The Reach OutThe Reach OutThe Reach OutFEB. 2021 - Page 1 of 7

San Diego County Intergroup Inc. of Overeaters Anonymous,8825 Aero Drive, Suite 310, San Diego, CA 92123 (619) 521-2538Email: reachout@oasandiego.org Web Site: www.oasandiego.org

Though we are...Though we are...Though we are...imperfect,feel the fellowship, feel the love!

4New San Diego Step and Tradition Study!4Started: Tuesdays @ 6-730 p.m. onZOOM!4The study closes after the first FIVEmeetings (on February 16th).4For more information, see the ATTACHEDFLYER!

4New San Diego Meeting Started: January 7th, Thursdays: 5:30-6:30 p.m.4Zoom ID: 5698051145, Password: 1884644Contact: Kathy H. at kathybhirsch@gmail.com or Bryan at bvand005@ucr.edu

4See the ATTACHED FLYER.

A NEW COMMITTED OA STEP STUDY

4a 15 month commitment on this closed study4starts Monday February 8, 2021410-11:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Zoom!

4Contact: Kathy R. @ 858-204-9205 to sign up.4(Limited to 10 people.) Last day to registerMarch 1st. We will be using the Twelve StepWorkshop and Study Guide (green book).

Note From the Reach Out Committee: Many meetings just hadservice elections. If you are your meeting’s current Zoom Host,please update your Zoom Meeting Form, check the box called“updated,” and submit it to zoom@oasandiego.org. For a copy ofthe form see the attached flyer.Check out all the upcoming workshops and conferences, includingthe Virtual Region’s conference starting Feb. 20, 2:00 a.m., PT,(yes, the middle of the night for us) and ending Sun., Feb. 21, at6:30 p.m., PT. Registration is open now. One of San Diego’s ownmeetings (Anorexic/Bulimic) will be part of the meeting relay onSun. at 3:00 p.m.! Check out the flyer.Are you an experienced Zoom Host or Co-Host looking to doservice? Our Region 2 Convention (July 9-11, 2021) is hosted bySan Diego and needs YOU! Please volunteer atzoom@oasandiego.orgNeed help getting onto Zoom with your phone or iPad? See page 4for info. -- Wishing you a wonderful February!

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Sat., Feb. 6, 2021 1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. – Board Meeting, San Diego County Intergroup. ByZoom – https://zoom.us/j/2893041418 Passcode: 826463. To attend by phone,call 1-669-900-9128. All members are welcome to observe.

Sat., Feb. 6, 2021 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Intergroup Meeting with Intergroup Board andIntergroup Representatives. Every OA meeting in San Diego County, includingevery Zoom meeting, is invited to send a representative to the monthlyIntergroup meetings, the first Saturday of each month. If your Zoom meetingdoesn’t have an Intergroup representative, please elect one, and have yourmeeting’s voice heard! By Zoom – https://zoom.us/j/2893041418 Passcode:826463. To attend by phone, call 1-669-900-9128. All members are welcome toattend, but only Board members and Intergroup Representatives may vote onservice jobs or other motions.

San Diego CountyIntergroup (IG) Events

The IG (Intergroup) is the Fellowship of all OA meetings in San Diego County,which is part of Region 2. Our website is: www.oasandiego.org.

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Region 2 (R2) EventsSan Diego County Intergroup is part of Region 2. R2includes California, Hawaii, Mexico, and NorthernNevada. The R2 website is: www.oar2.org.

Upcoming Events!

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OA has 11 REGIONSFor more information go to:https://oa.org/service-bodies/regions/.

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uuu Want to get the Reach Out, OA flyers, and other news through a monthly email? uuuJust send youremail address to reachout@oasandiego.org, and ask to be added to our email list! uuuTo submit,send your short articles, artwork, inspirational photos and writings to the same email address!

Sun. Feb. 7, 2021 Sun. Feb 7, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m., PT: "Surrenderand Step One"; and Sun. Feb. 21, 1 p.m. - 4p.m., PT: "Get a Sponsor and Follow Directions"; Meeting ID: 947 2125 9974Passcode: 810562 (for both meetings).

See the ATTACHED FLYER.

Sun. Feb. 21, 2021

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REACH OUT - FEB. 2021 - Page 3 of 7(Upcoming Events, cont.)

The Virtual Region was formed in 2018. (It is part of World Service, whichconsists of 10 Geographic Regions and the Virtual Region.) The Virtual Regionholds OA meetings by virtual methods such as Zoom, Skype, and WhatsApp.Members attend from around the world. See: www.oavirtualregion.org.

