Step Service

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Tradition Spirituality

Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all these Traditions, ever reminding us to place

principles before personalities.

Concept

Guidelines (a) Selflessness (b) Realism (c) Representation (d) Dialogue (e) Compassion (f) Respect

The spiritual foundation for OA service ensures that:

(a) No OA committee or service body shall ever become the seat of perilous wealth or power;

(b) Sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, shall be OA’s prudent financial principle;

(c) No OA member shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority;

(d) All important decisions shall be reached by discussion, vote and, whenever possible, by substantial unanimity;

(e) No service action shall ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; and

(f) No OA service committee or service board shall ever perform any acts of government, and each shall always remain democratic in thought and action.

Palm Beach County Overeaters Anonymous Intergroup

PO Box 8331, Delray Beach, FL 33482 (561)820-9242 or (800)273-1696

I.G. #09233 www.OAPalmBeachFL.org

For meetings in Broward County go to: goldcoast.oagroups.org For Meetings in Miami-Dade go to: oamiami.org

Palm Beach County Overeaters Anonymous Intergroup

Call before you take that 1st bite! OA Network Phone NumbersThe telephone helps us avoid the isolation 7:30-9:00 a Karen 561-706-1743 5:00-10:00 p Lynn 561-509-6092which is so common among us, an immediate 9:00 a-7:00 p Adrienne 561-333-7764 9:00-11:00 p Suzan Z 561-734-1575outlet for those hard-to-handle highs & lows we 9:00 a-9:00 p Elaine 561-715-1535 6:00-10:00 p Lois 561-702-3232all experience. Here are members willing to take Anytime Marcia 917-693-4729 6:00-11:00 p Phyllis F 561-742-9879calls at indicated times. Anytime Eva 772-263-2109

Palm Beach Connection www.oapalmbeachfl.org Get Connected - Stay Connected

December 2017

B=Beginners, BB=Big Book, C=Open to those who wish to stop eating compulsively except on last Sat of the month open to everyone, D=Discussion/Topic, FT=For Today, OA=Overeaters Anonymous Book, L=Literature, M=Meditation/Spiritual, R=Relapse, S=Step, SP=Speaker, TSW=Twelfth Step Within, V=Varies, VR=Voices of Recovery, YP=Young People, * Gold Coast Meeting

PO Box 8331 Delray Beach, FL 33482 www.OAPalmBeachFL.org (561) 820-9242

(800) 273-1696

Town Time Format LocationGroup

# Contact PhoneSunday

Boynton 10:00 a BB-L JCC/Ross 8500 Jog Rd, Across from elev Floor 2 46092 Janice 561-740-0777Delray 10:15 a BB-L Crossroads Club - 1700 Lake Ida Road 38884 Lois K 561-499-0278Lake Park 11:00 a VR 1408 Killian Dr Rm 105 34780 Helene F 916-217-3226Delray 11:30 a FT Crossroads Club - 1700 Lake Ida Road 35759 Elaine R 561-715-1535Delray 3-4:30 p V Delray Med Ctr - 5352 Linton Blvd Pinecrest Conf Rm CD159 54968 Bonnie 561-733-9302Delray 6:00 p S Crossroads Club - 1700 Lake Ida Road Conference Room 50840 Carol 908-400-2232

MondayDelray 10:00 a OA-S Crossroads Club - 1700 Lake Ida Road 52298 Joyce 561-496-7679Pompano 1:00 p L-S-T St Nicholas Church - 1111 Sample Road 56038 Kitty 203-246-5709Boynton 7:00 p BB-S-D Brookdale-4733 NW 7th Ct - Activities Room 52342 Bonnie 561-733-9302Boca 7:00 p B-D Regents Park Nursing Home-Conf Room-6363 Verde Trail 27229 Bobbie 561-477-7914

TuesdayBoca 10:00 a OA-AA-S * Good Shepherd Lutheran Chrch-6301 SW 18th St 02797 Robin 561-445-9636Delray 11:00 a B PPC Community Center-4800 Linton Blvd, Ste F111 53865 Patty 561-927-0542Stuart 6:00 p BB St Mary’s Church-623 SE Ocean Blvd, next to Thrift Store 46924 Eva 772-263-2109PBG 7:00 p S-YP St Marks-3395 Burns Rd New Location East side of church 16767 Brenda 561-445-8273Delray 7:00 p D-YP-SP Crossroads Club - 1700 Lake Ida Road 54776 Lorraine 561-699-6052Delray 6:00 p S The Senior Center-7091 W Atlantic Ave 53289 Sheila O 954-296-9329

WednesdayBoca 10:00 a B-SP-D Center for Spiritual Living, 2 SW 12th Ave 30002 Karen F 561-706-1743

