Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience are recovering from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors by working the Twelve Steps.

OA is a Twelve-Step Fellowship much like Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s our one-day-at-a-time approach plus our members that make us different from other solutions you may have tried.

Through shared experience we are recovering from compulsive eating and food behaviors. We welcome everyone who wants to stop compulsive food behaviors — anorexia, bulimia, binges, restricting, and overeating.

There are no dues or fees for members. We are self-supporting through our own contributions ( 7th tradition ), 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 food behaviors and to carry the message of recovery through the 12 steps to those who still suffer. Read more about how to work the program.

15 Questions | Do You Have a Compulsive Relationship to Food?

Many of us have found the following questions helpful in determining whether we have a problem with compulsive food behavior.

1. Do I eat when I’m not hungry, or not eat when my body needs nourishment?
2. Do I go on eating binges for no apparent reason, sometimes eating until I’m stuffed or even feel sick?
3. Do I have feelings of guilt, shame, or embarrassment about my weight or the way I eat?
4. Do I eat sensibly in front of others and then make up for it when I am alone?
5. Is my eating affecting my health or the way I live my life?
6. When my emotions are intense—whether positive or negative—do I find myself reaching for food?
7. Do my eating behaviors make me or others unhappy?
8. Have I ever used laxatives, vomiting, diuretics, excessive exercise, diet pills, shots, or other medical interventions (including surgery) to try to control my weight?
9. Do I fast or severely restrict my food intake to control my weight?
10. Do I fantasize about how much better life would be if I were a different size or weight?
11. Do I need to chew or have something in my mouth all the time: food, gum, mints, candies, or beverages?
12. Have I ever eaten food that is burned, frozen, or spoiled; from containers in the grocery store; or out of the garbage?
13. Are there certain foods I can’t stop eating after having the first bite?
14. Have I lost weight with a diet or “period of control” only to be followed by bouts of uncontrolled eating and/or weight gain?
15. Do I spend too much time thinking about food, arguing with myself about whether or what to eat, planning the next diet or exercise cure, or counting calories?

If you answered “yes” to several of these questions, it is possible that you have, or are well on your way to having, a compulsive eating problem. 15 Questions as a PDF