Are you struggling with food?

OA is a 12-Step food program that can help you recover.

Overeaters Anonymous Perth Fellowship

You may have landed on this website because you’re currently struggling with food. You may be eating compulsively, bingeing, restricting, purging, over-exercising, or having thoughts and behaviours that are concerning you.

We have been where you are today and know how hard it can be. Overeaters Anonymous in Perth is a group of people who have struggled with many different food issues and sought help just like you are doing now.

We found a way to recover through the 12 Steps of Overeaters Anonymous and are here to help you recover, too. We welcome everyone who feels they have a problem with food and wants to recover.

What is OA?

Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a community of people who through experience, strength and hope  are recovering from unhealthy relationships with food and body image. We welcome everyone who feels they have a problem with food.

We are for anyone struggling with food or trying to determine if they have food issues. OA caters to everyone who has a problem with their eating, such as compulsive overeaters, anorexics and bulimics.

We believe compulsive eating is a disease in the same way that alcoholism is a disease.  Our life-changing approach is physical, emotional, and spiritual, and based on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

Find the nearest OA meeting

OA Perth has face-to-face, online and hybrid (face-to-face concurrent with online) meetings you can attend most days of the week. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Not sure if you have a problem? It might help to ask yourself the following questions.

15 Questions

Do I eat when I’m not hungry, or not eat when my body needs nourishment?

Do I go on eating binges for no apparent reason, sometimes eating until I’m stuffed or even feel sick?

Do I have feelings of guilt, shame, or embarrassment about my weight or the way I eat?

Do I eat sensibly in front of others and then make up for it when I am alone?

Is my eating affecting my health or the way I live my life?

When my emotions are intense - whether positive or negative - do I find myself reaching for food?

Have I ever used laxatives, vomiting, diuretics, excessive exercise, diet pills, shots, or other medical interventions (including surgery) to try to control my weight?

Do my eating behaviours make me or others unhappy?

Do I fast or severely restrict my food intake to control my weight?

Do I fantasise about how much better life would be if I were a different size or weight?

Do I need to chew or have something in my mouth all the time: food, gum, mints, candies, or beverages?

Have I ever eaten food that is burned, frozen, or spoiled; from containers in the grocery store; or out of the garbage?

Are there certain foods I can’t stop eating after having the first bite?

Have I lost weight with a diet or “period of control” only to be followed by bouts of uncontrolled eating and/or weight gain?

Do I spend too much time thinking about food, arguing with myself about whether or what to eat, planning the next diet or exercise cure, or counting calories?

Have you answered “yes” to several of these questions? If so, it is possible that you have, or are well on your way to having, a compulsive eating or overeating problem. Your next step could be to speak to other compulsive overeaters at a meeting.