When I first started going to OA, way back in the late 1980’s, all I knew about Overeater’s Anonymous was a hazy memory of a commercial from the late ’70’s showing a person opening and closing a refrigerator door over and over again, and a voice-over asking me if I ate when I wasn’t hungry, or if I kept looking through the cupboards and the refrigerator for food even though I had already looked through both a hundred times,…  Something to that effect.  I was only about 10 years old when I saw it, and yet, I had obviously identified with that message so strongly that, 10 years later, I remembered the name “Overeaters Anonymous” and searched for it in the “What’s Going On” section of my local newspaper on a cold November night in 1988 out of sheer desperation.  I happened-upon what I later discovered was a “speaker” meeting.  That means that every week the meeting would be turned-over to a speaker who would give their personal experience with the program.  The person usually passed around before-and-after photos, talked about the misery of being in the throws of their addiction, told how they found OA, and explained how it had changed their lives.  Naturally, since I only went to this one weekly meeting, I assumed that all OA meetings were exactly like this one.  But that is not the case.

Another type of meeting is the “discussion” meeting.  Here, someone usually gives a brief summary of what they have been through, and then they choose a topic for everyone “in the audience” to share on.  Some meetings have timed sharing (usually 5 minutes), so everyone gets a chance to speak, while other meetings let people speak as long as they want.

There are also “Big Book” meetings.  These usually focus on the first 11 chapters of “The Big Book” of Alcoholics Anonymous (where the 12 Steps come from).  Usually, everyone reads a few paragraphs and has the option to either share on what they have read or to pass to the next person.  “Step” meetings are similar, but they use the approved 12-Step book that goes along with that particular 12-Step program.  Here again, people are asked to read a few paragraphs and then either share on what they have read or pass.  There is often time at the end of these meeting for “open sharing, ” which means that you can share on any topic you’d like.  There are other similar meetings that are based on other program-approved literature.

“Big Book Step Study” meetings are a little different.  They are more rigid.  The specific portion of the Big Book related to the step of the day is read aloud and weekly speakers talk about how they did that particular step, usually for about 20 minutes.  At the end, only those who have completed steps 1-8 (and are currently working on the remaining 4 steps) are allowed to share that sharing is limited to the specific step that was read, and it can only last for 5 minutes per person.

So…which type is for you?  Only you can know.  There is something to be gathered from each.  I suggest trying all of them, choosing your favorites, and then sticking with those for a while.  As you gain recovery, you will seek-out the meetings where you feel you are getting the most strength.  And remember, being exposed to a wide range of viewpoints and interpretations is always good for your recovery.