TRADITION 8: Overeaters Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional,
but our service center may employ special workers.
The principle of Tradition 8 is Fellowship. I am one among many who has come into the rooms of OA to recover. I need a fellowship to continue to be free of my ego and to enjoy the daily reprieve from compulsive eating. Tradition 8 reminds me that I have a responsibility to share my experience, strength and hope with people in OA. It also reminds me that I am not here to fix, save, control, or change people. After all, how well did it work when I tried to “fix” myself by myself? Even if I have professional abilities, OA’s tradition of non-professionalism places boundaries of safety in meetings so that no one is treated as an “expert”, only another trusted servant sharing what worked for them.
Neill M.
Region 8 Twelfth Step Within Committee
SOURCE: Piedmont Intergroup Blog
©2024 Experience Strength & Hope Newsletter,
All rights reserved. Proudly sponsored by OA Foot Steps VIG #09670.
Did you enjoy this article? We would encourage our members to use this post, and others like it, at their meetings, or for private reflection. We also encourage you to share this post to other fellows to help the compulsive eater who still suffers. Please let us know if you have an idea for an article or an upcoming theme, or have any questions or suggestions. Email our editorial staff at [email protected].
The experience, strength, and hope expressed in this article, reflect the individual OA members and does not represent OA as a whole. Other OA groups and service bodies are welcome to reprint articles from Experience, Strength & Hope Newsletter without permission. When reprinting from other OA newsletters, be sure to credit the source.
