Overeaters Anonymous
From Drug Rehab Wiki
The addiction recovery and treatment support group Overeaters Anonymous works using the same principles as Alcoholics Anonymous. The group has chapters all over the U.S. as well as in 75 countries worldwide.
Overeaters Anonymous is not a diet plan nor does the group endorse any kind of diet or nutrition plan. They provide support for those who can’t refrain from eating excess food. The group helps its members address both the physical and emotional consequences of overeating. For many individuals, food addiction goes much deeper than a love of food or a need to eat. It involves an inability to control food intake and may also include a disregard for the potentially serious consequences of this chronic behavior. The only requirement for those who wish to be part of Overeaters Anonymous is that they have a true desire to stop eating compulsively.
Overeaters Anonymous utilizes a traditional twelve step approach. This approach is used by many other addiction groups, namely Alcoholics Anonymous, and has been very successful in helping those who can no longer control their destructive compulsive behavior.
With twelve step programs, the first step is always a willingness to admit you are a compulsive eater. Overeaters Anonymous outlines a few simple questions that may help someone figure out if they are indeed a compulsive eater. The following questions may help put compulsive eating in perspective for some.
1. Do you eat when you are not hungry?
2. Do you feel guilty afterwards?
3. Do you plan binges ahead of time?
4. Do you eat to solve problems?
5. Does your eating make you or others unhappy?
Once individuals determine and admit that they no longer have control over their compulsive eating, Overeaters Anonymous can help them develop the tools necessary for recovery.
First, the group will encourage new members to see a professional to develop an individual nutrition plan. This will help them learn what role food should be playing in their life. It will also give them the information they need to eat better and for the right reasons. Usually by the point someone joins Overeaters Anonymous, eating has taken a toll on their overall health. While a professional nutritionist or doctor may provide the information, Overeaters Anonymous provides the support to use this information over a lifetime and make permanent healthy changes in the addict’s life.
Overeaters Anonymous uses eight tools for recovery in conjunction with the twelve step program. The first tool is an eating plan to address the physical problems overeating naturally causes. The second is sponsorship to help its members through their emotional and spiritual journey. Having someone there who can guide you when things are tough is essential for success.
The third is the attendance of meetings to share problems and see the results of others. This camaraderie in a group setting is a vital tool in any addiction support group. The fourth tool involves communication via telephone to reach out to isolated members daily. With Overeaters Anonymous, some may find it physically daunting or impossible to attend actual meetings; but they still need that contact to stay motivated. The fifth tool involves the effective exercise of writing down the thoughts and feelings an overeater is experiencing – the ones that lead him or her to eat even though hunger is not present. Oftentimes, someone who has a food addiction is using it to mask pain or fill a void. Writing down one’s true feelings helps the participant to deal with those feelings in a healthy and safe way.
The sixth tool involves the use of literature. There are many recommended books and pamphlets, including the Alcoholic Anonymous hand book which has helped countless addicts. Anonymity is the seventh tool. It is used to remind members that the principles of the group come before the personalities of members and that all members are equal.
The last tool Overeaters Anonymous hands down to its members is service. Reaching out to fellow members or new members to help them with their journey is essential to maintaining the changes the group may have helped them make in their own life.
With its reliance on support, honesty about the nature and reason for the problem, and tools to continue to lead a healthier lifestyle with control over one’s actions, Overeaters Anonymous has allowed countless people to break free of the struggles and problems associated with the inability to control compulsive eating.
