Category: In the News

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.

What is OA? Revised Service/Traditions/Concepts Workshop Manual

Is your group or service body in need of a refresher on the gifts of OA service, a deep dive into the meaning of our Traditions, or a return to Concepts basics?

Is your group or service body in need of a refresher on the gifts of OA service, a deep dive into the meaning of our Traditions, or a return to Concepts basics?

The revised Service, Traditions, and Concepts Workshop Manual suggests workshop formats and schedules, includes inventories for groups and service bodies, and answers frequently asked questions. Workshop topics can be presented as a whole or individually, with a focus just on service, Traditions, or Concepts.

For your workshop, use the engaging slide presentation (also newly revised) to illustrate the Manual’s concepts. The presentation is available at oa.org in two formats:

The refreshed Manual and accompanying presentation are both available as free digital downloads at oa.org in the Document Library under “Service Body Resources” and “Workshop and Fellowship Ideas.” The PPTX slide deck is also available for workshop presentation and translation. Additionally, all files are available for download from the Workshop’s product page in the OA bookstore.

Also updated in the Manual and posted at oa.org for free download: OA’s Intergroup or Service Board Inventory, OA’s Group Inventory, and our Strong Meeting Checklist.

Updated Virtual Meeting Guidelines

The OA Board of Trustees recognizes that many OA groups continue to meet virtually and seek ways to carry the message by using our literature. With this in mind, the board has updated its guidelines and issued a revised instructive letter, establishing clearer protocols for how OA literature may be shared on various electronic platforms.

If your group meets virtually, use these guidelines to share limited OA literature appropriately, while protecting OA’s copyrights for the good of the Fellowship as a whole. We ask that you download this letter and share it with your group as soon as possible.

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

Brown Book in Audio

OA’s beloved Brown Book is now an audiobook! Using readings by OA members for the book’s CD set, our first audiobook includes the entire text of Overeaters Anonymous, Third Edition-from the forewords to the appendices. During daily activities or when you need a recovery boost, listen to more than forty stories by OA members sharing their experience, strength, and hope, including our founder’s share: “Keep Coming Back: Rozanne’s Story.”

OA receives a royalty share for audiobook purchases made through these third-party vendors (links open to external websites):

Audible: https://adbl.co/34hlF25
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ooLR1e
Apple Books: https://apple.co/33k5SPi

More OA audiobooks? Yes! OA has already started our next one: The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition.

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.