Overeaters Anonymous is a fellowship of people who meet in order to help solve a common problem – compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors. We welcome everyone who feels they have a problem with food. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop these behaviors.
The first meeting of Overeaters Anonymous was held in Hollywood, California, USA on January 19, 1960. Rozanne S. attended a Gamblers Anonymous meeting two years earlier to help a friend and realized the format of the Twelve Steps meeting might hold an answer to her own addictive behavior as it related to food. Her vision of how this simple program could bring recovery to all those who suffered from compulsive overeating resulted in the worldwide organization that exists today.
There are OA groups in over 75 countries meeting in person, via telephone and through the internet each week. OA’s 60-year history has shown that it is possible to recover from the disease of compulsive eating. We invite you to join us to find the freedom that many of our members have discovered over the years.
Our primary purpose is to abstain from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors and to carry the message of recovery through the Twelve Steps of OA to those who still suffer.
Overeaters Anonymous has no dues or fees for membership. It is entirely self-supporting through contributions and sale of publications. Most groups “pass the basket” at meetings to cover expenses. OA does not solicit nor accept outside contributions.
Want to know more? Check out the OA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)