Food Addiction Recovery – #46

For food addiction recovery, you need to look into support groups at least in the beginning. There are others of course and you can learn more about Overeaters Anonymous (OA) and find a meeting near you on their website. Alternatively, call the main OA office at 505-891-2664. OA is not a diet and calories club at all. In fact, they do not even talk about food at their meetings. The program is based on the same 12 Steps used by Alcoholics Anonymous, which have been quite successful for millions of people since the mid 1930s.

OA is NOT a religious program, although it is a spiritual program (more on that later in in this series). The OA program does require that you believe in some form of “higher power”—not God, necessarily, but some power other than yourself that will help you succeed in dealing with your food addiction. That “higher power” can be the OA program itself if you desire—the point is realizing that you alone do not have all the answers.

There are plenty of people who understand how the OA program works, are quite friendly, and have been where you are today. They will teach you how the program works and see that you get the books you need. If you call them, they will be happy to talk with you about the program over the phone, or have a volunteer come out to your home or office. OA meetings last about an hour and cost nothing. They do “pass the hat” to cover their expenses at meetings so maybe a dollar or two would be fine if you can afford it but is not required or expected. Don’t want to go to a live meeting then go to an online OA meeting.

OA is not for everyone of course. There are alternative options that still use the twelve steps but have a somewhat different approach from OA. You can learn about Food Addicts Anonymous by going to their website.  There is also Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous and you can lean about them on their website.

There are other options that are not 12 Step oriented likeTOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) and Weight Watchers that are not at all like OA—they focus much more on the mechanics of weight-loss. You may wish to look into them as possibilities. TOPS is at www.tops.org and is a non-profit with the membership fee being $26 per year and local dues are usually under $5 per month and Weight Watchers ($65 for 3 months membership online ) is at www.weightwatchers.com and is a for-profit company.

While not a live support group, you could go to www.eDiets.com and see what they have to offer.  They have a wealth of information and tools for you to use. You also might want to check out www.dietitian.com.  Therefore, there is plenty of help with food addiction if you are ready to move on it.