Basic Information about the OA Fellowship

The first OA meeting was held in 1960 in Los Angeles, California. Since that time it has grown to about 6,500 meetings in over 75 countries—about 54,000 members.

The OA program offers physical, emotional and spiritual recovery for those who suffer from compulsive eating. Members find recovery on all three levels by following a Twelve-Step program patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous. Members who recover through the Twelve Steps find that yo-yo dieting is a thing of the past. They no longer wish to return to eating compulsively.

OA is not affiliated with any public or private organization, political movement, ideology or religious doctrine and takes no position on outside issues.

In OA, you’ll find members who are extremely overweight, even morbidly obese; moderately overweight, average weight; underweight; still maintaining periodic control over their eating behavior; or totally unable to control their compulsive eating. The only requirement for membership in OA is a desire to stop eating compulsively. Read more about who belongs to OA on the About OA page .

No membership dues or fees are required for participation in OA. The organization is self-supporting through members’ voluntary donations and the sale of OA literature.

See the 2010 Member Demographic Survey to learn more about OA and its members. Listen to inspiring recovery stories from OA members in a condensed (five minute) version of our audio program Hearing is Believing. Order the full version through our online store.

To contact OA headquarters:

World Service Office
6075 Zenith Court NE
Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87144-6424
(505) 891-2664

To directly contact OA’s media coordinator, call Tina Carroll at (636) 328-0216.