CRYSTAL: TO FIGHT THE COVID
19
PANDEMIC, MANY ARE STRUGGLING
WITH COMPULSIVE EATING FROM ALL
THE SOCIAL ISOLATION.
IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS
STRUGGLING WITH THIS, NO THERE
IS HELL.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS HAS
A 12
STEP PROGRAM GEARED TOWARDS
RECOVERY FOR THOSE WITH
FOOD BEHAVIORS, BOTH OVER AND
UNDER EATING.
I SPOKE WITH THE DIRECTOR TO
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM
JOINING US THIS MORNING IS SARAH
ARMSTRONG, THE MANAGING DIRECTOR
WITH OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS.
GOOD MORNING.
SARAH: GOOD MORNING.
CRYSTAL: A VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC
WE ARE COVERING, ESPECIALLY
DURING COVID-19.
IN NORMAL
CIRCUMSTANCES YOU HAVE
DEALT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE IS
WHEN IT COMES TO COMPULSIVE
EATING BEHAVIORS, THAT COULD BE
OVER EATING, UNDER EATING,
THERE'S A WHOLE RANGE.
THINGS ARE GETTING DIFFICULT AT
HOME FOR SOME PEOPLE.
LET'S START WITH WHAT OVEREATERS
ANONYMOUS IS AND WHERE YOU ARE
LOCATED.
SARAH: WE ARE AN INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATION THAT FOLLOWS THE 12
STEPS AND 12 TRADITIONS OF
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS.
WE
ARE --
THE INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
IS LOCATED IN RIO RANCHO.
WE HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR ABOUT 60
CRYSTAL: TYPICALLY DO YOU GUYS
HOLD IN SESSION MEETINGS AND ARE
YOU GOING VIRTUAL OR HAVING TO
GO VIRTUAL BECAUSE OF COVID-19
THIS TIME AROUND?
WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY HAD
FACE-TO-FACE MEETING SO A GROUP
OF PEOPLE WILL GET TOGETHER
WEEKLY AND TALK ABOUT THEIR
ISSUES AND EXAMINE THE 12 STEPS.
WE HAVE
HAD A LARGE GROUP OVER
THE PAST 10 YEARS IN PEOPLE
MEETING VIA TELEPHONE OR SOME
VIRTUAL METHODS
OR THROUGH
FACEBOOK GROUPS.
THAT HAS BEEN GROWING STEADILY
FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS OR SO.
NOW MOST FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS
ARE NOT HAPPENING, BUT THEY HAVE
CONVERTED TO SOME TYPE OF
VIRTUAL MEETING
, BUT WE ALREADY
KNEW HOW TO DO IT, SO WE HAVE
STILL BEEN DOING IT, JUST A LOT
MORE OF IT.
IT HAS BEEN HELPFUL TO ALREADY
HAVE THAT IN PLACE.
CRYSTAL: ALREADY HAVE IT
ADJUSTED BEFORE COVID-19 AND
THIS HAS MADE IT EASIER TO REACH
YOUR MEMBERS.
I KNOW THERE IS THIS
MISCONCEPTION OFTEN WHERE PEOPLE
HERE COMPULSIVE EATING BEHAVIORS
AND OFTEN THINK OF OVER EATING,
BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.
SARAH:
DEFINITELY NOT, WE ALSO
HELP PEOPLE WITH ANOREXIA, SO
THERE IS UNDER EATING, BINGING
AND PURGING, AND BULIMIA.
THERE IS A WHOLE RANGE OF
ACTIVITIES AND THERE ARE A LOT
OF PEOPLE WHO APPEARED TO BE OF
NORMAL WEIGHT, BUT BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT
ACTIVITIES THEY MAY BE INVOLVED
IN WITH THEIR EATING.
