45 responses

1. How did you find out about OA?

   

   12 Friend

   9 Word of Mouth

   9 Online/OA Website

   8 Other (please describe): Ann Landers, Famous singer documentary, Mom was a member

   7 Medical Pro/Therapist

   0 OA Hotline

2. What are the top 3 areas of Recovery do you feel you need the most help in?

   22 Connect with your Higher Power

   16 Accountability 15 Work the steps 14 Exercise

   13 Getting or Maintaining Abstinence

   10 Establish Food Plan

   9 Work the tools

   4 Change/Get a Sponsor

   4 Become more active

   4 Attend more meetings

   3 Other (please describe): support on a regular basis, use co-sponsor more

3. What keeps you coming back (e.g., fellowship, fear of relapse, hope)?

   37 Fellowship; learning and encouragement from others

   22 Recovery/Abstinence

   10 Fear of Relapse

   9 Service to others

   9 Accountability/Commitment

   8 Hope

   4 Other (great leaders, spirituality, HP, depression)

4. What do you see as your home meeting’s top 3-5 strengths?

   16 Consistent core of regular attendees 14 Active recovery/experienced members 9 Safe/inclusive/supportive environment

   9 Friendship/fellowship 8 Focus on Steps/AABB 7 Location

   6 Focus on newcomers

   1. Meeting format

   2. Quality of sharing

   4 Commitment to service 4 Adherence to Traditions 4 Size

5. How many people attend your home meeting on average?

   16 More than 20

   14 11 to 20

   13 2 to 10

   1 Other

6. What do you see as your home meeting’s top 3-5 opportunities to improve?

   11 Be proactive in retaining newcomers (e.g. follow up, outreach calls)

   6 Proactive outreach (e.g. to those in relapse)

   5 Unsure

   5 More/different people to chair or lead

   4 Nothing

   2 More fellowship

   2 Greater focus on sponsoring

   2 Share service tasks

   2 Increase attendance/grow

   2 Limit sharing time/encourage less detail

   Other:

   • More honest, true grit sharing.

   • Greater publicity about location, guest testimony;

   • more education about the traditions; speaking up when there’s crosstalk or talk about outside issues like politics, other recovery programs, names of non-OA books, poems and authors;

   • Solution focus

   • Commitment to regular attendance

   • Wish we could sit in a circle so we can see each other’s faces

   • Wish we went around and states our names at the beginning”

   • Everyone be on time so we always get started on time.

   • Get the word out in the communities about the meeting

   • Have our literature stocked a little better.

   • More emphasis on steps, supporting OA as a whole

   • Later time

   • more focus on steps

   • support our group better financially

   • occasionally break from traditions (new readings); assign one meeting per month as a step meeting; email communication of IG activities; quarterly service projects and speaker meetings

7. Are there days and/or times you wish there were face to face meetings available?

   Sat

   Sun

   • Heights after 11 AM

   • Afternoon

   • Evening, Museum District

   • 3 PM Katy/West Houston

   • 7 or 8 PM, inside loop or phone

   • Evening, Museum District

   • Between 4 and 6, SW or midtown

     Mon

     • 5:30 Central Houston

     • Daytime

       Tuesday

     • 5:30 Cumberland

     • Morning, SW/West Houston

       Wed

     • West Houston

     • Daytime, Bryan

     • Midday, inside loop

       Thurs

     • Morning, SW/West Houston

     • 11 AM Oasis Club

       Fri

     • Evening in Med Center

     • 5:30/6 PM – 4 responses

       Weekdays

     • Between 9 and 1, Cypress

     • Noon

     • 7 PM Inside Loop

     • 5:30 PM Central Houston

   Daytime SW Houston Evenings

   Spring Branch 7 PM Pearland

8. How can HMI help you strengthen your meetings (e.g., distribute a newsletter, send people from HMI to speak at meetings, educate people about service opportunities)?

   10 provide speakers for meetings

   8 Educate re: service opportunities/structure

   7 Distribute newsletter

   4 You are doing great!

   3 Reach out (phone, email, text)

   2 Promote support for smaller meetings

   Other:

   • Announce at every meeting when the next HMI meeting is.

   • Post HMI meeting minutes in a newsletter for every member to access for information

   • HMI should have a higher presence in sharing the community.

   • Have our new HMI rep talk about what all they do;

   • private website”

   • More men’s meetings? Vegetarian meetings?

   • I would like to see more workshops in the northern region of our intergroup say Spring, The Woodlands, and Conroe.

   • give individuals ideas on how to serve newcomers

   • publicize OA to general public

   • Organizing step studies; Training workshops; sponsor training

   • share info about what’s happening in Region and IG

   • send professionals who recommend 12 step programs in their treatment

9. Would you like to receive a local electronic Newsletter from HMI?

   34 Yes

   5 Unsure

   1 No

10. What are some topics you would like to see covered in a Newsletter?

    9 Current events (locally and more broadly)

    6 Stories about recovery

    5 Service opportunities (short and longer term)

    4 Short motivational/inspirational pieces

    3 HMI Info (e.g., brief meeting minutes)

    Other:

    • Working my recovery in ALL my affairs

    • 100 pounders section, an anorexic corner

    • Updates on what the Oasis needs for supplies

    • sample things people eat in restaurants

    • history of meetings in Houston

    • status of OA groups in other parts of the world

    • importance of traditions and ways we keep them

    • Antidepressant addiction and as a driver to binge eating behavior. Suicide induced by antidepressants.

    • Ways of keeping program fresh; how to ensure continued growth in recovery (vs. staying still)

    • Step of the month

    • Abstinence

    • Spirituality

    • Meditation topics, articles like Lifeline

    • Sponsorship

    • relationship w/HP, defining HP

    • Food planning;

    • outreach ideas for newcomers and professionals

11. Choose up to 5 Intergroup services you feel are most important to OA Houston.

    23 Organizing Step Studies

    22 Assisting your meeting in publicizing itself

    19 Sponsor Training Sessions

    18 Hosting training workshops 15 Organizing weekend retreats 11 Organizing a Speaker Bank

    9 Organizing or promoting OA meeting marathons

    7 Reaching out to Professional Organizations (PIPO)

    7 Creating an Intergroup Newsletter

    5 Assisting your meeting with a group inventory

    0 Other (please describe)

12. Please choose up to 5 of these topics that you would like to have a workshop on

    27 Relapse Recovery and Prevention

    24 Being Sponsored and Becoming a Sponsor

    20 Working Steps

    17 Body Image

    16 Using the Tools

    15 Attracting and Retaining Newcomers

    15 Plans of Eating

    12 Big Book Study

    11 Quick Step studies

    9 Member Retention

    9 Twelve Traditions

    7 The Value of Slogans

    4 4th Step workshops

    4 Other suggested topics: Defining HP/Relationship with HP

13. How frequently would you like a workshop to go to?

    26 Quarterly

    8 Twice per year

    4 Monthly

    1 Other

    0 Once per year

14. Finish this sentence: “The biggest problem in OA that that I’d like to see addressed is…”

    7 Attracting/retaining members

    4 Too few meetings

    4 Getting the word out

    • to Health Care providers

    • I don’t ever see advertising about WSO, region, or locally; how can we let the public know about us?

      Other:

    • Need more organized opportunities for fellowship, i.e. game night, bingo, pot luck lunches or dinners, dance parties, play, trips to museums.

    • The lack of diversity

    • Parking can be a slight hassle at Oasis Club.

    • the nonchalance of abstinence breaking

    • How antidepressant induce binge eating behaviors.

    • Cross talk, but it is always the same few and we may have to wait for old age to solve this problem for us. Gives me lots of opportunities to pray for calm and patience.

    • Reaching out to those in relapse.

    • Not sure – would like to see the OA/HOW tension dissipate

    • People not volunteering

    • Recovery

    • Getting more sponsors available for newcomers. Why aren’t there more?

    • More attention to the big book and working the steps

    • Focus on positive comments

    • Fat serenity

15. In what way(s) would you be available to help your intergroup?

    14 Volunteer to help plan, organize or support a recovery event

    12 Write an article for the newsletter

    11 Support an intergroup committee (without attending monthly meetings)

    10 Serve as an intergroup rep for one of my meetings

    8 Help check messages and return phone calls from the HMI phone line

    8 Provide a special skill (e.g. graphics, media, website, writing, editing, other) Please list:

    6 Work with PIPO

    4 Other (please describe):

16. Any other comments/ideas/suggestions?

6 Thank you

2 Grateful for OA

2 Convention

• Don’t have a local 2020 convention and encourage participants to attend international OA convention in Florida instead

• Hold a convention every other year and a spring all-day workshop/gathering in those off years

  Other:

• No. This was a long survey.

• When offering a workshop, please make it a combo of speakers and group interaction.

• We need a place where people can go that is safe. Maybe a physical place that’s open more, or a Facebook group like Joan Ifland does, or maybe it’s more Holy Name retreats as oppty to begin abstinence. It’s all about spiritual, and community. This reduces isolation.

• The new furniture and improvements at Oasis look terrific – thanks :)