Overeaters Anonymous is a 12-step program that was formulated following the Alcoholics Anonymous program used by drinkers to get and stay sober. Overeaters Anonymous, also called OA, relies on peer support, a spiritual foundation and a program that encourages members to change by looking at compulsive eating patterns in their lives, making amends for past wrongs and relying on a higher power to help them curb their food obsessions.
Any Diet
OA does not promote nor endorse any one specific diet. They do, however, encourage members to devise a plan for eating. The program encourages members to be specific in what they plan to eat, when they will eat and why, how and where they will eat. The program advises members to seek the counsel of a doctor or nutritionist if they have questions about what kind of nutritional plans they need. Members develop a personal plan of eating that is based on their past experiences and lifestyles.
Sponsors
A sponsor is a single member with experience at following the Overeaters Anonymous program. A sponsor helps the member work the 12 steps and is available to counsel and mentor new members. Sponsors usually make themselves available to talk members through emergency situations such as when a new member is feeling bad and may be getting ready to splurge on a box of cookies. Sponsors share their experience, strength and hope with new members in the hopes of helping. The theory is that it takes one to know one and one overeater is best suited to help another overeater overcome bad habits.
Disease
Many members of Overeaters Anonymous suffer from binge-eating disorders, while some members have other food-related illness such as anorexia or bulimia. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, eating disorders often are accompanied by other mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. While medication can help with the psychological illness, members often experience shame and guilt surrounding their illness and use the support group of OA to deal with their disease.
Meetings
The Overeaters Anonymous program revolves around meetings, which often are held in churches and community centers. Membership in OA is free, though each group is self-supporting through members' weekly contributions at meetings that are use to pay rent for the meeting, supply literature to the fellowship and support outside services such as setting up booths at community events or supplying local doctors with literature. Online and telephone meetings are available for members who cannot get to a meeting or do not have one in their area. While it is difficult to pinpoint how the non-diet approach works, according to the University of Calgary, most members of OA report the program does help them.
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