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7th Tradition... A Message About What YOUR Donation Supports
Memories of finding myself at the supermarket late at night spending money on binge foods haunt me. I was a compulsive night binger. I could not stop. But my bingeing did not stop there. I was driven to binge both night and day.
Giving a 7th tradition contribution in the basket at a meeting, online, or through Venmo or PayPal is my way of gratefully supporting OA that showed me a way out - the 12-step solution - and that helps compulsive eaters like me and those around the world to stay in recovery today.
OA’s new managing director, Rich Valdez, has a new video further sharing the importance of 7th tradition, Please take a look.
And there is a PDF 7th tradition appeal information with more details. Please share it with your groups.
When you and the group you attend make contributions, they support:
• Outreach to the still-suffering compulsive eaters through public information efforts, health fairs, and professional outreach
• Speaker events, workshops, retreats
• Administrative expenses and professional services that support the day-to-day functioning of Intergroup, such as bookkeeping, website maintenance, and our OA World Service business office
• Phone lines and newcomer support so no one has to recover alone
• Representation at regional assemblies and the World Service Business Conference, ensuring our group conscience is heard
• Literature and newcomer packets distributed in the community.
Thank you for contributing to the health and longevity of Overeaters Anonymous, and to your own recovery.
Nancy H.
Chair
| Watch the new appeal video and download the official letter to share at your meetings. Whether you’re moved to spread the message, support our programs, or inspire newcomers, everything you need to bring our community together this year is right here — press play and pass it on. | |
Basic Step: Have I made the list and become willing to take responsibility for my past actions or lack of actions? Have I forgiven myself for my mistakes? Have I forgiven those who I have harmed who also inflicted harm on me?
Spiritual: Do I practice self-discipline in my words and actions toward others so as to not hurt them? Am I forgiving others and myself for not being perfect? Am I holding any grudges? Have I given up blaming? Do I take the actions every day I need to take to keep myself in fit physical, emotional and spiritual condition?
—Don C.
| You Will Not Be Fired From These Jobs! | |
In volunteer jobs there are no firings, no bosses, and no watching your back. Your “pay” is that good feeling you get from giving back what you have so freely been given - a solution that works. Overeaters Anonymous shows the way to stay abstinent and free from compulsive eating, bingeing, bulimia and other eating disorders. Help continue the good work of Ocean & Bay Intergroup and volunteer.
We need members like you to staff our OA exhibit table at the Symposium on Addictive Disorders held in Providence, RI, on Aug 7-8, 2026, at the OMNI Hotel. Over 100 exhibitors and 1,200 healthcare professionals from around the world are expected. Please volunteer to spread the word of OA. Sign up here today.
And there are more opportunities to volunteer and do service. Ocean & Bay Intergroup will accept nominations in October for two positions that will soon open up: chair and recording secretary. Also, the position of vice chair is currently vacant. Apply today! Please consider nominating yourself or someone who you think will do a good job.
For position descriptions, click here.
| On Sunday, August 2, 2026 8 PM Eastern Time, the powerful video of OA founder Rozanne S. will be shown. At the last showing there were over 500 viewers. Rozanne is telling the story of how OA began and shares her own journey with compulsive eating. It was created for OA’s 40th anniversary in the year 2000 and remains one of the most inspiring pieces of our OA history. Rozanne passed in 2014, but her message still moves people to the core. Invite your friends and sponsees! Every OA member will benefit by hearing this story! | |
Oa.org's Fun & Fellowship survey captures members’ experiences and priorities around social connection within Overeaters Anonymous. This report summarizes responses from a diverse cross-section of OA, highlighting what brings members joy, barriers to participation, and ideas for strengthening group camaraderie. Key findings reveal trends in preferred activities, accessibility concerns, and suggestions for inclusive practices. Whether you’re a newcomer, longtime member, or group service volunteer, these insights offer practical guidance for nurturing welcoming, recovery-supportive fellowship and for planning events that foster sustained engagement and mutual support.
Click the button below to check out the survey.
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“...our purpose in doing Step Eight is not to judge others, but to learn attitudes of mercy and forgiveness.”
— The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, p. 69
An OA friend mailed me a sand dollar and an essay he had written on perfectionism. His writing helped me let go of this character defect. The essay says to look at the sand dollar. It’s not broken, but it has flaws. It may be stained and have a nicked edge or a small hole. Can you still love it? If you can learn to love your imperfect sand dollar, you are capable of loving the imperfect world and people around you. People have disappointed you, hurt you, and let you down by being imperfect. Can you let go of the idea of perfection and accept reality, loving people just the way they are?
Love the imperfect people around you. Love your imperfect self and your imperfect world. For if you cannot love life the way it is, you will suffer from eternal loneliness. We all live in an imperfect world, surrounded by imperfect people. The ability to love yourself and those around you is a gift from God that enables you to live fully, bravely, and meaningfully in an imperfect world.
