Overeaters Anonymous Mid Peninsula
Welcome to Overeaters Anonymous Mid Peninsula. We are so glad you found us! Curious about how Overeaters Anonymous (OA) Mid Peninsula can help the patients, clients, students, staff, or community members you serve? Then get to know OA! At Overeaters Anonymous Mid Peninsula, we help anyone and everyone who is struggling with food issues - anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, obesity, over-eating, under-eating, nighttime eating, excessive exercise, poor body image, or any number of other compulsive eating behaviors. Professionals in healthcare, education, faith communities, human resource departments, government, social services, and more have long relied on OA as an invaluable resource. Doing so has made all the difference for those who once suffered from an eating disorder or who struggled with food addiction or other food issues. After joining OA, these very same individuals were able to begin enjoying life and long-term recovery from their problems with food rather than the misery of endless restricting and exercise, costly gym memberships, or ineffective diet programs that always overpromised and under-delivered. Having OA as a support group, combined with professional intervention, is usually a game-changer. Latest news and information for the professional community can be found in The Courier, the OA online newsletter for professionals. If you would like to speak to someone at OA Mid Peninsula, please email professionals@https://oamidpeninsula.org
Who We Serve To better understand who we serve and how we serve individuals with compulsive eating disorders (like ourselves), we encourage you to visit OAmidpen.org to explore the resources we freely offer to all still battling compulsive eating. Normal or non-disordered eaters mindfully consume a variety of foods when hungry and stop when they are full. OA serves those who have lost control over their eating. We count among ourselves those who, even if we are of a normal size and shape, have struggled with our weight, disordered eating, body image, and excessive exercise. Some of us have binged and purged to the point of bulimia, restricted to the point of anorexia, or stuffed ourselves to the point of morbid obesity. Our common malady cuts across every ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education level, and gender identity. We are the people for whom food has become an obsession of the mind and a burden to our bodies. To learn more about the various behaviors members have identified as problematic for them, you can review this pamphlet and share it with patients. Compulsive Overeating—An Inside View: The various manifestations of compulsive overeating How We Serve Them Regardless of the type of issues we may have with compulsive eating or compulsive eating behaviors, we have a common solution made available to us through working the Twelve Steps of Overeaters Anonymous. And we are fortunate to have a fellowship of people that truly “get” us and are willing to help us find recovery from our disease of compulsive eating by supporting each other one day at a time. Family & Friends In addition to helping compulsive eaters like ourselves through meetings, sponsorship, publishing literature, step work, and fellowship, we also want to provide hope and understanding to the people who love and support someone who suffers from compulsive eating. For those people, we recommend the following: https://oa.org/family-friends/ When Should I Refer Someone to OA? Anytime someone is struggling with compulsive eating behaviors, repeated attempts at weight loss, or other food issues, OA can help. OA partners with you, complementing your recommendations. OA offers an ongoing support system that encourages mutual support, which weakens isolation and loneliness. Working together, we get better together! For updated news and information please see The Courier, the free OA online newsletter for professionals. Learn More by Attending an Open OA Meeting We encourage all professionals, but particularly those in healthcare, as well as all medical students, to attend an open OA meeting to gain a better understanding of the nature of food addiction as expressed by OA members. Attending a few “open” OA meetings can demonstrate the value of the program. Please see our Meetings List (insert link directly to Meetings List) for individual meeting contact information. Partner with OA Mid Peninsula If you’re interested in learning more about OA Mid Peninsula, we'd be happy to speak with you or arrange a special OA presentation (either in-person or online) for you and your organization. This presentation, along with various pieces of OA literature (https://bookstore.oa.org/), will be provided to you at no cost. Presentations are customized, and run from 30 minutes to 1 hour, allowing time for Q&A. To reach OA Mid Peninsula, please send an email to professionals@https://oamidpeninsula.org.
OA is a Fellowship of individuals who share a common problem: compulsive eating; however, it may manifest differently among our membership. The variations on our common malady are numerous: from the extremes of under-eating and anorexia, to the opposite extremes of over-eating and morbid obesity, along with assorted examples of everything in between. What we share in common is a mental obsession, combined with a physical allergy, that manifests itself as a loss of control over our eating and indulgence in compulsive eating behaviors. “We” is such an important word in the OA language of love and understanding. We join together to share our experience, strength, and hope with one another, which helps solve our common problem. We then help other compulsive overeaters do the same. Membership Requirement Membership in OA requires only one thing, a desire to stop disordered eating. OA is a non-affiliated, autonomous organization. We are not connected with any political, religious, or institutional entity. We do not take positions on medical or other outside issues.There are no dues, no fees, no weigh-ins. We are self-supporting through the voluntary contributions of our members and accept no outside donations. This ensures that our fellowship remains free from external influence and stays focused on our primary purpose which is to carry the message of recovery to those who still suffer. For many of us who have suffered and isolated as a consequence of our disease, the warmth, welcome, and support provided by the fellowship are gifts beyond measure and an essential part of the recovery we experience within the OA program. Please share this website with patients you may encounter who need our support and program of recovery. More on OA At Overeaters Anonymous, we claim no medical, psychological, or nutritional expertise. Rather, we recommend that our members contact qualified professionals for help in these areas. OA’s Twelve Step approach to our common malady of compulsive eating can enhance – not replace – existing treatment programs for those already under medical supervision. But don’t take our word for it … here are some stats from a 2017 Membership Survey to back up our claims:
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. Many of our members in recovery from compulsive eating have maintained a healthy weight for more than 5 years, with others having done so for several decades! See the OA 2017 Membership Survey for more details. The professional community has come to rely on OA as a valued partner and resource in recovery. For many, and especially those within the healthcare community, doing so has made all the difference. Through OA, many patients have come to experience greater satisfaction and long-term recovery, breaking the endless cycle of relapse.
Overeaters Anonymous
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