|
This series of questions may help you determine if you are
a compulsive overeater.
1. Do you eat when you're not hungry?
2. Do you go on eating binges for no apparent reason?
3. Do you have feelings of guilt and remorse after
overeating?
4. Do you give too much time and thought to food?
5. Do you look forward with pleasure and anticipation to
the time when you can eat alone?
6. Do you plan these secret binges ahead of time?
7. Do you eat sensibly before others and make up for it
alone?
8. Is your weight affecting the way you live your life?
9. Have you tried to diet for a week (or longer), only to
fall short of your goal?
10. Do you resent others telling you to "use a little
willpower" to stop overeating?
11. Despite evidence to the contrary, have you continued to
assert that you can diet "on your own" whenever you wish?
12. Do you crave to eat at a definite time, day or night,
other than mealtime?
13. Do you eat to escape from worries or trouble?
14. Have you ever been treated for obesity or a
food-related condition?
15. Does your eating behavior make you or others
unhappy?
Have you answered yes to three or more of these questions?
If so, it is probable that you have or are well on your way to
having a compulsive overeating problem. We have found that the
way to arrest this progressive disease is to practice the
Twelve-Step recovery program of Overeaters Anonymous. Is
OA for You? Only you can decide that question. No one else can
make this decision for you. We who are now in OA have found a
way of life which enables us to live without the need for
excess food. We believe that compulsive overeating is a
progressive illness, one that, like alcoholism and some other
illnesses, can be arrested. Remember, there is no shame in
admitting you have a problem; the most important thing is to
do something about it. | 
