OA EIGHT TOOLS OF RECOVERY

The primary purpose of Overeaters Anonymous is "...to abstain from compulsive overeating and to carry this message of recovery to those who still suffer." The tools help us to recover on all three levels - physical, emotional, and spiritual. The following tools are used to enhance our program of recovery through working the twelve steps of OA.

1. PLAN OF EATING: Overeaters Anonymous does not endorse any specific plan of eating. Some members refrain from certain foods, some eat all foods more moderately. Only you, with proper guidance, can honestly appraise your own eating habits.
   


2. SPONSORSHIP: Sponsors are OA members who are practicing the twelve steps and twelve traditions to the best of their ability. They are willing to share their recovery with other fellowship members. It is to your advantage to find someone you want to help you, and say "Would you be my sponsor?" The sooner you start working with someone, the better you will work the program.
   


3. MEETINGS: Meetings are gatherings of two or more compulsive overeaters who come together to share their personal experience, strength and hope. At meetings you will find the love and acceptance that is the core of the OA program. Try to attend as many meetings as possible to soak up the myriad of stories dealing with recovery.
   


4. PHONE CALLS: The telephone enables us to share on a one-to-one basis; it alleviates the isolation so common among us. Many members call fellow compulsive overeaters and their sponsors daily. Take numbers from the sign-in sheet passed around at the meetings.
   


5. WRITING: In addition to making an inventory and listing the people we have harmed, most of us have found writing an indispensable tool for working the steps. Putting our thoughts and feelings down on paper helps us to better understand our actions and reactions to life.
   


6. LITERATURE: We study and read OA literature including: The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, For Today, Overeaters Anonymous, and Lifeline, our monthly Journal of Recovery. We also study our primary text, the book Alcoholics Anonymous, referred to as the Big Book, and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous to understand and reinforce our program.
   


7. ANONYMITY: Anonymity, referred to in Traditions Eleven and Twelve, is a tool that guarantees that we place principles before personalities. We are equal in the fellowship, whether newcomer or seasoned old-timer, our outside status makes no difference in OA.
   


8. SERVICE: Carrying the message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers is the basic purpose of our fellowship and therefore the most fundamental form of service. Any service, no matter how small, that helps to reach out to a fellow sufferer adds to the quality of our own program. Find something you can do for the group, such as setting up or putting away chairs, or cleaning up the trash after the meeting. It will help you and it will help us. Service is its own reward!

Strong Meeting Checklist

The Strong Meeting Checklist is part of OA’s 2008–2013 Strategic Plan. It is not enough to make the public aware that OA exists and can be a solution to compulsive eating; meetings have to be strong and must function effectively for people to "stay for the miracle" and for OA to continue to grow and be there for those who need it in the future. Consider doing an inventory of your OA meeting using the checklist.


1. Does the meeting start and end on time?

2. Are all attending, including newcomers, greeted and made to feel welcome and accepted?

3. Does the meeting focus on OA recovery through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions?

4. Do we offer our own experience, strength and hope, sharing the solution we have found?

5. Is the group contributing financially to all levels of OA service as per our Seventh Tradition?

6. Are sponsors available and identified at the meeting?

7. Does the group practice anonymity by reminding members not to repeat who is seen or what personal sharing is heard at a meeting?

8. Does the group follow a meeting format?

9. Is only OA-approved literature on display and for sale?

10. Are group conscience meetings held regularly?

11. Are all service positions filled, and is rotation of service practiced?

12. Is the meeting information readily available and the WSO informed of all meeting details and changes so that newcomers and visitors can find our meeting?

13. Are cross talk and advice-giving avoided?

About OA

What is OA?

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 overeating and to carry this message of recovery to those who still suffer.

Who belongs to OA?

In Overeaters Anonymous, you’ll find members who are extremely overweight, even morbidly obese; moderately overweight; average weight; underweight; still maintaining periodic control over their eating behavior; or totally unable to control their compulsive eating.

