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“Overeaters Anonymous offers people of all sizes and shapes the common ground for finding a way out of the food-compulsion abyss. . . . Having our patients participate in OA during treatment and after they return home is the difference between helping them find a brief reprieve from their disease and offering them long-term recovery from a ‘seemingly hopeless condition.’ ”
—Marty Lerner, PhD, founder/director of an eating-disorders treatment center
No dues. No fees. No weigh-ins.
The Overeaters Anonymous (OA) program offers physical, emotional, and spiritual recovery for those who suffer from compulsive eating. Members find recovery on all three levels by following a Twelve Step program patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous. Members who recover through the Twelve Steps find that yo-yo dieting and obsession with food is a thing of the past. They no longer wish to return to eating compulsively.
The first OA meeting was held in 1960 in Los Angeles, California. Since that time, it has grown to over 6,000 meetings in more than 75 countries—about 54,000 members.
Survey Methodology
Surveys were emailed to seventy-nine group secretaries with instructions for random distribution to group members during meetings. The survey was available to be taken online between June 15 and July 14, 2017, in the following languages: English, French, German, Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish.
The survey was completed by 648 members. Average return rate was 31%. Margin of error is 3.8%.
Introduction to OA*
| Friend/family member/coworker | 23% |
| Other Twelve Step Program | 18% |
| Current OA member | 15% |
| Website/Internet | 12% |
| Newspaper/magazine ad/article | 9% |
| Health care professional | 9% |
| Mental health professional | 7% |
| Other | 7% |
Problem with food*
| Compulsive eater/overeater | 94% |
| Bulimic | 13% |
| Anorexic | 5% |
Age at which food became a problem:
| 1-10 | 40% |
| 11-15 | 22% |
| 16-20 | 10% |
| 21-25 | 5% |
| 26-35 | 5% |
| 36+ | 18% |
When members first came to OA, they were:
| 18 or under | 1% |
| 19-25 | 10% |
| 26-35 | 29% |
| 36-45 | 23% |
| 46-55 | 21% |
| 56-55 | 13% |
| Over 65 | 3% |
When they first came to OA,
86% of members were overweight, 11% were at a healthy weight, and 3% were underweight.
Since coming to OA,
73% of members have lost weight, and 54% of them are currently maintaining a healthy weight.
Average Weight Loss:
45 pounds (20kg)
Those who are maintaining a healthy weight have done so for:
| Under 1 year | 25% |
| 1-5 years | 30% |
| 6-10 years | 15% |
| 11-20 years | 12% |
| 21+ years | 18% |
Life Improvements
| Significant Improvement | Moderate Improvement | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental/Emotional Health | 76% | 18% | 94% |
| Daily Functioning | 72% | 21% | 93% |
| Spiritual Connection | 74% | 18% | 92% |
| Relationships | 64% | 24% | 88% |
| Overall Physical Health | 58% | 26% | 84% |
| Weight Issues | 53% | 27% | 80% |
Meeting Attendance and Sponsors
- Most members attend two meetings per week.
- 78% of members currently have a sponsor.
- 76% found a sponsor within six months of their first meeting.
- 61% are sponsors now or have been in the past.
Treatment/Counseling before OA
Before coming to OA, 77% of members received some type of treatment or counseling, such as medical, psychological, or spiritual. Of those members, 30% said it played an important part in their coming to OA.
Treatment/Counseling after OA
After coming to OA, 67% received some type of treatment or counseling, such as medical, psychological, or spiritual. Of those members, 88% said that support from OA has been helpful in conjunction with treatment or counseling.
Relapse
80% of members said they have relapsed from recovery at some point in the past. 84% continued to attend meetings while they were in relapse.
Composite of Membership
Gender
| Female | 87% |
| Male | 13% |
Age
| 19-25 | 1% |
| 26-35 | 9% |
| 36-45 | 13% |
| 46-55 | 23% |
| 56-65 | 31% |
| Over 65 | 23% |
Relationship Status
| Married | 50% |
| Single | 21% |
| Divorced/Separated | 15% |
| Other | 6% |
| Partner/Cohabitating | 8% |
Race/Ethnicity
| White, non-Hispanic | 91% |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4% |
| Mixed | 2% |
| Other | 2% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | <1% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | <1% |
Education
| Less than high school | 1% |
| High school graduate | 5% |
| Vocational/some college | 22% |
| College graduate | 40% |
| Graduate/post Graduate degree | 32% |
Occupation
| Retired or semi-retired | 29% |
| Professional /technical | 14% |
| Educator | 8% |
| Manager/Administrator | 8% |
| Self-employed | 7% |
| Clerical/office worker | 7% |
| Health professional | 6% |
| Other | 5% |
| Homemaker | 4% |
| Permanently disabled | 4% |
| Not currently employed | 3% |
| Service worker | 2% |
| Salesperson/buyer | 1% |
| Government/military | 1% |
| Full-time student | <1% |
| Craftsman/Laborer | <1% |
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 eating and to carry the message of recovery through the Twelve Steps of OA to those who still suffer.
How to find OA
To find an OA meeting in your area, or a phone or online meeting in your time zone, contact the World Service Office at 1-505-891-2664 or visit oa.org/find-a-meeting.
Local meeting information
OA Responsibility Pledge
Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this I am responsible.
© 2018 Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Rev. 11/2022. All rights reserved. #102
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office
Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA
Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA
Telephone: +1 505-891-2664