WHAT IS OA?

Overeaters Anonymous is a fellowship of compulsive overeaters who practice a Twelve-Step program based on the Alcoholics Anonymous program of recovery. Just as alcoholics join AA to stop drinking alcoho, we join OA to stop eating compulsively.

Does OA have any membership requirements?

The only requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.

How is OA different from a diet?

OA offers us recovery from compulsive eating on all three levels: physical, emotional and spiritual. The basis for stopping our compulsive eating behaviors — and staying stopped — is spiritual growth. We acheive this by working the Twelve Steps of AA and learning to live according to the underlying principles.

How do I begin?

We encourage you to attend six different meetings to learn more about the program and determine if OA is right for you. Please see our Meeting List page for a directory of meetings in your area.

The first step is admitting powerlessness over food. The Fifteen Questions below will help you determine if you are a compuslive overeater. Many members of OA have found that they answered "yes" to many or all of these questions.

Fifteen Questions

1. Do you eat when you’re not hungry?
2. Do you go on eating binges for no apparent reason?
3. Do you have feelings of guilt and remorse after overeating?
4. Do you give too much time and thought to food?
5. Do you look forward with pleasure and anticipation to the time when you can eat alone?
6. Do you plan these secret binges ahead of time?
7. Do you eat sensibly before others and make up for it alone?
8. Is your weight affecting the way you live your life?
9. Have you tried to diet for a week (or longer), only to fall short of your goal?
10. Do you resent others telling you to “use a little willpower” to stop overeating?
11. Despite evidence to the contrary, have you continued to assert that you can diet “on your own” whenever you wish?
12. Do you crave to eat at a definite time, day or night, other than mealtime?
13. Do you eat to escape from worries or trouble?
14. Have you ever been treated for obesity or a food-related condition?
15. Does your eating behavior make you or others unhappy?

© 1990 by Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.; World Service Office. Copyrighted material(s) may not be reproduced in any manner without permission of OA, Inc.