OA members experience many different patterns of food behaviors. These “symptoms” are as varied as our membership. Among them are:

obsession with body weight, size and shape
eating binges or grazing
preoccupation with reducing diets
starving
laxative or diuretic abuse
excessive exercise
inducing vomiting after eating
chewing and spitting out food
use of diet pills, shots and other medical interventions to control weight
inability to stop eating certain foods after taking the first bite
fantasies about food
vulnerability to quick-weight-loss schemes
constant preoccupation with food
using food as a reward or comfort

Our symptoms may vary, but we share a common bond: we are powerless over food and our lives are unmanageable. This common problem has led those in OA to seek and find a common solution in the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions and eight tools of Overeaters Anonymous.

How do OA members lose weight and maintain a healthy weight?

The concept of abstinence is the basis of OA’s program of recovery. By admitting inability to control compulsive eating in the past and abandoning the idea that all one needs is “a little willpower,” it becomes possible to abstain from overeating—one day at a time.

While a diet can help us lose weight, it often intensifies the compulsion to overeat. The solution offered by OA does not include diet tips. We don’t furnish diets, counseling services, hospitalization or treatment; nor does OA participate in or conduct research and training in the field of eating disorders. For weight loss, any medically approved eating plan is acceptable.

OA members interested in learning about nutrition or who seek professional advice are encouraged to consult qualified professionals. We may freely use such help, with the assurance that OA supports each of us in our efforts to recover.

What does OA offer?

We offer unconditional acceptance and support through readily available OA meetings, which are self-supported through voluntary contributions.

We in OA believe we have a threefold illness—physical, emotional and spiritual. Tens of thousands have found that OA’s Twelve-Step program effects recovery on all three levels.

The Twelve Steps embody a set of principles which, when followed, promote inner change. Sponsors help us understand and apply these principles. As old attitudes are discarded, we often find there is no longer a need for excess food.

Those of us who choose to recover one day at a time practice the Twelve Steps. In so doing, we achieve a new way of life and lasting freedom from our food obsession.

Why is OA anonymous?

Anonymity allows the Fellowship to govern itself through principles rather than personalities. Social and economic status have no relevance in OA; we are all compulsive eaters. Anonymity at the level of press, radio, television and other media of communication provides assurance that OA membership will not be disclosed.

How Is OA funded?

Overeaters Anonymous has no dues or fees for membership. It is entirely self-supporting through literature sales and member contributions. Most groups “pass the basket” at meetings to cover expenses. OA does not solicit or accept outside contributions.

Is OA a religious organization?

OA is not a religious society, since it requires no definite religious belief as a condition of membership. OA has among its membership people of many religious faiths as well as atheists and agnostics.

The OA recovery program is based on acceptance of certain spiritual values. Members are free to interpret these values as they think best, or not to think about them at all if they so choose.

Many individuals who come to OA have reservations about accepting any concept of a power greater than themselves. OA experience has shown that those who keep an open mind on this subject and continue coming to OA meetings will not find it too difficult to work out their own solution to this very personal matter.

Where can I find OA?

Go to Find a Meeting on this Web site and follow the instructions to find a meeting in your area. Or you can contact the World Service Office at (505) 891-2664 or email for further assistance. You can also look for Overeaters Anonymous in your local telephone directory and in your local newspaper’s social or community calendar section.

How did OA start?

The idea of OA came to cofounder Rozanne S. at a Gamblers Anonymous (GA) meeting she attended with a compulsive gambling friend in 1958. As GA members shared their stories, she heard her story—not of gambling, but of compulsive overeating. She knew then that the Twelve-Step and Twelve-Tradition program founded by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and modeled by GA offered her a chance to change her life and reduce her 152-pound body to a size that would fit her 5-foot-2-inch frame. Not until 1960, when her weight had increased to 161 pounds, could she find other people who shared her convictions.

Her chance meeting with a new neighbor, Jo S., gave Rozanne strength in numbers, even if it was only one person. Together they found another compulsive overeater, Bernice S., and convened the first OA meeting in Los Angeles, California, January 19, 1960.

Today, about 6,500 OA groups meet each week in over 75 countries. With OA divided into 10 regions worldwide and approximately 54,000 members worldwide, it helps thousands of compulsive eaters find new life in recovery.