ThursdayPBG 9:30 a BB Metropolitan Community Church, 4857 Northlake Blvd 54821 Sue 561-627-7286Boca 1:00 p BB Patch Reef Park Cmnty Ctr, 2000 W Yamata Rd 53679 Marcelle 561-271-0870Boynton 7:00 p M Brookdale-4733 NW 7th Ct, Art & Craft Room 54079 Bonnie 561-733-9302Juno 7:00 p BB Ocean View Methodist Church, upstairs small room 50685 Enid 561-746-3842Boca 7:00 p L Our Lady of Lourdes Church-22094 Lyons Rd, Rm 207 ‘00903 Ron 561-483-0500

FridayDelray 10:00 a VR Crossroads Club - 1700 Lake Ida Road 48439 Lois 561-702-3232Boca 10:00 a D Center for Spiritual Living, 2 SW 12th Ave 56091 Wendy 561-927-1818Delray 11:15 a S Crossroads Club - 1700 Lake Ida Road 50607 Lois W 561-702-3232

SaturdayWPB 9:15 a L Holy Name of Jesus - 345 S Military Trl annex@back 22005 Nancy 561-793-3149Delray 9:30 a B-SP Crossroads Club - 1700 Lake Ida Road 21364 Barbara Tu 561-302-0270Boca 9:30 a B-SP * Good Shepherd Lutheran Chrch-6301 SW 18th St 39822 Phyllis 561-994-8664WPB 10:30 a L Holy Name of Jesus-345 S Military Trl annex@back 17646 Paulette 561-512-3715Stuart 11:00 a VR Parkway Rehab Ctr - 800 Central Parkway 49707 Hazel 772-284-9323

Your Trusted Servants November 2017 Chair: Mark 917-687-3060 chair@oapalmbeachfl.org Vice-Chair: Marcia L 917-693-4729 vicechair@oapalmbeachfl.org Treasurer: Patty G 716-523-5442 treasurer@oapalmbeachfl.org Secretary: Lois W 561-702-3232 secretary@oapalmbeachfl.org Newsletter: Eva W 772-263-2109 newsletter@oapalmbeachfl.org

Well by the time you read this Hurricane Season will be over... However as For Compulsive Overeaters, it has only just begun!! For me, Hurricane Season begins in October with Halloween and runs through April, encompassing all of the Holidays! Although I do not need a Holiday to compulsively overeat, they certainly don’t help!

I can say with conviction, that I have not returned to my critical level compulsive overeating behaviors in the many, many years that I have been a part of this amazing fellowship. The need to pick up and eat foods that make me feel bloated, loathsome and lethargic are no longer in my repertoire. I am not sure what has sustained me all of these years. Other than my Higher Power, and the fear of returning to the size and attitude that I once possessed. There was something in the early days of my recovery that kept me coming back. It was the overall acceptance and understanding of other likeminded individuals that reinforced my ability to remain abstinent. It was the Tools, and in those years there were only seven. The holidays are no longer a reason for me to over eat. I can remember so many preprogram days of being so full and stuffed after a Holiday Meal that I would lay on my bed like a beached Whale. Those days are over One Day at A Time. The need to overeat compulsively is not within me. I now enjoy the many Holiday Celebrations without the excess food, and especially without all of the Recreational sugar and carbs that I once ingested on a daily basis.

I love celebrating the Holidays, and often host parties and gatherings. Yes I still buy, serve and

prepare more than I should, but many of the foods I do offer are not mine. I provide it for others, the “civilians”, and do not give it a second thought. I have spent many many Holidays within the fellowship abstaining from compulsive overeating, and not picking up foods that are not within my food plan. It is so easy to get lost in the Holiday Spirit, but I must remember that after the Holiday ends, I have to look in the Mirror. I know that I could not face myself honestly, if I returned to my preprogram days. I am so thankful that my fear is so strong, that I am always vigilant as to what I can have and what I cannot have to eat. There is no Holiday Food that is made and served, that I have never eaten. It doesn’t change. Traditions are Traditions, and the foods are the same. My Life today without the excess food is far -better today, than it was before attaining my abstinence.

I can now concentrate on the friendships and family relationships that I now have, because I am not in a food fog. One Day at a Time, I have a program... I may not follow it exactly, but I have one. That’s the greatest Gift That I could ever receive.

I wish each and very one of you a Happy, Healthy, and Abstinent Hurricane (Holiday) Season! Remember: Nothing Tastes as Good as Abstinence Feels!

Mark J.Chair, PBCIG

Hurricane Season

Important Numbers

FundRaising JeriHP 314-409-5404.............................. .................Helpline Georgeann 561-762-8021........................................ ..........IntergroupBookStore SusanZ 954-871-7955........... .................Newsletter EvaW 772-263-2109................................. ....................OALiterature SusanZ 561-734-1575............................. .............PIPO Paulette 561-512-3715............................................... .............TelephoneAnswering LoisW 561-702-3232............ .................TreasurerAdvisor JaniceR 561-740-0777.................... ..............TwelveStepWithin BonnieG 916-208-7356................. .............Website RachelD 786-316-9852......................................... ............

