Secular Steps: Getting Started

If you’re a compulsive eater seeking a secular approach to the 12 Steps, you won’t find it in Overeaters Anonymous. OA does not allow the use of “outside” Steps or literature at their meetings. Don’t be discouraged by this restriction; as an individual, you can use whatever resources support your recovery! If you’d like Step materials that don’t rely on a higher power, the list below can supplement your OA readings.

Where to Begin

The Alternative 12 Step Discussion Guide for Secular Overeaters, Version 2 (Secular Overeaters 2024, pdf, 29 pages) can introduce you to many Step versions as well as authors and books that may inspire you. We suggest you scan the Guide first and then select one of the following books below for a more in-depth study. OA’s The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous is still valuable, as this is the only 12 Step book that focuses on compulsive eating addictions. In addition, a workbook can provide thoughtful writing prompts that can help you better understand yourself and your recovery.

Step Versions

AA Agnostica: A Collection of Alternative 12 Steps (Roger C, free pdf, 20 pages)
Los Doce Pasos Seculares: Una Breve Colección (Roger C, Spanish translation, free pdf, 17 pages)
Le petit livre jaune: Les douze étapes vues autrement (Roger C, 2021, French translation, $10.95 print, $5.99 Kindle)

Freethinker Alternative 12 Steps for Overeaters (free pdf, 1 page)

OA Twelve Steps (Overeaters Anonymous, free pdf, 1 page)

Books and Workbooks

Secular
The Alternative 12 Steps: A Secular Guide to Recovery (Martha Cleveland and Arlys G, 2014, $13.95 print or $6.99 Kindle)

Staying Sober Without God (Jeffrey Munn, 2019, $13.79 print or $5.99 Kindle)
Staying Sober Without God, The Workbook (Jeffrey Munn, 2023, $18.95 print)

The Proactive Twelve Steps, Sixth Edition (Serge Prengel, 2021, free pdf, or $9.99 print or $5.99 Kindle)

Hybrid (acknowledges secular and traditional approaches)
A Woman’s Way Through the Twelve Steps, 2024 Anniversary Edition (Stephanie Covington, $16.37 print or $14.99 Kindle)
A Woman’s Way Through the Twelve Steps Workbook (Stephanie Covington, 2024, $18.55 print)

We’re Not All Egomaniacs: Adapting the Twelve Steps for Alcoholics with Low Self-Esteem (Beth Aich, 2021, $10.99 print, $6.99 Kindle)

Traditional
The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition ($16.50 print, also available in digital and audible versions)
The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition ($15 print, $9 digital)
Secular Translations of the “God” Questions in The Twelve Step Workbook of Overeaters Anonymous (free pdf, 4 pages)

Trauma and the 12 Steps: An Inclusive Guide to Enhancing Recovery (Jamie Marich, 2020, $15.47 print, $9.95 Kindle)
Trauma and the 12 Steps: The Workbook (Jamie Marich and Stephen Dansiger, 2025, $14.89 print, $10.99 Kindle)

Other
Beyond Belief: Agnostic Musings for a 12 Step Life, daily reader (Joe C, 2023, $22.50 print, $9.99 Kindle)

12 Stepping a Problem for Nonbelievers (free pdf, 5 pages)

Secular Overeaters Step Discussion Recordings

SO hosts a monthly Secular Overeaters Alternative 12-Steps Discussion Zoom meeting on the third Sunday of the month (9am PT/Noon ET/5pm UK; check the meeting schedule for link). Links to recordings of the discussion for 2022 and 2024 are below and can be found on The Secular Overeaters and Friends Podcast.

Bonus: 2021
Step 12 | 39 min