Someone close to you has come to Overeaters Anonymous and decided to quit overeating. As friends or family members, how are we involved?
  1. Do you notice that food is inexplicably gone?
  2. Do you find hidden food and wrappers?
  3. Does the person try to sneak food?
  4. Are all the "goodies" gone?
  5. Does the person often eat alone?
  6. Does the person visit the bathroom after eating, and you hear water running?
  7. Are people often suggesting the person go on a diet?
  8. Does the person seem to have more food and less money?
  9. Does the person's weight affect how he or she lives?
  10. Is the person routinely using laxatives or water pills?
  11. Is the person unhappy about his or her appearance?
  12. Is the person or other people in the person's life unhappy about his or her eating behavior?
Answering "yes" to several of these questions may indicate a loved one has problems with food and may be a compulsive eater. He or she is not alone. Since 1960, compulsive eaters have found a solution through OA. OA meetings are held worldwide. You can search for a meeting for yourself (Open Meetings for Family) or your loved one on the Find a Meeting page.

The effects of the compulsive eater's abnormal preoccupation with food, such as health issues and mood swings, can harm the family. People who are eating abnormally can demoralize and devastate everyone around them. Although no groups currently exist for families and friends of compulsive eaters, you might find help by attending Twelve-Step family programs related to other addictions. What you can do for yourself; learn more about the disease of compulsive overeating through OA literature.

Helpful Publications (free)

To The Family

Helpful Publications (for purchase, either at OAsis or WSO Bookstore)

Compulsive Overeating: An Inside View Our true insanity could be seen in the fact that we kept right on trying to find comfort in excess food, long after it began to cause us misery.

To Parents and Concerned Adults? Many OA members were under 18 when they began having problems with food. This flyer raises adult awareness about young people's eating behaviors.

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Last update: 26 July 2010
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