November 11, 2017 @ 11:45 am Intergroup Mtg Delray Med

Ctr 5352 Linton Blvd

Pinecrest Conference Room

November 18, 2017 International Day Experiencing

Abstinence (IDEA)

November 18, 2017, 11-4 Gratitude Luncheon Community Church 4433 Bougainvilla Dr

Lauderdale-By-The-Sea

November 23, 2017 @ 9:30 am Thanksgiving Meeting

Crossroads 1700 Lake Ida Rd, Delray

December 2, 2017 @ 11:45 am Intergroup Mtg Delray Med

Ctr 5352 Linton Blvd

Pinecrest Conference Room

December 8-10, 2017 Spiritual Retreat

Our Lady of Florida North Palm Beach

December 12, 2017 Twelfth Step Within Day

January 13, 2018 @ 11:45 am Intergroup Mtg Delray Med

Ctr 5352 Linton Blvd

Pinecrest Conference Room

January 20, 2018 OA’s 58th Birthday

February 10, 2018 @ 11:45 am Intergroup Mtg Delray Med

Ctr 5352 Linton Blvd

Pinecrest Conference Room

February 23-25, 2019 Florida State Convention

Cocoa Beach, FL

February 24, 2018 @ 11:30 am PST

Unity Day

Dates to

RememberMy name is Marcia L., but feel

free to call me “lil marsh”. I am excited to say I will be doing service as the Vice Chair of Palm Beach County Intergroup for the coming term.

I wanted to tell you a bit about myself and I look forward to meeting a lot of you too. My “door is always open”, so free to contact me with your thoughts, your dreams, and of course your experience, strength and hopes for continued abstinence and a stronger Intergroup for us all. My contact information is on the last page of this newsletter.

As some of you may know, I recently bought a one way ticket from New York City, and moved to South Florida…to Boynton Beach to be exact, which I have lovingly named “BoyBe for short. What’s great about being in 12 step Recovery, is that I had been coming to this area for many years to visit my father and had been attending SoFla meetings since 2009. So now living in Boynton, I have a built-in fellowship which is so endearing and fantastic. It makes the transition to a new area so much less daunting. I feel so lucky to be in Recovery for this reason.

I held many service positions “above the group level” in the NYC Intergroup I was a part of, starting very early when I got into recovery. I was not abstinent yet, when I took on my first service position as a member of the Special-Events Committee. I believe being tethered to Intergroup, taking on many positions after that initial one, all the way to World Service Business Delegate, has contributed to my long-term abstinence.

I would like to encourage anyone reading this article, if you have not attended an PBCIG Intergroup meeting, stop by, you don’t have to be an Intergroup Rep to attend, all are welcome. It is a fabulous group of people and I guarantee you a good time. And guess what, you will have abstinence for the whole time you are there…How’s that for an added bonus?. I am excited to be part of this Intergroup and I look forward to meeting some of you soon. In service,

Marcia “lil marsh”.

STEP 12: HAVING HAD A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING AS THE RESULT OF THESE STEPS, WE TRIED TO CARRY THIS MESSAGE TO COMPULSIVE OVEREATERS, AND TO PRACTICE THESE PRINCIPLES IN ALL OUR AFFAIRS.

I am living in a country that knows nothing of OA. I try to remember what life was like before I had the fellowship in my life, and it usually is a good way to motivate myself to do whatever needs to be done to try to carry the message of recovery to those who need it. But when I am struggling with my program, I find there is an insufferable perfectionist that somehow always seems to obtain a loudspeaker in my head. She says, "Stop trying to carry the message. You're not experiencing recovery today, so you cannot possibly carry the message of recovery. One day you will have recovery again, but today you have nothing to share. So just wait and focus on getting yourself better."

I can't really afford to wait, and neither can the people suffering from this disease who need help. Whether I'm currently experiencing serene, contented abstinence or not does not change the fact that I know that recovery is possible. I have experienced freedom from the bondage of food and body obsession for months, years at a time. I've had love, understanding and connection fill the empty spaces inside me I always tried to fill with food. I've seen it in my fellows. I know this program works - that is the message I can always carry, no matter what. I don't have to wait until I'm in the perfect physical, emotional, and spiritual space to carry this message.

Members in relapse still belong in the rooms of OA and still have a message to carry. The fellowship needs all of us, those who are struggling as well as those who are soaring. The message of recovery sounds through all of us as we reach out, one day at a time, in search of victory over the disease of compulsive overeating.

Anonymous

From the Vice Chair

“HELLO EVERYONE READING THIS, AND ALL SHIPS AT SEA”. 😊 🛳

Book now! Call Lois W (561) 702-3232

Palm Beach Intergroup presents:

Gratitude Meeting Thursday November 23, 2017

9:30 - 10:30 A.M. Crossroads Building 1700 Lake Ida Road

Delray Beach