Working the program
According to the OA Preamble: “Overeaters Anonymous is a Fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience, strength, and hope, are recovering from compulsive overeating. We welcome everyone who wants to stop eating compulsively. There are no dues or fees for members; we are self-supporting through our own contributions, neither soliciting nor accepting outside donations. OA is not affiliated with any public or private organization, political movement, ideology, or religious doctrine; we take no position on outside issues. Our primary purpose is to abstain from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors and to carry the message of recovery through the Twelve Steps of OA to those who still suffer.”
Our symptoms may vary, but we share a common bond: we are powerless over food, and our lives have become
unmanageable. This common problem has led those in OA to seek and find a common solution in the Twelve Steps with the
assistance of the Twelve Traditions of OA and our nine Tools.
We in OA believe we have a threefold illness—physical, emotional, and spiritual. Tens of thousands have found that OA’s Twelve Step program brings recovery on all three levels. The Twelve Steps embody a set of actions we take. These Steps put us in touch with a Higher Power who restores us to sanity. As we work the Steps, we let go of old attitudes, and we find we are being relieved of our obsession with our eating disorder. Those of us who choose to work the Steps, one day at a time, achieve a new way of life with lasting freedom from our food obsession. A sponsor can help us understand how to apply the Principles of the Steps. Sponsors are members who also work the program.
Find a meeting: face-to-face, telephone, online, or non-real-time. When you go to a meeting, we highly recommend you look for a sponsor. By following the Twelve Steps, attending meetings regularly, and using the OA Tools, we are changing our lives. You will find hope and encouragement in OA. To the newcomer, we suggest attending at least six different meetings to learn the many ways OA can help you.
How do I start?
Come to our weekly Q&A meeting in English, which takes place every Thursday at 7:00 PM Israel time via Zoom. Or find a meeting in English anywhere in the world.
