Newcomer
Welcome
In Compulsive Anonymous Diners we have discovered something. At the first meeting we attended, we learned that we were in the grip of a dangerous disease and that the willpower, emotional health, and self-confidence that some of us once had were not a defense against it .
We have discovered that the reasons for the disease are not important. What deserves the attention of the compulsive eater who still suffers is this: there is a proven and feasible method by which we can stop our illness.
The OA recovery program is planned based on that of Alcoholics Anonymous. As our personal stories attest, the Twelve Step recovery program works for both compulsive and alcoholic eaters.
Can we guarantee this recovery? The answer is simple. If you honestly face the truth about yourself and your illness; If you continue to come to meetings to talk and listen to the recovery of other compulsive eaters; If you read our literature and that of Alcoholics Anonymous with an open mind and, more importantly, if you are willing to rely on a power greater than yourself to direct your life and follow the Twelve Steps as best you can, You can certainly join the ranks of those who recover.
In order to cure the emotional, physical and spiritual illness of compulsive eating, we offer many suggestions, but remember that the basis of the program is spiritual, as evidenced by the Twelve Steps.
We are not a “diet” club. We do not endorse any specific meal plans. In OA abstinence is the act of abstaining from compulsive eating and compulsive behaviors with food, while working to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. Once we are abstinent, the concern for food diminishes and, in many cases, leaves us completely. We discover then that, in order to deal with our internal confusion, we must have a new way of thinking, of acting in life instead of reacting to it; In essence, a new way of living.
From this point of view, we begin the Twelve Step Recovery program by going beyond food and emotional turmoil toward a fuller life experience. As a result of the practice of the Steps, the symptom of compulsive eating disappears day by day, which is achieved through the process of surrendering to something higher than ourselves; The greater our surrender, the more we realize our liberation from the obsession with food.
“But I’m too weak. I’ll never get it! “Do not worry, we’ve all thought and said the same thing. The incredible secret of the success of this program is simply that: weakness. It is weakness, not strength, that unites us to one another and to a Higher Power, and in a certain way gives us the ability to do what we can not do alone.
If you decide that you are one of us, we will welcome you with open arms. Whatever your circumstances, we offer you the gift of acceptance. You are not alone anymore.
Welcome to Compulsive Eating Anonymous.
Welcome home!
Test the 15 questions Are you a compulsive eater?
These questions can help you determine if you are a compulsive eater. Many OA members have answered “yes” to three or more of these questions.
- Do you eat without being hungry?
- Are you binge eating for no apparent reason?
- Do you have feelings of guilt and remorse after overeating?
- Do you spend too much time and attention on food?
- Do you anticipate with pleasure the moments when you can be alone to eat?
- Do you plan in advance these secret binges?
- Do you eat meekly when you are with other people and leave when you are alone?
- Does it affect the way you live?
- Have you tried to diet for a week (or more) without having achieved your goal?
- Do you mind the advice of others who recommend “a little willpower” to stop overeating?
- Despite the evidence against you, do you continue to claim that you can diet “by yourself” when you want?
- Do you feel like eating at a certain time of the day or night, besides eating?
- Do you eat to flee from worries or problems?
- Has your doctor ever treated you for being overweight?
- Does your obsession with food make you or others unhappy?
