Tradition Four: Beneficial Differences

Autonomy in OA is a really cool thing! I love how each meeting I go to is a bit different. My home group is a literature meeting where we study Conference-approved OA literature each week. I go to a Big Book meeting too. I also attend intergroup meetings whenever I can. Sometimes I listen to a recorded meeting. Each type of meeting is different, but all start with the Serenity Prayer and a reading of one or more of our OA Steps and Traditions.

I find it comforting that the underlying principles of each meeting are the same: We use the same Steps and Traditions; each group wants nothing more than the recovery of its members; and we base our program on spiritual matters rather than diets.

I trust that each meeting I attend submits to the Principles of OA as a whole. We all do our best to represent the OA program consistently, in a way that will not damage OA as a whole, and still meet the needs of the individuals who attend each meeting.

I hope someday to be able to travel and visit OA meetings in other states—maybe even in other countries. I trust that those meetings will protect our precious OA program the same way.

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