Overeaters Anonymous

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Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a twelve-step program offering a program of recovery from compulsive overeating and other eating disorders using the twelve steps and twelve traditions as interpreted by OA. Participants need not be overweight — in fact, some OA members are bulimic or anorexic. Like other twelve-step groups, OA groups typically meet weekly. More women than men participate in this program in most locations; but all OA groups welcome anyone who has a desire to stop eating compulsively.

Like members of Alcoholics Anonymous, members of OA generally hold that they have an illness of the body — an abnormal reaction to certain foods and/or eating behaviors which creates uncontrollable cravings, similar to the alcoholic's cravings — and an illness of the mind — an obsession of the mind which continues to find reasons for returning to those foods and eating behaviors (reasons ranging from severe emotional upsets to rationalizations like "I've been good in the last hour/week/year"). But also like AA, OA is clear that the solution offered is a spiritual one — the practice of the Twelve Steps.

OA members do not all have one specific and common substance or attribute which causes cravings. Experience in OA has shown that different members develop cravings from different kinds of foods or eating behaviors, and therefore each member has to develop her or his own plan of eating. OA uses the concept of "abstinence from compulsive eating" rather than "sobriety"; a plan of eating would ideally, therefore, eliminate those foods and/or eating behaviors which cause cravings.

However, it is a common misconception in OA that each OA member must (or may) come up with her or his own definition of abstinence. According to OA Conference Approved Literature, specifically a number of OA pamphlets, "in Overeaters Anonymous, abstinence is the act of refraining from complusive eating." Some members have suggested that this definition is less than helpful, leaving open, as it does, the definition of "compulsive eating." But the OA Conference Approved pamplet entitled "Questions and Answers about Compulsive Overeating" states that "a dictionary definition of compulsion is an irresistible impulse or feeling which drives us to the performance of an irrational act." So a simple synthesis of these two definitions can clearly provide the Overeaters Anonymous definition of "abstinence" as follows: "In Overeaters Anonymous, abstinence means the act of refraining from irrational eating which is driven by an irresistable impulse or feeling." Otherwise, OA functions just like any other twelve-step program.

OA was founded on January 19, 1960, in Los Angeles, by two individuals, one of whom, Rozanne S., has remained in the program (despite personal struggles with abstinence) since its inception and is considered the co-founder of OA. Its headquarters are currently in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There are approximately 6500 meetings in 60 countries, and its estimated membership is around 70,000.

There is extensive OA literature available. OA members also use AA literature.

Other twelve-step groups that deal with eating issues, such as CEA-HOW, GreySheeters Anonymous, Food Addicts Anonymous, Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous, differ from OA by having a specific plan of eating which all members must follow, by having more specific structure in their meetings, or by being directed to specific eating disorders.