(For more on OA’s history, read Beyond Our Wildest Dreams.)

What You Can Expect from OA

When you arrive at the meeting, you will find men and women who share a common malady—compulsive eating—and have found a common solution: the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous. You will see anywhere from three to 30 people at the meeting. An average meeting has about 10. You will be warmly welcomed.

The meeting usually opens with the Serenity Prayer, and you may hear a reading called "Our Invitation to You," which describes the disease of compulsive overeating and the Twelve-Step solution. Meeting formats may vary, but all OA groups are the same in that they seek recovery on three levels—physical, emotional and spiritual—through the Twelve Steps, and the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.

You may hear a speaker open the meeting and speak for 10 to 15 minutes about what life was like before OA, what happened, and what he or she is like now; or someone might read from OA or AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) literature. Other members will share their experience, strength and hope. You will have an opportunity to introduce yourself as a newcomer, if you like. You will find that you are not alone, that there is a way out of your desperation. Because anonymity is a critical principle of the OA program, you are assured that what you share will be held in confidence. This provides the safety you need to share your experiences honestly.

You may recognize your own story when you listen to others share. Listening will help you find others who have what you want, whether it be weight loss, clarity, joy or recovery from the obsession. You may want to ask someone to be your sponsor. A sponsor will help you work the Steps of the program to achieve the recovery you seek.

When members share, you may hear them refer to a Higher Power or to God. OA is not a religious program and does not subscribe to any specific religious ideology. It is a program that practices spiritual principles, and members individually approach these principles with a Higher Power of their understanding.

A list may be passed around for all to sign their names and phone numbers, so people can offer each other support between meetings. Someone from the meeting you attend may call you to answer any questions you may have about the program, and you will also have an opportunity to get phone numbers yourself to reach out for help. The telephone is an important tool in OA for getting and giving support and reminding you that you are not alone.

Meetings usually last between one and two hours, and they often include a break. During the break, feel free to ask questions and pick up some OA literature to help you learn about the program. By asking for help, you are taking an important step toward recovery.

Because OA is self-supporting through member contributions, a basket will be passed for donations.

You will notice that some members volunteer to help keep the meeting going, such as the group secretary, the treasurer and greeters. Members find that doing service in OA helps keep them from eating compulsively. Service is important to their recovery and allows them to give back to the Fellowship that has saved their lives. Service opportunities exist in all levels of the Fellowship, from making coffee and setting up chairs at a meeting to being on the Board of Trustees.

The meeting usually closes with a reading like the OA Promise, "I Put My Hand in Yours." If you find that the meeting you attended does not feel right, try a different group at another time and location. It is a good idea to attend at least six meetings before deciding on a meeting that is right for you.

What you WON'T find at OA meetings are weigh-ins, packaged meals, dues, fees, "shoulds," "musts" or judgment.

What you WILL find at meetings is:


Acceptance of you - as you are now, as you were, as you will be.

Understanding of the problems you now face - problems almost certainly shared by others in the group.

Communication that comes as the natural result of our mutual understanding and acceptance.

Recovery from your illness.

Power to enter a new way of life through the acceptance and understanding of yourself, the practice of the Twelve-Step recovery program, the belief in a power greater than yourself, and the support and companionship of the group.

If you decide that you are one of us, we welcome you with open arms. Whatever your circumstances, we offer you the gift of acceptance. You are not alone anymore. Welcome to Overeaters Anonymous. Welcome home!

