Overeaters Anonymous

From the Foreword of this 204 page book written by Theodore Rubin, M.D.: I have had both a personal and professional interest in obesity for a great many years. The fact is I've been an overeater all of my life and a fat man most of my life. I did not understand the destructive aspects of overeating, however, until I began to practice psychiatry. Eventually it became apparent to me that overeating is an obsessive, compulsive addiction of a highly complex nature. I became aware that food can be more addictive than tobacco, drugs, alcohol or gambling, and at least as destructive. Those who suffer from the problem and those who seriously engage in working in the area also know how malignant the condition is. This destructive aspect occurs relative to the victim's physical health, emotional well-being, social life, professional life, sex life, and economic life. We also know, unfortunately, how limited all treatment modalities have been to date, in effecting sustained relief, let alone 'cures'. Overeaters Anonymous is not a business. [It] represents one of our country's major and perhaps largest efforts at self-help. OA enjoys a reputation for significant success in a file strewn with failure. OA's success goes beyond weight reduction and control, though this alone is an achievement of great magnitude. OA helps contribute a greater sense of self and self-esteem through its extraordinary implementation of camaraderie and caring for one's fellows and one's self. It functions as a giant contributor to awakening and adding to members' sense of their own humanity. This is crucial in battling malignant addiction, or, for that matter, any illness of mind and body; they really are one. This book describes the OA experience as told by various members through their own moving and educational stories. They are full of struggles and hope. Most important, they tell of enhanced compassion for self, for others, and for the state of being human.