Source: Voices of Recovery
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Welcome — this quick reference guide helps you find Overeaters Anonymous meetings worldwide, whether you prefer in-person, phone, or online formats. Use the step‑by‑step instructions to search by location, meeting type, language, and time zone, plus tips for newcomers, accessibility options, and how to contact meeting hosts or local service bodies. Keep this page handy to quickly connect with supportive OA meetings and resources whenever you need them.
You can find the quick reference guide here
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Find connection, recovery, and growth at our Overeaters Anonymous events—Step studies, retreats, anniversaries, and workshops. Think fellowship, humility, relapse-proofing, and the occasional spiritual epiphany.
Ready to join a meeting that might change your day—or your life? Click here to see upcoming OA events and grab your spot: friendly faces, real talk, and tools for staying well.
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Please note: oa.org’s Document Library has changed its name to: Recovery Resource Library. For now, Ocean & Bay will continue to call this segment of our newsletter “What’s Up Doc?
oa.org has such extensive resources that we’ve decided to feature a new document each month. This month’s featured document is called: “Strong Abstinence Checklist and Writing Exercise.”
You can read all about it here.
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40-minute quiet meeting for personal meditation & journaling.
Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday
10am ET, 7am PT, 3pm UK
Zoom ID
993 346 7777 / PW: 1212
| New In-Person Meeting in Cranston | There’s a new in-person meeting called “You Are Never Alone,” on Tuesdays from 6:30–7:30 PM at Praise Tabernacle, 30 Park Avenue, Cranston, RI. For questions, contact Angela at 401-578-0175 or Jerry at 401-862-5806. More information can be found at https://oceanandbay.org/meetings | Please consider writing down your thoughts and sending them to us. We’d love to print them in our newsletter. Thanks a lot. |
Ocean & Bay Sticker Store and More
| Ocean & Bay Intergroup has made use of an on-demand e-commerce store to sell a variety of items. What began as a simple idea to design and print a sticker to help spread the message of recovery has turned into an opportunity for you to purchase Ocean & Bay-branded merchandise. That's because every design we created can be applied to pillows, T-shirts, water bottles, community message boards, and so much more. So take a look at our store and feel free to take what you need and leave the rest. | |
Enhance Your Program with a New Journal
| | Every OA meeting in the Ocean & Bay Intergroup is expected to send a meeting representative to the monthly Intergroup meeting. In the 7th tradition spirit of being self-supporting, this includes giving service. At your next business meeting, choose a member to represent your meeting at the Intergroup monthly meeting. Let your meeting’s voice be heard. Please contact Nancy at chair@oceanandbay.org if you have any questions. | | |
The PIPO Committee meets on the 3rd Monday of every month at 10:00 a.m. This month that’s Monday, August 17th. All are welcome.
Here is the Zoom info:
Zoom ID: 875 7170 5051
Passcode: 776158
We’d love for you to join us.
| | Service Bodies here to help with your recovery. | | |
SPECIAL FOCUS MEETINGS
You are welcome at any OA meeting, and we hope you’ll try many of the meetings on our Intergroup and oa.org meeting lists! Some of our members find they also benefit from OA meetings with members who share similar experiences, so we are sharing this list of some of the special focus resources that are available in OA.
100 Pounders: Click Here
American Sign Language & Closed Caption – This meeting offers ASL interpretation Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern: ASL Tues 8pm
Anorexics and Bulimics in OA – special focus meetings: Anorexics/Bulimics in OA
Asian-Pacific Islander OA: Click Here
Atheist, Agnostics, Secular - special focus meetings: Click Here
Bariatric Surgery: Click Here
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) – special focus meetings: BIPOC Intergroup
Health Issues: Click Here
LGBTQ special focus meetings for OA: bit.ly/ckslist and Click Here
OAMen.org is dedicated to distributing information about meetings, resources, and support for men in OA: Men in OA
Young People in OA – resources for those under 30 who suffer from compulsive eating include Meetings for young persons and https://oayoungpeople.org/
For more special focus meetings, you can go to OA.org:
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go to Find a Meeting
- select a type of meeting (face-to-face, online, telephone, or non-real-time)
- click on "additional search options" and select the desired special focus
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Mission & Vision Ocean & Bay Intergroup is dedicated to supporting individuals in need of recovery from compulsive eating (e.g.: overeating, bulimia, anorexia) through carrying the OA message and empowering all meetings within the Intergroup.
Strategic Goals
1. Help members strengthen their personal recovery
2. Increase the number of sponsors
3. Increase the number of newcomers
4. Increase the retention of newcomers
5. Help those in relapse
6. Inspire people to give more service
7. Increase outreach activities, including outreach to members and healthcare professionals
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Please note that every effort has been made to adhere to OA's policy for newsletter publications. Opinions and experiences expressed within are those of the individual writer and not OA as a whole.
SUBMISSIONS: This is your newsletter! We welcome your contributions of news items or commentary.* Deadline: 15th of each month. Example: Deadline 8/15 for September newsletter.
Please email : newsletter@oceanandbay.org
*May be edited as space allows.
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Ocean & Bay Intergroup
PO Box 2243, East Greenwich, RI 02818
Note: Make checks payable to Ocean and Bay Intergroup
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