Overeaters was a new community that began coalescing on Zoom in July of 2020, and in 2021 we had a series of Community Gatherings where we identified areas and initiatives we wanted to work on. Several committees completed their tasks, some are still active, and others never really got off the ground.
Community Name
We surveyed 168 members from 21 secular meetings to find their top choices for OA Find A Meeting search labels. The results: Atheist/Agnostic/Secular for Special Focus and Secular for Special Topic (Read the report).
Working within OA
We approached OA and asked to form a Secular Special Focus Service Board, which began meeting in 2022. For information contact: oasecularserviceboard@gmail.com. After the initial launch, this left the purview of Secular Overeaters. Visit the Secular Service Board of Overeaters Anonymous for more information.
Newcomers
We provide free print copies of OA’s Where Do I Start? brochure, a secular newcomer handout and a secular welcome chip: order materials here: https://bit.ly/SO-NewcomerPacket
New Meetings
We developed resources for members who wished to start their own recovery meeting (either registered or unregistered with OA): https://secularovereaters.org/so-start-new-meeting/
Publications
We completed the Food Freedom manual and two versions of the Alternative 12 Step Discussion Guide for Secular Overeaters, (2022 edition and 2024 edition), as well as many secular handouts. Check Helpful Documents for more titles.
Special Events
This initiative split. Some ideas were incorporated by the Workshop Team. The SO Board hosts an annual Community Gathering in early November which includes updates, a recovery exercise to get us ready for the holiday season, and a guest speaker (past speakers have included Vera Tarman (Food Junkies), Serge Prengel (The Proactive Twelve Steps), and Jeffrey Munn (Staying Sober Without God). Sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop.
Sponsor Issues
A committee developed three workshops and has offered them multiple times. Because we have so few secular sponsors, we focused on other more accessible alternatives like Accountability Buddies and Recovery Circles. Check the Sponsor section listed under Program for more information, including a path to being a temporary sponsor. This committee became the Workshop Team. If you’d like to get involved, please fill out this volunteer form.
This initiative did not have enough volunteers to finish or continue their tasks, but many issues are being addressed in other areas:
Best Practices for Recovery and Abstinence
We need your help, especially people with these special skills:
Admins (answer gmail)
Artists (website and events)
Lawyers (for 501(c)(3) setup)
Readers (find and review secular Twelve-Step materials)
Social media enthusiasts
Sound editors (podcasts)
Text editors (website and publications)
Treasurers (bookkeeping)
Web programing experts
Web/WordPress/Squarespace editors
Writers
Zoom coordinator (assigns Zoom links to new meetings)
Zoom moderators (for screensharing, breakout rooms, and disruptor wrangling at events)
Please fill out this volunteer form to let us know your interests and skills.