Virtual Region Events

....................................................................................................................................................Sun., Feb. 14, 2021 12 – 1:30 p.m., PST Virtual Region "Second Sunday" ZOOM workshop:

"Sought Through Prayer and Meditation - Developing a Relationship and anOngoing Connection with My Higher Power". ZOOM ID: 891 6554 0024Password: 120912. See ATTACHED FLYER.

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....................................................................................................................................................Sat., Feb. 27, 2021 1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. – Region 2’s 2021

Virtual Convention hosted by San Diego isshaping up quickly. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!Our theme: The Keys to Recovery. Physical,emotional/ mental, spiritual, and relapse recovery will be the focus in the “Keys”program track. Young People, Diversity, Old-timers, Anorexics/ Bulimics, and a Weight LossSurgery panel will be featured in the “We AreAll OA” program track. Convention Chair isJerry J. at convention@oar2.org. Zoommeeting ID is 289-304-1418;password is 826-463. See ATTACHED FLYER.

The 2021 Region 2 Convention willnow be a VIRTUAL convention!

Sat., Feb. 20 – Starts PST 2:00 a.m. and ends Sunday Feb.21 at 6:30 p.m. Join the OA Virtual Region’s2021 Convention, “There is A Solution.” TheWebinar will feature keynote speakers,interactive workshops, and a relay marathon(including the Anorexic/Bulimic meeting fromSan Diego – Sunday at 3:00 p.m.) Registernow at www.oavirtualconvention.org. If you’rean experienced Zoom Host or Co-Host and cando service, please make sure to check thevolunteer box in registration. See ATTACHEDFLYER.

Sun., Feb. 21, 2021

IS YOUR ZOOM MEETING UP-TO-DATEON OUR WEBPAGE?

n Please check the attached Zoom Meeting Calendar orour website. n Hosts, if your meeting info is not up-to-date or is not written in green ink, please complete andsubmit the Zoom Meeting Form to zoom@oasandiego.org.n Questions? Contact Richard V. atzoom@oasandiego.org.

7thTRADITION n Thank you forcontributing on our web pageat: www.oasandiego.org! n If you wouldrather send a check, please make itpayable to Overeaters Anonymous, andsend it to: OA at 8825 Aero Drive, Suite310, San Diego, CA 92123. n Weappreciate all that you contribute!

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Feb. 27, 2021 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PT Tidewater Intergroup in Virginia - (Region Seven) presents: Newcomer Workshop Series - How the Program Works &Our Recovery, via Zoom (live link) (Meeting ID: 468 433 5119 Passcode:Newcomer1). (No flyer).

REACH OUT - FEB. 2021 - Page 4 of 7(Upcoming Events, cont.)

444 From any telephone, cell phone, smart phone or iPad, dial this number: 1 (669) 900-9128. 444 Whenthe answering device says "Welcome to Zoom, please enter your meeting number followed by thepound sign" - enter your meeting ID number and the # sign. 444 When prompted, enter the meeting password.

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Fri.-Sun., Mar. 19-21, 2021, Save The Date! Region Three (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah) presents a 2021 Spring Convention and Assembly: "Let Your Recovery Bloom" now being held virtually. Stay tuned for registration details! (No flyer)

Feb. 20, 2021 Feb. 20: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. PT TidewaterIntergroup in Virginia - (Region Seven)presents: Newcomer Workshop Series -Our Stories, 10‐11:30 a.m., via Zoom (livelink) (Meeting ID: 468 433 5119 Passcode:Newcomer1). (No flyer).

OA World Service covers the world through 10 geographic (physical)Regions and one Virtual Region. Time zones vary from region to region.See the following link for more information on the regions:https://oa.org/service-bodies/regions/.

Other Regions

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....................................................................................................................................................Fri. Feb. 12, 2021 5 a.m.-9 p.m. PST Region One (Alberta, British

Columbia, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming) presents: "Chinese New Year Marathon; Tradition 1 - Together We Can Do What We Cannot Do Alone!" Phone number for all marathons: (712-432-5200). Pin number: 4285115#. For this and more marathon listings, no flyer.

Feb. 24, 2021 Feb. 24: 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. PT Tidewater Intergroup in Virginia - (RegionSeven) presents: Newcomer Workshop Series - Abstinence and Eating, 4‐5:30 p.m., via Zoom (live link) (Meeting ID: 468 433 5119 Passcode: Newcomer1). (No flyer).

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"An Anorexic/Bulimic/Exercise Addict’s Road to Recovery"Fellow OA's Share:

I am Bryan V., a grateful compulsive overeater, anorexic, bulimic, exercise addict from the InlandEmpire Intergroup of OA. When I was a 22, my life became unmanageable due to my anorexia andexercise addiction. I placed everyone's priorities above my own because it gave me an excuse toneglect my own needs. Then my body forced me to stop! My University put me in contact with amember of OA who invited me to attend a meeting; however, I didn’t enter a meeting until twoyears later. Like others, I didn’t think that Overeaters Anonymous would work for me. In fact, atthe time when I entered OA, I believed that the only thing that kept me alive was my binges.

