Eating Disorders Anonymous
Eating Disorders Anonymous. A 12 Step fellowship that understands eating disorders.

Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA) is a small new 12 Step fellowship that "gets it". They have combined 12 Step recovery with a modern understanding of eating disorders and treatment practices. They understand the inherent limits of the abstinence model of recovery that is central in the Overeaters Anonymous program and have come up with a much more compassionate and useful model model. Their model is one that seeks balance and acknowledges that recovery is an imperfect process that happens over time. Their web page states, "Balance, not abstinence, is our goal".

Eating Disorders Anonymous does not celebrate periods of continuous abstinence or sobriety like other traditional 12 Step groups. Instead, EDA celebrates self-defined milestones of recovery. Recovery milestones are self-determined based on personal goals and subjective experience. A member may consider eating in a healthy balanced way during a stressful situation a milestone, facing and feeling uncomfortable feelings that they formerly avoided, making an amends, or anything else that feels significant to the member. Milestones are not about perfection, "abstinence", pounds, or calories. According to their literature, "Milestones express how we are working the principles of the program in our lives. The principles – embodied in the 12 Steps of EDA – include Honesty, Equality, Accountability, Love, Trust and Humility (Health: the EDA motto).  We claim as many milestones as we can! "

Recovery in EDA is considered to be a flexible process that each individual tailors to meet their own needs as they learn and grow. EDA understands that diets and weight management techniques do not solve the thought processes and lifestyle issues that lead to disordered eating. Their focus is on helping each other "develop more resilient relationships with ourselves, with others and with food."

Eating Disorders Anonymous was founded in 2000 by some AA members in Arizona. Since it is still a fairly new and small organization meetings are not available in many areas. It's quite possible that a person with Binge Eating Disorder could take these more progressive EDA ideas into their personal approach to recovery and find workable support at an OA meeting. I wouldn't recommend OA to anyone with anorexia, though people with bulimia may find good support there keeping EDA ideas in mind.

I was thrilled to find their web site recently and to read their literature. Their philosophy of recovery agrees well with my own recovery experience. I hope you will find it useful and inspiring too.

Love, Dave 12/2005