OAsis Newsletter

Tulsa Green Country Overeaters Anonymous July 2010

Step 7
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
(from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 59)

Meditate On This
The rst test of a truly great man is his humility.
John Ruskin

With our list before us, we name each shortcoming individually and ask God to deal with it whenever and however God wants.
--The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of

Tradition 7

Every OA group ought to be fully selfsupporting, declining outside contributions.

(from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 161)

Overeaters Anonymous, pp. 62-63.

This, to me, was the true action Step. It required asking the power outside of myself to change me, to make me something alien to myself. It required more trust as I continue to evolve into a new, unknown creation. This Step taught me humility, that state of being humble. Humble, according to the dictionary, is the state of reecting, expressing, or o ering in a spirit of deference. Before this Step, it was all about me--my powerlessness, my beliefs, my shortcomings, and my plans to resolve them. This Step changed all of that. The deference--respect of esteem due to a superior--clari ed who was in power, who I should believe in, and the reason for giving over my shortcomings. It is all about becoming the person that my Higher Power needs me to be in order to carry out His will. That is what my program is

The seventh tradition doesnt simply apply to nancial support, however. In order to be fully self-supporting, groups and individuals need to take on their share of the service work as well. Financial contributions may pay for the intergroups telephone line, for instance, but somebody in OA needs to answer the phone or return the calls. Money is needed to print and mail newsletters, but rst, OA members have to write, edit, type, design, and address them. Groups need to send representatives to intergroup to help with the decision making, bring news back to the groups, and distribute the newsletters to meetings. Individuals must volunteer to help if OA is to host conventions and marathons. Our intergroups need chairpersons, secretaries, treasurers, regional representatives, and World Service Business Conference delegates. Meetings are fully selfsupporting only when they contribute their share of the work that goes into carrying OAs message areawide, regionwide, and worldwide. Individuals are fully self-supporting only when they do what they can, when they can, giving back some of the help they have been given in OA. --The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, pp. 165-166. about. With this Step I have surrendered my role as principal and joined the chorus of the Fellowship. (from Voices of Recovery, p. 183)

Great people do not brag about their successes and possessions, call presidents by their rst names or make it known that they live in the best part of town. On the contrary, they often drive small cars, make just enough money to live on and prefer listening to talking. Great individuals are in a state of complete freedom from themselves; their character defects do not control them. They seem to live entirely in the now, giving full attention and energy to the present moment. For today: Humility is trying to do Gods will as I see it, to the best of my ability, at all times, in all places. (from For Today, p. 119)

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Were on the Web! www.tulsaoa.org

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Tools Arent Just For Gardening!

Plan of Eating Gardeners dont start with the harvest, they begin with a plan of planting. They plan out their rows and what they are going to plant before they ever start planting anything. A plan of eating is much like a gardener planning his garden. Its been said, Fail to plan, then plan to fail. This tool helps us deal with the physical aspects of our disease, and helps us achieve physical recovery. Sponsorship A Master Gardener is someone who has mastered the art of gardening. This person knows when to plant, what soil is best for growing specific plants, the best methods for pest control, and all about fertilizers. Sponsors are much like Master Gardeners. They share their wisdom as a part of their service to the OA program. They share willingly from their wealth of knowledge and offer strength and hope. We ask a sponsor to help us through our program of recovery on all three levels: physical, emotional and spiritual. Meetings If a gardener wants to truly have a beautiful garden, then this person attends classes to learn from other gardeners. They are on the same path to having a fruitful garden. OA meetings are similar to a gardener attending a class. We are always helped with working our program by being able to discuss and listen to like-minded people who are on a similar path of recovery. Meetings give us an opportunity to identify and confirm our common problem and to share the gifts we receive through this program. Telephone When a gardener is faced with a problem, he can pick up the phone and

Plan of Eating Sponsorship Meetings Telephone Writing Literature Anonymity Service Action Plan
call people who have the answer--the Agricultural Department of any college, the local Garden Center, a neighbor who seems to have the perfect garden, etc. As people working the OA program, we have the same option...to pick up the phone and call a fellow OA member, a friend, an online telephone meeting, etc. The telephone helps us share on a one-to-one basis and avoid the isolation which is so common among us. Writing Really good gardeners keep a diary of what they planted, when they planted it, a diagram of where they planted it, and the progress. Journaling for OA members is a way to diagram how we are doing, what we are doing well, where we need to adjust our direction, how we are feeling, and so much more. In addition to writing our inventories and the list of people we have harmed, most of us have found that writing has been an indispensable tool for working the Steps. Literature Have you ever met a good gardener who didnt plant by the Farmers Almanac? If they dont subscribe to this age-old wisdom, they certainly read a lot about the subject of gardening. If you dont think so, just look at the gardening aisle at the library or local home improvement store. As we traverse the road to recovery in OA, we have something similar to the Farmers Almanac with the AA Big Book and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Tradition of Overeaters Anonymous. There is a wealth of literature available for us as we walk (or run) toward recovery. Many OA members find that when read on a daily basis, the literature further reinforces how to live the Twelve Steps. Our OA literature and the AA Big Book are ever-available tools which provide insight into our problem of eating compulsively, strength to deal with it, and the very real hope that there is a solution

