Category: Front

Virtual Newcomer Recovery Open House, Oct 24th and 25th

Join us for a virtual weekend of newcomer-focused meetings designed to help people learn more about Overeaters Anonymous and the possibilities of recovery.

Oct 24, 2026 8:00 am – 8:00 pm

Oct 25, 2026 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Time zone: Eastern Time

Sessions will address common newcomer questions such as where to start, sponsorship, plans of eating, spirituality, meditation, and recovery from compulsive eating behaviors. Meetings will also include topics for young people, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, LGBTQ+ members, men in Overeaters Anonymous, those with other compulsions, and members with anorexia or bulimia.

Meetings will be offered in English, German, Greek, and Spanish. All are welcome.

How to Attend:
Zoom Meeting ID: 880 5127 6988
Passcode: 101112

Meeting Schedule

  • Languages: German, Greek, Spanish, English
  • Sponsor: Virtual Region
  • Link: Learn more 

Action Plan Workshop

Join us August 15, 9 AM – 12 PM for an interactive workshop designed to help participants turn recovery goals into practical daily actions. The workshop will explore the purpose of action planning, ways to make recovery actions more intuitive, SMART goals, common life activities and events, and the creation of a personalized 24-hour action plan. Participants will also be matched with accountability buddies to support follow-through. Because this is an action-focused workshop, attendees are encouraged to come prepared with an accountability buddy, a pen or pencil, an updated calendar, a dedicated journal, and a willingness to take action.For more information, click here

Other OA NoVa Announcements

The OA Foot Steps Intergroup sponsors a “Family Share” Monthly Creative Reprieve Meeting, the second Thursday of each month at 6 pm ET, where fellows share their experience, strength, and hope through the lens of their positive, creative, joyful pursuits-and how these pursuits help them build a life of joy and abstinence. https://www.oacr.net/framily-share.html

There is an OA Virtual Intergroup for Young Adults 18 to 35. Visit https://oayoungadults.org/
OA World Service asks that we read the annual appeal letter at all our meetings for four consecutive weeks: https://oa.org/documents/2026-annual-appeal-instructions-and-letter/?print=true

Service opportunities: Consider serving as a member of an Event standing committee; newsletter editor, or member of the 2027 Intergroup board! If interested, talk to Jodi, Jim, Laura, or Eileen, or email chair@oanova.org.

Worldwide Experience, Strength, and Hope

Have you visited the OA.org or OA Virtual Region sites lately? There are an amazing number of virtual workshops going on all over the world at any time!

Have you visited the OA.org or OA Virtual Region sites lately? There are an amazing number of virtual workshops going on all over the world at any time! Check out OA World’s calendar here or Virtual Region events here.

Where Do I Start” Available Online

As approved by majority group conscience at WSBC 2022, our popular newcomer pamphlet Where Do I Start? has been updated and made available as a free download from the oa.org Document Library under the category “New to OA.”

Where Do I Start? pulls vital wisdom from varied OA literature sources, including A New Plan of Eating, in order to give a concise and compassionate introduction to the OA program. As the Fellowship knows, beginning the journey out of compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors towards recovery can be difficult, but Where Do I Start? aims to help, giving direction, advice, and answers to frequently asked questions in its brief pages.

Direct newcomers in your meetings to this link, and see how our membership grows!

Print copies of Where Do I Start? can still be purchased for US$1 each at bookstore.oa.org. E-book copies of the updated version of Where Do I Start? are available and can be purchased for US$1. OA receives a royalty share from purchases made from these vendors

Amazon Kindle
Apple Books
Barnes and Noble Nook

Missing the Literature Table at Meetings?

Since many meetings are now operating via Zoom, we no longer have a “literature table” where we can peruse and purchase OA-approved literature that supports our recovery journey. To make sure newcomers and old timers know about the latest literature, you can now download this PDF document, which highlights useful OA-approved literature and directly links to the website where individuals can learn more or purchase the materials. Simply attach this document in “chat” in your Zoom meeting if you want to share it as part of your meeting. It’s a virtual literature table!

New Literature for Sponsors and OA Members

Take a look at some of these great new resources for sponsors and everyone on the OA journey.

  • NEW: Twelve Step Workshop and Study Guide, Second Edition (#960-2)
  • NEW: Participant Guide for Twelve Step Workshop and Study Guide, Second Edition(#966)
  • NEW: Temporary Sponsors: Newcomers’ First Twelve Days (downloadable)
  • NEW BOOK! Body Image, Relationships, and Sexuality: Personal Journeys to Recovery in Overeaters Anonymous: OA members share stories about how our disease has affected the most intimate parts of our lives—impacting our relationships and even our identities.  Hear how members have worked OA’s Twelve Step recovery program, leaving behind confusion and anguish to live lives of acceptance, freedom, and serenity.  Item #950 (#951 for 25) is available in softcover format in the OA bookstore. Also available in e-book formats sold by Amazon Kindle and Apple Books and will soon be available for Barnes & Noble Nook. OA receives a royalty share for e-book purchases from these third-party vendors.
  • Unchanged and Simply Wonderful: Sponsorship Kit, which includes A Guide for Sponsors and Sponsoring through the Twelve Steps.

NEW Resource — Temporary Sponsors: Newcomers’ First Twelve Days

Sponsorship is a vital part of the OA recovery process, as it builds a tight-knit, trusting fellowship and invests purposefully in newcomers. To this end, our newest resource intends to bolster relationships with newcomers—and instill confidence in those new to sponsoring—by partnering those new to OA with a “temporary sponsor” to guide them through the pivotal first days of their OA journey.

Stamp out feelings of intimidation about sponsorship and jump-start a newcomer’s experience with our helpful introduction to program, Temporary Sponsors: Newcomers’ First Twelve Days. This free downloadable guide is one of the newest pieces of literature to receive the Conference-approved Literature Seal of Approval during WSBC 2020. Download this new resource at oa.org/sitemap under “Group Resources” and take it to your next meeting to share with other members. Need to translate? Use Google Translate for easy translation of the document into the language of your choice without needing written permission from the WSO. The Sponsorship Committee encourages you to use this great new resource from WSO. If you try it, we would love to hear about your experience. You can email us at sponsorship@oanova.org.

OA NOVA Zoom Account Available to All

NOTE: Zoom updated its security policy and your meeting may now require a password. Check with your meeting organizer to determine if you need one. 

If your OA meeting group has moved to online meetings or phone calls, or plans to, you now have an easy and free way to do so. OA NOVA Intergroup has purchased a Zoom account that it is sharing with you. Simply contact zoommanager@oanova.org to register the meeting and time you would like to use the account. See the flyer here. Meeting conflicts will be resolved in a 12-step manner. You can find updated VIRTUAL MEETING information here.