FOR SOMEBODY WHO IS WATCHING
WHO THINKS THEY MAY FIT INTO
SURE, BUT I ALSO KNOW THERE HAS
BEEN THIS MISCONCEPTION THAT
PEOPLE MAY BE THINKING THEY CAN
STOP WHENEVER THEY WANT.
SOMETIMES THE ISSUE GOES FURTHER
IT IS.
IT'S REALLY A PROBLEM.
YOU PRETTY MUCH KNOW WHEN YOU
ARE OUT OF CONTROL WITH YOUR
FOOD AND YOU CAN'T STOP.
MANY PEOPLE HAVE TRIED MANY
DIETS AND THERE ARE A TON OF
THEM OUT THERE AND MANY
THEY WILL HAVE SOME SUCCESS WITH
THEM BUT THEY KEEP FALLING BACK
AND IT'S LIKE WHY DO I KEEP
COMING BACK TO THIS BEHAVIOR,
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?
YOU MAY HAVE COMPULSIVE FOOD
BEHAVIORS AND MAYBE WE CAN HELP
YOU.
THINK THE FIRST STEP TO TAKE
IS TO FIND A MEETING AND GO.
ANYONE CAN GO TO A MEETING
, YOU
CAN HEAR WHAT WE HAVE THE SAY,
AND YOU WILL RECOGNIZE YOURSELF
AMONGST THE OTHER MEMBERS IN THE
MEETING AND THEY WILL BE
SPEAKING TO YOU SAYING, OH MY
GOSH, I KNOW WHAT THEY ARE
TALKING ABOUT, THIS IS MY LIFE,
THEY WILL KNOW THEY WALKED INTO
THE RIGHT ROOM.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE IS
HELP FOR IT.
COVID-19.
WHO SHOULD BE REACHING OUT TO
YOU AND HOW CAN THEY ECHO -- HOW
CAN THEY?
SARAH: ANYONE WHO THINKS THEY
HAVE A PROBLEM WITH FOOD SHOULD
REACH OUT TO US AND THAT COULD
BE ANY TYPE OF A PROBLEM WITH
FOOD.
THE BEST WAY TO FIND THIS IS
TO
GO TO OUR WEBSITE WHICH IS
OA.ORG.
-- WHICH IS OA.ORG.
THERE IS A BUTTON IN THE TOP
CORNER THAT SAYS "FIND A
MEETING."
DURING NON-COVID-19 TIMES
YOU
CAN GO TO A GOOD FACE-TO-FACE
LOCAL TO YOU, AND SEE WHAT THE
HECK IS GOING ON.
THEY HAVE A CONTACT NUMBER AND
THEY ALWAYS RECOMMEND ANY TIME
CALL THAT CONTACT NUMBER AND
FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON.
THAT IS TELLING YOU THAT WE ARE
NOT MEETING WHEREVER WE HAVE
BEEN MEETING, BUT WE ARE MEETING
, AND HERE IS THE TELEPHONE
NUMBER TO CALL OR WE WILL PICK
YOU UP AND SEND YOU -- HOOK YOU
UP AND SEND YOU AN INVITATION TO
AN ONLINE MEETING.
IT'S AS EASY AS THAT.
IF YOU GO TO A MEETING THAT IS
ON THIS TYPE OF FORMAT YOU DON'T
HAVE TO TRY TO HAVE VIDEO ON
OR
TURN YOUR MICROPHONE ON, YOU CAN
SIT AND OBSERVE UNTIL YOU ARE
FEELING COMFORTABLE TO ACTUALLY
JOIN THE MEETING AND YOU CAN DO
WHATEVER IT IS YOU NEED TO DO TO
BE COMFORTABLE.
CRYSTAL: SOME OF OUR PEERS MAY
BE THINKING THEY COULD BENEFIT
FROM THIS.
BEFORE I LET YOU GO GIVE ME YOUR
WEBSITE AGAIN.
IT IS OA.ORG
.
CRYSTAL: THANK YOU FOR JOINING
US WITH OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS.