W.A. World Service Organization Newsletter
W.A. E-Newsetter November 2015
In This Issue
Monthly Meditaion
Meditation Book needs member meditations.
2015 W.A. World Conference
Quick Links
 
Hope you are happy in your life and recovery. :)
 

The recent W.A. 2015 World Conference was a great success!

Changes in our W.A. literature!
Looking for Monthly Meditations for E-Newsletter.
 
See summary & details below. 


Be Well & Be Happy!
Michele S., Outreach Coordinator
Workaholics Anonymous
November Quote     

"Live a balanced life...
learn some and think some, draw and paint, 
sing and dance, work and play everyday some."
 
Robert Fulghan
 
W.A. 2015 World Conference
 By Bruce A.
 
Our 2015 WA Conference "Living in the Now by the Lake" still has many of us there in our thoughts.  Villa Maria Retreat at Frontenac, Minnesota is an absolutely gorgeous place and that Fall weather and color gave us the perfect palette to relax, spend real quality time with our Fellow Travelers, and just plain "be" together.  We are so very thankful to our local WA committee hosts and our Higher Power for such a memorable experience.  It was said "what happens at the Conference does not stay at the Conference", and we know the ripples of our recovery will extend in service through our Fellowship.

We enjoyed everyone's company and sharing, and were very happy to see Members from Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Ecuador and a very welcomed spouse.  Let's never forget our supportive partners and spouses who saw and felt our suffering before we did, and we hope will share in our recovery!

We do not necessarily highlight the productivity of any Conference, yet it is the time for our Conference General Assembly meeting, too.  This year our Conference approved the literature revisions described by Amber (see Amber's article), and decided that in the future, references to non-Conference approved literature will not appear in the monthly and quarterly WAWSO publications.  Our WSRs who were present met separately and in our general session, developing plans to effectively present a Conscience of all Groups within the WAWSO structure.  All Members are encouraged to support their WSRs in registration, communication, and participation.

More information will be presented in our STORYLINE and through your WSRs. To subscribe to the STORYLINE write an email to storyline@workaholics-anonymous.org .  Everyone's comments and suggestions are always welcomed by your Board members, and that contact information is always printed in this newsletter and available at wso@workaholics-anonymous.org .  

- MONTHLY MEDITATION -
CORE BELIEFS
 
My core beliefs have to change
for real, sustained long-term recovery.
 
Core beliefs are the deep seated beliefs I have about myself and my connection to many different facets of my life; work, relationships, goals, etc.. In changing these beliefs, I change my thoughts, which change my feelings, my outlook on life and my behavior = major life change and quality sobriety.
 
One of my main core beliefs that fueled my work addiction was that I had to be productive to be worthwhile and lovable. I grew up in a family with two workaho-lic parents that were very busy and self-absorbed with their own lives and didn't have the communication skills to show me love and appreciation consistently. I figured out at a young age how to get the attention and approval (their love) that I craved so much. I excelled academically and was always helpful with household chores. When I accomplished things that they appreciated I was no longer invisi-ble and they finally gave me attention.
 
Even though their focus was short lived, I heard loud and clear: "We only love you when you are useful and productive". They didn't say the words out loud and I am sure this was not the message they intended to convey. Nevertheless, their behavior told me different and thus I formed a very solid core belief that fueled my workaholism for a good 35 years.
 
Recognizing this belief, its origin and how it affected my life, caused a dramatic shift in my thought process. To begin the healing process I began to pray for help in changing this belief. This brought me to a level of self acceptance I never thought I could have in this lifetime! What is really incredible is my self-worth and self-esteem continues to rise each year. My world is much happier and joyous today as a result.
 
Michele S, USA

  
We are looking for any meditations you may have written for the mediation book to share with the monthly newsletter. If you want
to share with the fellowship please submit them to me. :)

 
New Check In Phone Meeting!
  Every  Wednesday 
 
7:00-7:30 am PST
8:00-8:30 am MST 
9:00-9:30 am CST 
10:00-10:30 am EST
 
Call: 712-432-0363 Access code 118778#
 
The call is brief for check-ins and fellowship.
 
W. A. Literature in Spanish!

 

Check out some of our literature being translation into Spanish!

 

20 Questions and Characteristics of Recovery with much more coming soon!
 

A very special thank you to our special friends Alfredo & Jorge for their service!

 

Please contribute what you can for your meetings. :)

W.A operates on contributions from it's members and literature sales. Please don't forget to go online and make a contribution to W.A. if you only go to phone meetings. You can click here donate.
 Your W.A. World Service Board Engaged 
 
Outreach
In each e-newsletter I include a monthly inspirational quote If you have any favorite quotes please submit them to me.
 
We are also looking for any meditations you may have written for the mediation book to share with the monthly newsletter. If you want to share with the fellowship please submit them to me. :)
 
Interested in being a part of W.A. Outreach? I would love to grow our W.A. Outreach Committee. One of the things I would like to get help with is contacting websites that are online that are discussing workaholism in hopes in helping others and let them know about W.A.. Please contact Outreach@workaholics-anonymous.org if you want to come on board!
Michele S.

Literature
It has been an exciting year for W.A. literature.  Nearly a decade's worth of suggestions by members finally manifested as the 20 Questions and all of our pamphlets were revised and approved by both the Board and the Conference.  Further, the Second  Edition of our  Book of Recovery  was revised and approved by the Board - subject to approval by the Conference next year.  The new books are now available for purchase on the website and Amazon.  A copy of the edited book will soon be sent to WSRs so that groups will have the opportunity to review it and offer comments.  Please take a group conscience as needed to determine whether your meeting will begin to use this pending literature during the interim period.  
 
Substantial effort went into this round of edits, and we hope to continue to make progress on our core literature in future printings - patiently accepting the lingering imperfections and the impossibility of simultaneously entertaining the preferences of each and every member.  In addition to the ongoing process of developing our W.A. Meditation Book and a new  pamphlet on the topic of work anorexia/avoidance (which will ideally help members to overcome procrastination, perfectionism, and related fears),  the Literature Committee will continue to modify existing material pursuant to feedback received from the fellowship.  Among other things, facelifts have already been proposed for the New Meeting Starter Kit and Book of Discovery.   As always, if you are interested in joining the Literature Committee - or would like to otherwise consult on any ongoing projects - the support is very welcome.  If we were to receive as many offers to help as we receive ideas for improvement, the personal recovery of those of us doing service would surely be enhanced (hint, hint)! Please email literature@workaholics-anonymous.org for details.
 
Love and service,
Amber, W.A.W.S.O. Literature Chair
 
Communications 
The W.A. Communications Department is adding to our sponsors list for new members. We are particularly getting a lot of requests from women. Want to sponsor? Please contact communications@workaholics-anonymous.org

We are currently seeking a professional representative to speak on behalf of the fellowship and respond to public press releases that may misconstrue the reality of being a workaholic. See more information below.
 
 
TO CONTACT THOSE IN WAWSO SERVICE BY EMAIL:

For general information: communications@workaholics-anonymous.org

Bob for meeting and WSR assistance: wsrsupport@workaholics-anonymous.org 

Amber for WA Literature volunteers or corrections:
literature@workaholics-anonymous.org

Michele for eNewsletter and media: outreach@workaholics-anonymous.org

Sandi for literature ordering and questions:
fulfillment@workaholics-anonymous.org

Mike for Meeting and Member registration:
registrar@workaholics-anonymous.org

Ken for technology questions:
technology@workaholics-anonymous.org

Shelley for STORYLINE: storyline@workaholics-anonymous.org

For Meditation Book: MeditationBook@workaholics-anonymous.org

General mailbox: wso@workaholics-anonymous.org

For any Program issue, concern, initiative, suggestion, etc...
Bruce A. at facilitator@workaholics-anonymous.org
Lia F. at secretary@workaholics-anonymous.org
Drew D. at treasurer@workaholics-anonymous.org  
 
The W. A. Meditation Committee is writing a 
W.A. Meditation Book.

 

We welcome all members to write and submit meditations for this publication. Consider having a writing play day for your meeting group. Not only would this activity provide opportunities for reflection and meditation, but it would also allow group members to make contributions to a book that will serve the needs of the whole fellowship.

 

A suggested meeting format for writing meditations is available at the WA website. For more details about submitting meditations, please visit the W.A. website.  


On this web page you will see a link for submittal form. You'll need to fill this form out, whether in a group meeting or individually, to write your meditations. There is also an AWR (Assignment, Warranty & Release) included in this PDF. This will be needed for each meditation submission.

 

 We look forward to receiving your meditations!! 

Have fun with us!!

  

Your trusted servants,

W.A.W.S.O. Literature Committee

 

Conference Call Line  for ALL Phone Meetings
 
(712) 432-0363 

Group Support Section on Website  

 

There are helpful tools and materials available here that you can download for your group; meeting formats, types of meetings, tips on outreach, W.A. Public Awareness Guidelines, archives to news letters and much more!

 

Request For Sponsors

W.A. receives requests regularly for sponsorship from people seeking recovery from workaholism. We do receive more requests for female sponsors. We need to add to this list so we can help the new members in our fellowship. We keep a confidential list of volunteers who are willing to take this on.  If you are willing, please send us an email with your contact information (or any other information you feel a sponsee should know) to:

Our Communications Coordinator at W.A.W.S.O. receives requests from Members asking for help finding a W.A. Sponsor.  Sometimes we know of a Sponsor who might be available to contact.  Because that list is short, if no potential Sponsor responds, we encourage Members to participate in co-sponsoring and to seek a Sponsor at their local or phone meetings.  If you are a Member who is or may at some times be available to speak with a Member who has asked for help, please send an email to   
communications@workaholics-anonymous.org

Your information is kept confidential to assure your anonymity.  We may contact you directly at a time when we are asked, to see if you are available to speak with the Member asking for help.  This kind of service can be of great value to your own recovery as well as a meaningful contribution to the recovery of those who you might contact.
Interested in Becoming a Meeting Group Mentor?

Among the many support opportunities offered by WA, perhaps the richest are those created through relationships with fellow members. Across the globe people are forming meeting groups and sharing the message of recovery. We are excited by the growth of the fellowship, particularly in the number of people expressing interest in organizing meeting groups .

Because starting a meeting group can be an intimidating process, we would
like for beginners to receive a mentor during their initial stages of meeting development. Mentors offer service through answering questions and providing suggestions as needed for members beginning their meeting groups. Currently, we are in need of more mentors and would like to extend this service opportunity to members of the fellowship.


If you are interested in serving as a mentor for those starting meeting groups, please contact me at facilitator@workaholics-anonymous.org More information will be provided upon receiving your expressed interested.

With gratitude,
Bruce A.
 W.A. Seeks Professional Representative for Our Fellowship

As workaholism has become a widespread concept in public media, the ways it is communicated about can often create more misconceptions than understandings. In this regard, members of Workaholics Anonymous are currently seeking a professional representative to speak on behalf of the fellowship and respond to public press releases that may misconstrue the reality of being a workaholic. If you know of someone or have suggestions for who might serve as a reputable spokesperson for WA (who is not affiliated with the fellowship), please send your recommendations to Bruce A. at
facilitator@workaholics-anonymous.org.
Supporting W.A. Seventh Tradition Contributions

Our Seventh Tradition provides that W.A. is fully self-supporting; declining outside contributions. WAWSO welcomes contributions from W.A. groups and members. One hundred percent of all contributions directly support recovery from workaholism. Carrying the message of recovery to workaholics who still suffer includes email and phone services, a quarterly newsletter, media and community outreach, literature development and distribution, this website, an annual conference, meeting information and support, and other outreach services. Please print out and send this Seventh Tradition form 
to support W.A.'s Outreach.

NOTE:
by Credit card or Paypal. Thank you for your generous support. 

Purchase Our Books Online!

 

The Book Of Discovery

Book of Discovery, W.A. WorkbookA guide to the 12 Steps  


The Workaholics Anonymous Book of Discovery is a
guide that provides step instruction, questions, activities, and stories-all with room to write and reflect as necessary, in a large spiral-bound, three-hole punch volume. The book is designed to lay completely flat so as to be easily used for writing as well as for protective storing in a three-ring notebook of your choice with other loose or extra pages if desired.  This workbook can be used alone, with a sponsor  or used with a group in a meeting format. 

Click here for online purchase    You can also purchase through the mail.  Price: $25. Plus $4.95 shipping and handling anywhere in the US. Send your check to WSO Web Payment Center, PO Box 56416, Portland, OR, 97238.

 

 
 
The Book of Recovery

W.A.'s first publication, The Book of Recovery is our main text. It has valuable information for all recovering workaholics; history, stories, guidance in working the steps and tools to help you with your recovery program! Click here for online purchase