Service Is Slimming

This year I celebrated 14 years of God lifting the desire to binge and purge. Along the way, my Higher Power has given me the willingness to do some service. For me, this was the progression: leading meetings, becoming a sponsor, becoming an intergroup rep, editing the intergroup newsletter, becoming a region rep, editing the region newsletter and now, serving as an intergroup chair.

For every single service gig, I kicked and screamed before committing to it. Getting out of myself is not a natural inclination; trust me. Before OA, all I thought about was what I could get out of something. (On bad days, I still do.) Thankfully, a beloved sponsor told me I could be willing without necessarily wanting to get something. Seems I just need one inch of willingness and God rushes a million miles to meet me.

A popular phrase in OA is “service is slimming.” No doubt that’s true. Except for my healthy pregnancy, I’ve maintained the same body size and clothes size for 14 years — a miracle! Service not only keeps me out of the food; it keeps me in connection with other OAers. And when I put those together, I find a saner way to live.

— Katy D., Wilmington, North Carolina USA

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