Saskatchewan Overeaters Anonymous History

OUR ROOTS, REGINA OA

IN THE LATE SUMMER OF 1976 A LADY FROM MOOSE JAW SHARED WITH HER REGINA FRIEND INFO ABOUT A NEW GROUP SHE HAD JOINED. THIS GROUP WAS CALLED OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS. THE REGINA FRIEND OBTAINED SOME PAMPHLETS AND STARTED TALKING TO HER FRIENDS. SHE AND THREE OTHER OVERWEIGHT FRIENDS DECIDED TO START THE FIRST REGINA O.A. MEETING.

THE MOOSE JAW FRIEND VOLUNTEERED TO SPONSOR SOMEONE FROM REGINA ON THEIR FIRST 21 DAYS OF ABSTINENCE. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED ON DEC.1, 1976. BUT BEING REGULAR TYPE DIETERS THE LADIES DECIDED IT WAS TOO CLOSE TO CHRISTMAS TO START. SO ON JAN 3,1977 FOUR FRIENDS ATTENDED THE FIRST OA MEETING IN REGINA.

THEY DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE GROUP STRUCTURE EXCEPT THAT IT FOLLOWED THE STRUCTURE OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS AND TWO OF THE MEMBERS WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE A.A. PROGRAM.

THE FIRST MEETING WAS A GENERAL DISCUSSION OF WHAT THESE LADIES WERE LOOKING FOR. NONE WERE LOOKING FOR A DIET SHEET, AS THEY WERE ALL VERY FAMILIAR WITH DIETING. THEY WERE SEARCHING FOR A WAY OF LIFE THAT GAVE THEM SOME SERENITY AND A WAY TO MAINTAIN THEIR WEIGHT AFTER REACHING THEIR GOAL. THEY ORDERED THE BEGINNERS KIT AND A FEW PAMPHLETS BUT WHILE THEY WERE WAITING, THEY STUDIED THE 12 TRADITIONS WHICH WERE THE ONLY GOVERNING BODY OF AN O.A. GROUP. THEY ALSO VISITED THE MOOSE JAW GROUP WHICH HAD A VERY LARGE MEMBERSHIP AT THE TIME. ANY PROBLEMS THEY COULD NOT FIND AN ANSWER TO, THEY JOTTED DOWN ON PAPER, THEN SENT ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS TO ELOISE AT WORLD SERVICE OFFICE FOR ANSWERS. WE REALIZE NOW THE ANSWERS TO ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE SOMEWHERE IN THE LITERATURE.

OUR WEDNESDAY A.M. GROUP GREW VERY SLOWLY BECAUSE WE DID NOT ADVERTISE. WE DID NOT REALLY KNOW WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT OURSELVES AND WE MAINLY INVITED OUR FRIENDS FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS. WE WENT THROUGH MOST OF THE O.A. LITERATURE AND HAD A FAIR KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT O.A. WAS ALL ABOUT. BY SPRING WE HAD TEN MEMBERS SO THE HOMES OF MEMBERS WERE NO LONGER LARGE ENOUGH, SO WE MOVED TO THE CHURCH. THEN WE PUT OUR NOTICE IN THE PAPER.

WE ALSO, BY ACCIDENT CAME IN CONTACT WITH A DOCTOR FROM ENGLAND WHO WAS RESEARCHING OBESITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR ILLNESS, WHO SHARED A MEETING WITH US. WE INVITED DIETITIANS AND VON PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES, ETC. TO JOIN US. WE MADE OURSELVES KNOWN TO THE EMPLOYEE HEALTH NURSES AT ALL FOUR HOSPITALS AND OUR OWN DOCTORS.

THE GROUP BECAME FAIRLY LARGE. THEN THERE WAS A NEED FOR AN EVENING GROUP. IN 1978 THE MONDAY EVENING GROUP STARTED. IN 1979 THE THURSDAY EVENING GROUP STARTED. WE HAVE ALL HAD MANY PEOPLE COME THROUGH OUR DOORS ONCE OR TWICE, THEN WE DO NOT SEE THEM AGAIN. MANY PEOPLE MAKE THEIR GOAL AND QUIT COMING TO MEETINGS. THE YOUNGER LADIES SOONER OR LATER GET A JOB AND LEAVE. OTHERS ARE STILL LOOKING FOR AN EASIER , SOFTER WAY OUT

SASKATCHEWAN O.A. TODAY    

REGINA MEETINGS HAVE COME AND GONE AS THE NEED CHANGES.  SUNDAY MORNING, SUNDAY EVENING, HAVE COME AND GONE.  WE NOW HAVE 7 MEETINGS IN REGINA AND O.A. HAS GROWN TO SASKATOON, INDIAN HEAD,  HUMBOLDT, CREIGHTON, SWIFT CURRENT AND THE NEWEST MEETING IN ESTEVAN (not running at this time).    MOOSE JAW O.A. STARTED IN 1976 AND STILL HAS A MEETING TODAY. 

THANKS TO MOOSE JAW FOR STARTING THE O.A. ROAD TO RECOVERY IN SASKATCHEWAN.  CONGRATULATIONS TO WEDNESDAY  MORNING ON 20 YEARS OF KEEPING THE ROAD OPEN.  ALL O.A. MEMBERS ARE ON THE SAME ROAD, WE ALL TAKE DIFFERENT PATHS, SOME TAKE SIDE TRIPS, BUT MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, WE ALL NEED THE ROAD TO BE OPEN.