Welcome Home

Have you ever wished you could lose 10 pounds, 20, 40, or 100 or more? Have you ever wished that once you got it off you could keep it off? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you sometimes felt out of step with the world, like a homeless orphan without a place where you really belonged? Welcome to OA; welcome home!
Have you ever wished your family would get to work or school so you could get busy eating? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever awakened first thing in the morning and felt happy because you remembered that your favorite goodie was waiting for you in the fridge or in the cupboard? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered what an insignificant person like you was doing in the world anyway? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever cooked, bought or baked for your family and then eaten everything yourself so you wouldn't have to share? We in OA know you because we are you. Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever wanted to hide in the house, without going to work, without getting cleaned up or even getting dressed, without seeing anyone or letting anyone see you? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever hidden food under the bed, under the pillow, in the drawer, in the bathroom, in the wastebasket, in the cupboard, in the clothes hamper, in the closet or in the car so you could eat without anyone seeing you? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever been angry, resentful, defiant-against God, your mate, your doctor, your mother, your father, your friends, your children, the salesperson in the store whose look spoke a thousand words as you tried on clothes-because they were thin, because they wanted you to be thin, and because you were forced to diet to please them or shut them up or make them eat their words and their looks? We welcome you to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever sobbed out your misery in the dark night because no one loved or understood you? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever felt that God (if God existed) made the biggest mistake when God created you? Can you see that this is where such feelings get turned around? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever wanted to get on a bus and just keep going, without once looking back? Did you do it? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever thought the world was a mess, and if others would just think and act like you, the world would be a lot better off? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever thought that OA people must be a bit nuts? That they might be compulsive overeaters, but you just have a weight problem, which you can take care of beginning tomorrow; they might be one bite from insane eating, but you are just a little, or a lot, overweight? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever told anyone who would listen how great you are, how talented, how intelligent, how powerful-all the time knowing they would never believe it, because you didn't believe it? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever lost all your excess weight and found that you were thin-unhappy instead of fat-unhappy? Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Have you ever worn a mask or hundreds of masks because you were sure that if you shared the person you really were no one could ever love or accept you? We accept you in OA. May we offer you a home?

Overeaters Anonymous extends to all of you the gift of acceptance. No matter who you are, where you come from or where you are heading, you are welcome here!

No matter what you have done or failed to do, what you have felt or haven't felt, where you have slept, or with whom, whom you have loved or hated-you may be sure of our acceptance. We accept you as you are, not as you would be if you could melt yourself and mold yourself and shape yourself into what other people think you should be. Only you can decide what you want to be.

But we will help you work for the goals you set, and when you are successful we will rejoice with you; and when you slip, we will tell you that we are not failures just because we sometimes fail, and we'll hold out our arms, in love, and stand beside you as you pull yourself back up and walk on again to where you are heading! You'll never have to cry alone again, unless you choose to.

Sometimes we fail to be all that we should be, and sometimes we aren't there to give you all you need from us. Accept our imperfection, too. Love us in return and help us in our sometimes-falling failing. That's what we are in OA-imperfect, but trying. Let's rejoice together in our effort and in the assurance that we can have a home, if we want one.

Welcome to OA; welcome home!

Lifeline magazine. November 2003. Edited and reprinted from Lifeline Sampler,
p. 173

About the 12 Steps

The Twelve Steps are the heart of the OA recovery program. They offer a new way of life that enables the compulsive eater to live without the need for excess food. The ideas expressed in the Twelve Steps, which originated in Alcoholics Anonymous, reflect practical experience and application of spiritual insights recorded by thinkers throughout the ages. Their greatest importance lies in the fact that they work! They enable compulsive eaters and millions of others to lead happy, productive lives. They represent the foundation upon which OA is built.

The Twelve Steps

1. We admitted we were powerless over food — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We’re entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Permission to use the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous for adaptation granted by AA World Services, Inc.

Questions and Answers

How does an individual join OA?
No one “joins” OA in the usual sense of the word. There are no membership applications to be filled out. Once we have heard about OA and believe we have an eating problem, we simply attend local OA meetings of our choice. Anyone who says he/she is a member of OA is a member.

What are the requirements for membership?
Our Third Tradition states, “The only requirement or OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.” Nothing else is asked or demanded of anyone.

How much does OA membership cost?
There are no financial requirements to be a member of OA. This recovery program is available to all who want to stop eating compulsively, no matter how much or how little money they may possess. We are self-supporting through members’ voluntary contributions and literature sales.

Is OA a religious society?
No. OA is not a religious society, since it requires no religious belief as a condition of membership. OA has among its membership people of many religious faiths as well as atheists and agnostics. OA is, however, a spiritual program based on each member’s personal interpretation of a higher power.

© 2010 Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.