Suggested Step-Study Meeting Format

Step One: We admitted we were powerless over food—that our lives had become unmanageable.

On page 60 of the Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition) we find the following pertinent ideas:

1. “That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.”
2. “That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.”
3. “That God could and would if He were sought.”

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition (#990-2), pp. 3–8
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition (#992), pp. 2–7
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition (#1000), pp. xxv–xxxii (“The Doctor’s Opinion”); pp. 1–16 (“Bill’s Story”), pp. 17–29 (“There is a Solution”), and pp. 30–43 (“More About Alcoholism”)

Pamphlets:

• Fifteen Questions (#755)
• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, (#220), pp. 4–5

“Honest appraisal of our experience has convinced us that we can’t handle life through self-will alone” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 7).

Step Two: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

“In Step Two we added to this acceptance of our utter helplessness a newfound faith that there exists a Power greater than us that can relieve us of the obsession for food and restore us to sanity in all areas of life” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 17).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 9–15
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 8–13
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, p. xxvi, p. xxviii, p.12, pp. 30–43 (“More About Alcoholism”), p. 92, p. 550

Pamphlets:

• Fifteen Questions
• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, pp. 5–7

“This willingness to act on faith, then, was the key to Step Two. It was the beginning of the healing process and relief from the food compulsion” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 15).

Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

“If we want to live free of the killing disease of compulsive eating, we accept help without reservation from a Power greater than ourselves and begin taking the actions that will allow us to receive that help.” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 17–18).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 17–24
• Overeaters Anonymous, Third Edition, pp. 201–202
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 14-18
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, pp. 44-57 (“We Agnostics”), p. 63, p. 86
• Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 34–41

Pamphlet:

• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, pp. 7–8

“Once we compulsive eaters truly take the Third Step, we cannot fail to recover … We can confidently face any situation life brings, because we no longer have to face it alone. We have what we need any time we are willing to let go of self-will and humbly ask for help” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 23).

Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

“This Step continues the transformation process that began with our admission of powerlessness in Step One, a process of increasing honesty and self-awareness that will gradually free us from our bondage to self. Our past problems have been controlling our actions and feelings for years, often in ways of which we are not aware. As we face the problems, they lose their power to overwhelm and control us. We no longer have the need to protect ourselves from uncomfortable feelings by eating compulsively or using other destructive food behaviors” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 26).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 25–38
• Overeaters Anonymous, Third Edition, pp. 201–202
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 19–57
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, pp. 64–71
• Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 34–41

Pamphlet:

• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, pp. 9–11

“We have been trying to get a new attitude, a new relationship with our Creator, and to discover the obstacles in our path” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4^th ed., p. 72).

Step Five: Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

“By the time we have completed the Fourth Step, most of us feel ready to move ahead quickly with Step Five. We want to be free of resentments, guilt, and shame rooted in the past, and we realize that sharing the details of our past with another human being is an important step toward freedom” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 40).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 39–44
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 58–61
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, pp. 72­–75
• Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 55–62

Pamphlet:

• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, pp. 11–13

“Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drinking problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4^th ed., p. 75).

Step Six: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

“A willingness to change is the essence of Step Six. Change is always frightening, even when it’s a much-needed and long-overdue change for the better” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 48).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 45–50
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 39–44, pp. 62–65
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, pp. 75–76
• Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 63–69

Pamphlet:

• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, pp. 13–14

“Our commitment to embrace the needed changes in our thinking and behavior has given us an extraordinary power to deal with life’s challenges. No longer do we go through each day clinging desperately to the past, resistant to change. From now on, we will strive to keep ourselves entirely ready for any transformations our Higher Power wants to bring about in us. Having such an attitude, we can’t fail. We will become wiser, saner, more effective people as we recover from the disease of compulsive overeating. We’ll find we can cope with both good times and bad, learning and growing spiritually from each experience as our Higher Power intended us to do all along” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition p. 49).

Step Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

“In OA we have discovered that humility is simply an awareness of who we really are today and a willingness to become all that we can be. Genuine humility brings an end to the feelings of inadequacy, the self-absorption, and the status-seeking” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 52).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 51–56
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 66–71
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, p. 76
• Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 70–76

Pamphlet:

• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, p. 15

“The Seventh Step is where we make the change in our attitude which permits us, with humility as our guide, to move out from ourselves toward others and toward God” (Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 76).

Step Eight: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

“In Step Eight, we look at our relationships for the purpose of discovering those patterns that have done harm to us and to others” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 58).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 57–62
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition,pp. 72–76
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, pp. 76–83
• Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 77–82

Pamphlet:

• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, pp. 16–17

“The experience of OA members who have worked the Steps before us shows that recovery depends on completing Steps Eight and Nine” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 62).

Step Nine: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

 “When we finish our amends most of us feel closer to our Higher Power than ever before. As we  have dealt lovingly with every person in our lives, our spiritual awakening has become a reality” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 67).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 63–68
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 77–82
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, pp. 76–84
• Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 83–87

Pamphlet:

• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, pp. 17–19

 “This Step has freed us from the shackles of our past mistakes in a miraculous way” (The Twelve  Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 63).

Step Ten: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

“The purpose of Step Ten is to identify and remove from our path today’s stumbling blocks, those manifestations of pride, fear, anger, self-pity, greed, and other emotions that are bringing  pain into our lives and keeping us from growing today” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions  of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 70).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 69–74
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition,pp. 83–91
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, pp. 84–86
• Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 88–95

Pamphlet:

• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, pp. 20–22

The OA Twelve and Twelve describes different types of inventories: spot-check, daily, and extensive (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 70–73).

 “As we repeatedly act on Step Ten, we begin to see the remarkable way the Steps will, from now  on, continue to remove unnecessary turmoil and pain from our lives” (The Twelve Steps and  Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 74).

Step Eleven: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

“In order to recover from compulsive eating and other compulsive food behaviors, we need a living, developing, ongoing relationship with this Higher Power, and we find having complete freedom to seek that relationship is a vital aspect of our program” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 76).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 75–80
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 92–97
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, pp. 86–88
• Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 96–105

Pamphlet:

• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, pp. 22–23

“Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless … we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in purely human affairs. We know that God lovingly watches over us. We know that when we turn to Him, all will be well with us, here and hereafter” (Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 105).

Step Twelve: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

“Perhaps it is fortunate for us, and for the millions of compulsive overeaters who still suffer, that most of us who’ve worked this program will be unable to keep the recovery we have unless we share our experience, strength, and hope with others” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 82–83).

Suggested readings for discussion and sharing:

Books:

• The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition,pp. 81–87
• The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, pp. 98–105
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, pp. 89–103
• Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 106–125

Pamphlet:

• Sponsoring Through the Twelve Steps, pp. 24–25

“We who began working the Steps in order to recover from compulsive eating now find that through them we have embarked on a lifelong journey of spiritual growth. From the isolation of food obsession we have emerged into a new world” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 86).

The brief excerpts from Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of AA are reprinted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (AAWS). Permission to reprint these excerpts does not mean that AAWS has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication, or that AAWS necessarily agrees with the views expressed herein. AA is a program of recovery from alcoholism only—use of these excerpts in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after AA, but which address other problems, or in any other non-AA context, does not imply otherwise.