Introducing Overeaters Anonymous: To the Teen

Do you have a problem with food?

1. Do your eating habits change depending on your feelings?
2. Are you unhappy or frustrated with your eating or body size or with your attempts to control them?
3. Do you sometimes feel you can’t stop eating even though you want to?
4. Do you often eat more than most people do at a meal or throughout the day?
5. Do you eat large amounts of food even when you’re not physically hungry?
6. Do you eat normally in front of others but eat excessively when you’re alone?
7. Do you spend a lot of time thinking about your body size?
8. Do you try to control your body size by fasting, purging or exercising for long hours?
9. Do your eating habits, body size or feelings of shame about how you look limit your social life?
10. Do you avoid physical activities because of how you feel about your body?
11. Do you lie about how much you eat or don’t eat?
12. Do you sometimes sneak food or steal money to buy it?
13. Do you wish people wouldn’t comment about your body size or eating habits?
14. Have you been told that you really ought to eat more?

If your answer to many of these questions is yes, you’re not alone. Many people, including the young suffer from the disease of compulsive (out of control) eating. The symptoms range from overeating to bulimia or anorexia. Whether you call the  problem a food disorder or a disease, the good news is that there is a solution.

Overeaters Anonymous is a fellowship of individuals of all ages who support each other in overcoming compulsive eating by working with OA’s Twelve Steps of Recover.

Most of us, no matter how hard we tried, could not control our eating. In OA we found people who understood us and gave us the help we needed. We stopped our compulsive food behaviors, lost or gained weight as needed and learned to maintain a healthy life and weight.

OA is not a diet club. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively. We don’t weight you. We don’t charge dues or fees. We don’t track attendance. We don’t tell you what you should or should not eat. In OA we help each other make responsible choices, not only about food but also about other aspects of our lives.

How you can find OA:

To attend a meeting or to learn more about the Overeaters Anonymous program of recovery, contact:

Overeaters Anonymous

World Service Office

6075 Zenith Court NE

Rio Rancho, NM 87144-6424

Mail address: PO Box 44020

Rio Rancho, NM  87174-4020 USA

Telephone: 1-505-891-2664

http://www.oa.org

Fax: 1-505-891-4320

Email: info@oa.org

Disclaimer: The information came directly from the OA pamphlet and I give them full credit for it. Please call the above number for more information or to contact them with questions.