What is OA?
Welcome Newcomers
If you’re feeling hopeless, alone, or ashamed about your body or your eating, we can relate to you. You’re not alone and we’re happy to share that we’ve found recovery. It’s our joy to share the solution that is working for us and countless others. Welcome to Overeaters Anonymous Montreal English Intergroup. We are here to help you get started.
What is Overeaters Anonymous?
Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a Twelve-Step Fellowship of people recovering from compulsive eating. OA is not a diet club, but rather a supportive community focused on helping individuals overcome compulsive eating, anorexia, bulimia, food addiction, and obesity. If you’re struggling, OA provides a space where you can find support and guidance.
Who joins OA?
The members of OA comprise individuals from around the world who have experienced various eating disorders, including obesity, anorexia, bulimia, or having a typical body weight. Their obsession with food or weight has impeded their ability to live freely. Please read Many Symptoms, One Solution to see if you are in the right place.
Does the program really work?
Many of us have attempted methods to address our issues with food, such as engaging in diets or exercise for extended periods. However, it is with OA where we have found a lasting solution. Countless members have attained a healthy weight and liberation from compulsive eating for prolonged periods.
The OA program is modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, offering participants an opportunity for physical, emotional, and spiritual recovery. By attending meetings, following the Twelve-Step program, and assisting others, members can experience the transformative power of the program.
Are there Membership Fees?
There are no dues or fees. Our organisation sustains itself through our individual contributions, in accordance with our 7th Tradition. As a result, we suggest a contribution of $5 per meeting from our regular members, but attendance is never conditional on making this payment. Please only donate what you can afford. We invite all newcomers to attend their first few meetings for free!
The OA Montreal English intergroup does incur ongoing expenses (for this website, office expenses, the technologies employed, communications services, etc.). We contribute based on our personal capacities to cover all costs, enabling us to extend our help to those struggling with compulsive eating and maintain access to our physical and virtual meetings for those interested in pursuing the Twelve Step program of spiritual recovery, a tried-and-tested blueprint for successful living.
To the Young Person
Welcome! If you are tired of being preoccupied with food and body image, you have come to the right place. We’re a group of young people who have successfully recovered from various types of eating disorders, such as bingeing, purging, restricting, or a combination of them all.
We used to feel ashamed and anxious due to our food dependency but now we’ve achieved full recovery. We have found a collective solution that’s worked for us and part of our recovery journey is to share this solution with anyone in need of it. This is the essence of our 12-step program.
To the Bulimic and Anorexic
Welcome to our anorexic and bulimic members. You will hear your story here. We have curated audio recordings of personal stories of OA members who’ve recovered from anorexia and bulimia to hear a message of hope and action.
To Family and Friends
We’re glad you’re here.
Seeing your friends and family members struggle with compulsive eating can be a difficult and sometimes frustrating experience. However, you are not alone, and neither is your loved one.
What makes OA different?
OA provides a three-tiered approach to help us overcome compulsive eating: physical, emotional, and spiritual.
The key to breaking free from our compulsive eating habits and maintaining this progress is through spiritual development. This involves practising the Twelve Steps of OA and integrating their fundamental principles into our daily lives.
IS OA a religious organisation?
No. OA is not a religious society because it requires no definite religious belief as a condition of membership. OA has among its membership people of many religious traditions, as well as atheists and agnostics. The OA recovery program is based on acceptance of certain spiritual values. We are free to interpret these values as we think best, or not to think about them at all if we so choose.