I tried to do it myself. I let go of everything, but the food. I gave up my exercise addiction,the anorexic compulsion to be thin, my lifelong demand to modify my body type, and had towelcome the anxiety of gaining weight. I did all of this without support or emotional sobriety. Atthe age of 24, I still struggled to meet my goal of 3 meals a day, but I had managed to gain 50pounds with only 2 meals a day. I was improving my dangerously low weight problem because Ihad stopped my preferred method of purging – exercise, and resorted to binging on high calorieand easy to eat foods.

I was miserable and was actively planning purging with laxatives and exercise; and so infear, I walked into the rooms of OA the week of Thanksgiving, 2016 – searched the online meetinglist for my area and promptly decided that a 100-Pounder meeting was where I would find otheranorexic bulimics like myself and attended my first meeting —I was in for a surprise.

See, I did not enter OA to lose my uncomfortable weight, and I truly had no clue what myaddictive foods were at the time. I did not realize that I had already tried to diet multiple times inmy life, and I couldn’t stick to it for even a day. Nor had I truly connected my heart problems tomy BMI or that my eating habits that saved me from anorexia put me at risk of developingdiabetes and following in the footsteps of my grandfather who died of it. I came into OA adamantthat I was not a compulsive overeater, and I just had to find an emotional solution to make it okayto be at a normal weight. I thank God every day that my first meeting and home group is a 100-pounder meeting, because it was there that I heard and identified with the compulsive overeaterin me. I also learned from them the meaning of acceptance.

I have come to see the spiritual solution in my food, and most importantly, the spiritualreplacement in the steps that is sufficient for me to not have to take a compulsive bite, and findthe ability to eat 3 times a day. I have had to learn the difference between abstinence, a plan ofeating, and an action plan – because I could not let my abstinence be powered by anorexic foodphobias and things that I don’t do. I additionally recognize that food has always been my solution.

I can easily rationalize diseased behavior. To navigate recovery from all my eating disorders,

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I have regular contact with my sponsor. I appreciate that she routinely asks me why I do what I do,and we work out the motivations behind my eating behaviors. I learn what is truly working, what Iwish was working, and how to make things better. I had to learn about what abstinence was, howthe term came about, and what it wasn’t through reading our OA literature and working thesteps.

A huge part of my recovery in OA is service. It is the only thing that truly puts action in myrecovery. Service gives me accountability, deepens my own recovery while I understand and livethe Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts, gives me a safe place to fail–and surprisingly succeedwhen I thought I wasn't good enough, and breaks down my judgments of others and makes mefeel connected to the group.

Because of OA, I have been able to get married and keep my first full time job; I am alsoteachable. I don’t know how to describe how incredible that is.

Yes, I started life as an overeater, modified it because of familiar pressure to Binge EatingDisorder, became aware of my weight because of the messages that I internalized from thetrauma of childhood sexual abuse and began to be at war with my body type. I know that nowbecause of the work I’ve done here in OA. I know that now because of all of you and because ofmy HP. I don’t have to live in that nightmare any more. I believe in what it says on p. 83 in the BigBook: “If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before weare half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will notregret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we willknow peace.”

Thank you for letting me do service,Bryan V.

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Tradition 2 - For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He mayexpress Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern. vSpiritual principle - Trust.

vWe seek an informed group conscience. This is different than “majority rules.” We are not guided byself-interest, but what will be best for the whole group. We ask for God’s guidance when making aninformed consent and apply the principles of the Steps and Traditions.

vWe encourage everyone to participate in group conscience decisions; we are all responsible forOA. OA groups do not place abstinence requirements or other restrictions on voting right. If we are to reachan informed decision, all viewpoints must be given a full hearing. In addition, those who have moreexperience in OA have a responsibility to share what they have learned, but many newcomers come with

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Tradition 2 cont.

new fresh ideas. Nobody ever loses a group conscience vote in OA. We may be disappointed at first with agroup decision, but often come to believe the decision was a good one for us and OA. We all win whenGod’s will is done. As time goes on, if we feel we have made a mistake, another group conscience can bedone.

vWe rotate leadership and service positions. All OA offices or boards exist only to do service. A vitalpart of our recovery in OA is giving service, but it is also vital to practice humility by giving up our serviceoffice after a specified length of time so someone else can have the opportunity of carrying the OAmessage. All OA members share a responsibility for the operation of OA.

vAll members are equal, serving our one ultimate authority as expressed through groupconscience. All we have to do is the footwork, and we can trust the outcome to our loving Higher Powerwho provides us with all the resources we need. (Barbara Ru.)