seventy stories of spiritual recovery and discovery. Buy your softcover copy (#978) at bookstore.oa.org and join fellow OA members on their introspective, personal journeys to belief as they explore such topics as their Higher Power, spiritual practices and other tools for growth, and experiences as agnostics and atheists in program.
Taste of Lifeline is the contemporary successor to Lifeline Sampler and is available as a softcover book (#970) from bookstore.oa.org. Taste of Lifeline shares more than one hundred stories from OA members, whose diverse experiences reflect the breadth of our program and act as a rich resource for us all. Newcomers, longtimers, those experiencing slips or relapses, sponsors, sponsees, and international members will all find stories that resonate within these pages. Additionally, Taste of Lifeline contains a section of writing prompts to inspire your use of the Tool of writing. Journal your responses to these prompts and share your thoughts and reactions with your sponsor, sponsee, and group to strengthen your recovery.
Thousands of individual back issues of Lifeline (#820) are available for purchase for US$4 each through bookstore.oa.org. If you prefer the portability (and gift-ability!) of single magazine issues, put a few back issues in your cart today!
As we close this chapter in OA’s history, let’s share a moment of gratitude for all of the Lifeline contributors, subscribers, group representatives, special workers, and trusted servants who touched our lives and strengthened our recoveries in this unique way. Thank you for your many years of hope and service!