for us. Anonymity Gardeners are usually pretty humble people. OA members ought to remain humble, too, remembering to respect the anonymity of others. The protection anonymity provides offers each of us freedom of expression and safeguards us from gossip. Anonymity assures us that only we, as individual OA members, have the right to make our membership known within our community. Service Some good gardeners will often volunteer their time to share with other gardeners. They might offer to lend their rototiller to a fellow gardener, write an article for the local paper, lead a discussion group at the local garden center, or even share the vegetables from their garden with others. Service in OA allows OA members to give back to those who have helped them. OA service can be as simple as phoning a fellow OA member just to say, How are you doing? It can also encompass leading an OA meeting, chairing a committee, writing an article for the OAsis, or being a group representative at OA Intergroup meetings. Carrying the message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers is the basic purpose of our Fellowship; therefore, it is the most fundamental form of service. NEW! Action Plan Just as a gardener wants to share a new type of plant or the latest way to make flowers grow better, WSO has added a new tool to help us be successful in our endeavors. The delegates at OAs World Service Business Conference 2010 adopted a motion that created a ninth tool called Action Plan. The Conference Literature Committee is working on a definition that will be presented for adoption to WSBC 2011. Until that time, OA members are free to interpret Action Plan as they wish. To read more about the Tools of Recovery, pick up a pamphlet at the OA office, or go online at http://www.oa.org/new-to-oa/tools-ofrecovery.php Donna H., Tulsa OA (All quotes in this article were taken from The Tools of Recovery pamphlet.)

Give a little Service This Summer

Would you like a way to give service to our OA fellowship? Intergroup could use the services of a volunteer who would be willing to contact newspapers, radio stations and newspapers about OA. It is true that Tradition 11 states in part that, Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion;, but presenting public service announcements for the medias use to inform people of our presence is attraction in the very best sense. Those of us on the Board already have several hats on our heads so we are o ering a service opportunity to the fellowship at large. Perhaps two or three people could ll this position and together help spread the news that OA is alive and well in Tulsa. Alsodoes your group have a Group Representative attending the monthly Intergroup meetings? If not, would you be willing to attend and report to your group about the business side of OA? Also it is an opportunity to inform other groups of any needs that you might have. Isolation was detrimental for us as individuals, and it is also detrimental to groups. Participation is the key to harmony! Priscilla, Chairperson OA Intergroup

If you havent tried an online meeting and you feel intimated, just go online as a guest and listen in. You dont have to share to bene t from so much wisdom. Ive found it a great bene t to my working the steps. What are you waiting for? Donna H., Tulsa OA member

Below are a few general guidelines for visiting an online meeting:

* Visit www.oa.org * Under tab for Meetings, click on Online meetings * In the selection box, select Online Meeting * Then click on Find Meetings * Find the day and time of the meeting you want to attend * Hit Click to View to access all of the information about that particular meeting * Copy the URL into your browser (example:
www.therecoverygroup.org)

Have you ever visited an online meeting? I did for the rst time about a week ago. It was late, and I was ghting an urge to binge. I clicked onto www.oa.org and found the telephone/online meetings tab. I jumped in with both feet and stumbled into an online meeting. I started typing immediately and was quickly noti ed in a sidebar window that they had protocols. The moderator was very friendly and invited me to stay and after the meeting she would go over the online meeting protocols with me. I didnt feel intimated at all. I stayed for the entire online meeting, and got past the urge to binge. Most of the online meetings that I have visited since that rst one have a similar protocol. Its just like any regular face-to-face meeting where there is a leader, a topic, people identify themselves ( rst name, online name, guest), people share in an orderly and timely manner, no cross-talk, support follows sharing, announcements, a closing (Serenity Prayer, Third Step Prayer, etc.), then a time for questions or comments. I highly recommend online meetings as a supplement to the regular faceto-face meetings. When its late at night or early in the morning and Im ghting a binge, I can just jump online and voila, there are other OAers who are sharing and listening.

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Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Mahatma Gandhi

and you will be taken to the online meeting site From there, you just follow their directions You can enter an online meeting as a guest or you can register your name Then you enter the online meeting you selected You will be welcomed by the moderator If you enter the online meeting after it has started, remember it isnt polite to interrupt If you decide you would like to share, you type an *

By the way, the moderator is an OA member who is leading the meeting and this is their service to OA. The moderator will indicate when it is your turn to share. Its that easy. You just type in your comments, (on topic of course).

