Is OA For You?

Are You a Compulsive Overeater?

Welcome to Overeaters Anonymous. This series of questions may help you determine if you are a compulsive eater.

1. Do you eat when you’re not hungry?

2. Do you go on eating binges for no apparent reason?

3. Do you have feelings of guilt and remorse after overeating?

4. Do you give too much time and thought to food?

5. Do you look forward with pleasure and anticipation to the time when you can eat alone?

6. Do you plan these secret binges ahead of time?

7. Do you eat sensibly before others and make up for it alone?

8. Is your weight affecting the way you live your life?

9. Have you tried to diet for a week (or longer), only to fall short of your goal?

10. Do you resent others telling you to “use a little willpower” to stop overeating?

11. Despite evidence to the contrary, have you continued to assert that you can diet “on your own” whenever you wish?

12. Do you crave to eat at a definite time, day or night, other than mealtime?

13. Do you eat to escape from worries or trouble?

14. Have you ever been treated for obesity or a food-related condition?

15. Does your eating behavior make you or others unhappy?

Have you answered yes to three or more of these questions? If so, it is probable that you have or are well on your way to having a compulsive eating problem. We have found that the way to arrest this progressive disease is to practice the Twelve-Step recovery program of Overeaters Anonymous. 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.

Is OA for You?

Only you can decide that question. No one else can make this decision for you. We who are now in OA have found a way of life which enables us to live without the need for excess food. We believe that compulsive eating is a progressive illness, one that, like alcoholism and some other illnesses, can be arrested. Remember, there is no shame in admitting you have a problem; the most important thing is to do something about it.

To the Teen

If you have a problem with food, give yourself the following quick quiz. Be honest — you’re doing this for YOU!

Are You a Compulsive Overeater?

1. Do you eat as a response to all kinds of feelings — highs, lows and in-betweens?
2. Does your overeating make you miserable?
3. Do your eating habits interfere with your social life; or does your social life revolve around food?
4. Do you eat normally in front of others and binge when you’re alone?
5. Do you drift off in class because you’re thinking about food or losing weight?
6. Do you hate gym and other activities because of your weight?
7. Do you spend more than you would like to on junk food?
8. Do you sometimes steal food — or money to buy it?
9. Do you pass up dances and other events because you can’t fit into nice clothes?
10. Do you resent people’s comments and “helpful suggestions” about your weight or the amount of food you eat?

If your answer to most of these questions is yes, you’re not alone. Many people, including teenagers, suffer from the disease of compulsive eating — a disease from which we can recover.