OAs 50th Anniversary Convention UPDATE

We are now 8 weeks out from OA's 50th Anniversary Convention at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel (August 26-29, 2010). We hope you plan to attend! Below is updated information for the Convention. Registration Full registration is $140 USD. To register online, go to www.oa.org/convention or you can download the Convention registration form at http://www.oa.org/pdfs/conventionregistrationform10.pdf . Daily Registration Did you know that you can register for daily rates? If you're unable to attend the entire Convention, daily rates are available. We encourage you to pre-register if you plan to attend for 1 day or 2 days. This will save you time and the long lines at walk-in registration. Banquet Banquet seating is limited! We have approximately 200 seats left. If you plan to attend the banquet, don't wait to sign up on-site as banquet seating may no longer be available. The banquet is $50 USD per person. The menu can be accessed at http://www.oa.org/pdfs/banquetmenu.pdf. Spanish Workshops The Convention 2010 Committee has added 4 Spanish-speaking workshops to the schedule. Spanish-speaking workshops will be available on Friday and Saturday at 9:45 am and 2:00 pm. An updated schedule of events will be posted on the OA Web site within the next couple of days. Guided Meditation A 24-hour meditation room is available throughout the Convention. Guided meditation has been added to the schedule (7AM Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

______________________________________________ Sandra R. Zimmerman, CMP Meeting Planner & Public Information Coordinator

Relapse & Recovery Workshop Update

The dedicated OA members of the Monday night Relapse and Recovery Workshop are now working on Steps 4 and 5. This workshop is now closed, but we will offer a Fall Session of Relapse/Recovery for those who were not able to take the Summer Session. We have people in attendance who have come back to OA after a 20-year vacation; people who have not relapsed, but wanted to strengthen their OA program; and, people new to OA joining us in working the 12 Steps of Recovery. Sharon E., Tulsa OA

When visiting relatives on vacation, Ive sometimes had to stand up for my right to refrain from sugar. Ive found it helps to tell them that the foods theyve prepared look terrific, but that I cant eat them--not even a small bite--because I want to treat myself well. It helps to explain that sugar is as seductive to me as booze may be for an alcoholic. Often, people will comment on how good I am to refuse dessert. In this case, I say that its not a moral issue for me, but rather a matter of sanity and survival. I feel comfortable being open about this. At times it leads to interesting conversations and twelfth-step work. Since vacation schedules can be jampacked and confusing, I try to do my daily prayer and medition before stirring out of bed in the morning. I never take a vacation fromGod. It also helps me to remember to accept my feelings while on vacation; just because Im away from home doesnt mean Im always happy and having fun. In fact, heightened expectations can lead to just the opposite: confusion, depression, and loneliness. Also, I try to stay open and vulnerable to the people Im with, and look to them, rather than food, for the emotional comfort, closeness, and friendship I desire. Ive found theres always some of God visible in the love of others. Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania (excerpt from Abstinence, p. 134.)

Freedom has a thousand charms to show that slaves howeer contented never know. William Cowper Freedom from compulsive overeating, and all that goes with it, feels better than any food tastes; this I know. But am I still locked into some patterns that keep my life from being as good as it might be? Am I a slave to others approval? To perfection? To the scale? I want to be aware of my shortcomings, but I also know that being too critical and expecting too much of myself can be discouragingl Easy does it is a better approach to the personal inventory suggested in steps four and ten than taking myself too seriously. For today: I am satisfied with the progress I have made so far; it is giving me freedom from obsession and a new joy in living. (From For Today, p. 186.) For many of us, this freedom came when we took Step Three and turned the entire problem over to our Higher Power --The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, p. 20. The Twelfth Step of Overeaters Anonymous talks about the quali-

ties we gain as a result of working the Twelve Steps, but the word freedom appears so many times in all of our literature. I began to think about the freedoms from my disease I gained by working each of the Steps of Overeaters Anonymous:

(From Voices of Recovery, p. 205)

One: FREEDOM from the obsession with food Two: FREEDOM from insanity and hopelessness Three: FREEDOM from the bondage of self Four: FREEDOM from dishonesty Five: FREEDOM from isolation Six: FREEDOM from running the show Seven: FREEDOM from self-reliance Eight: FREEDOM from blame Nine: FREEDOM from fear of people Ten: FREEDOM from complacency Eleven: FREEDOM from loneliness Twelve: FREEDOM from lack of purpose

2010 IG Board/Committees
Priscilla L., Chair Sally D., Vice-Chair Karen B., Treasurer Linda T., Rep/Delegate 2 Karen B., Rep/Delegate 1 Donna H., Web Donna H., OAsis Newsletter Linda T., 12 Step Within Pat A., Literature Peggy, Acting Secretary Challa, Pop/Water Vacancies: Public Information & Public Outreach Young People 402-8183 430-8922 492-7606 625-5094 492-7606 628-0381 628-0381 625-5094 250-1981

July 2010 OAsis Newsletter

Make a Date
Relapse & Recovery Workshop 5:45 pm to 6:45 pm Monday Nights Southern Hills Baptist Church 5590 S. Lewis, Tulsa ( This session is now closed, but watch for announcement of Fall Session) ****************** Next Intergroup Meeting Saturday July 10, 2010 9:45 a.m. at OA Office
The OA Tulsa Intergroup is a service body of Overeaters Anonymous that carries the message of OA to greater Green Country. This group is comprised of a Board, Standing Committee Chairs and Meeting Reps. Monthly meetings provide members with such services as: Website Literature Meeting Lists Retreats Workshops Community Outreach

2010 State Convention July 16-17, 2010 Summer Camp 2010: CAMP HAPPY DESTINY Friday Night, July 16 Pot Luck Supper & Speaker Church of the Resurrection Saturday, July 17 Hardesty Library Tulsa

We honor those who serve in our military.

(Brochure, pp. 7-8) ****************** OA's 50th Anniversary Convention August 26-29, 2010

There is a group trying to start in Bixby, not registered yet with WSO but eager to share recovery and they are looking for support...testing the waters so to speak. The first meeting will be Wed., July 7, at 12 noon. Details: Wednesday noon Discussion meeting Meeting at Goodies Community Coffee House 13160 S Memorial,Bixby Contact: Jonathan at jdsmlbna@yahoo.com 520-9829 or Judi at jkpatt@msn.com 728-3186

Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel (Convention information is found on p. 4.) ******************

Submissions for the OAsis Newsletter are always welcome. Please send your insights, quotes, funny stories, success stories, wisdom, encouragement, etc., to TulsaOA2010@yahoo.com.

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Scholarship Request
I would like to request a scholarship for the convention. Tulsa Green Country IG offers up to 3 scholarships based on funding availability. Scholarships awarded: 1. First come, first considered. 2. Must be regularly attending meeting member of a Tulsa Green Country group.

Camp Happy Destiny

Together we can do, what we could never do alone.
Friday night July 16th Church of the Resurrection 4804 S Fulton Ave

3. Member may only receive scholarship every 3 years. 4. Recipient agrees to help with set-up and clean-up on Friday and Saturday. 5. Scholarships are approved by IG Chair and Vice-Chair. 6. The scholarship recipients anonymity is maintained by IG. You will be contacted at the phone number on your registration form if your scholarship is approved.

OA Oklahoma State Convention

Saturday, July 17 All Day Hardesty Regional Library 8316 East 93rd Street

July 16-17, 2010 Tulsa, OK

Camp Happy Destiny

If youve never been to summer camp, heres your chance. At Camp Happy Destiny, youll hear more about the road to recovery from eating compulsively. Camp begins on Friday night at 6 pm at Church of the Resurrection (see map on other side). Well start with a potluck supper followed by a speaker meeting around 7. If you cant join us on Friday night, be sure to come for the workshops on Saturday the 17th at Hardesty Regional Library. Well begin gathering at 9 a.m. with the program beginning promptly at 9:15 a.m. with a warm welcome and the Camp Destiny Pledge. Youll meet your camp mascot and learn the camp song. The day will be filled with workshops on OAs Promises, Principles, and Tools. There will be time for Q & A after lunch. Lunch is on your own (lots of restaurants nearby) or stay in and brown bag it with others who stay at Camp Destiny for the noon meal.

What to Bring
Friday Night: Dish to share Saturday: Notebook & Pen, lunch Pop and bottled water will be available

REGISTRATION FORM (detach and mail this part only) Full Name Street City Zip Email: Registration before 7/1 $25 Includes Registration, Camp Happy Destiny Handbook & goody bag Registration after 7/1 Amount Enclosed: OR Scholarship requested Do you plan on coming to the Friday night potluck? Yes No If yes, please indicate what kind of dish you would like to bring: $30 State Phone

for purchase
What not to bring: No food/drinks with red dye

pleaselibrary rules.
No children

Refund Policy 1. 50% refund if cancelled prior to 7/1. with no refunds after that date. Send your registration to: Tulsa Green Country OA Attn: Karen B. 4815 S Sheridan, Suite 111 Tulsa OK 74145

Service Opportunities
Please check what you are willing to do to help at the convention: Share a ride with someone Friday Night Set-up Lead a workshop Saturday decorate & set-up Sell Raffle Tickets Bring items from OA office to the convention _