Want to know more about getting started in OA? There’s a local meeting just for you.

Newcomers Meeting
First Thursday of every month
Portsmouth, NH 5:30–6:00 PM
Focus:  Newcomers
North Church Parish Hall
355 Spinney Road (corner of Spinney Rd, Middle Rd, Route 33)
At this informal gathering newcomers can talk to current members about what OA is, what to expect, and how to get started.

Are you trying to decide whether OA is right for you?

These fifteen questions can help you decide if you are a compulsive eater or addicted to food. If so, OA may provide the support you need to recover from this debilitating and deadly disease.

1. Do I eat when I’m not hungry, or not eat when my body needs  nourishment?
2. Do I go on eating binges for no apparent reason, sometimes eating until I’m stuffed or even feel sick?
3. Do I have feelings of guilt, shame or embarrassment about my weight or the way I eat?
4. Do I eat sensibly in front of others and then make up for it when I am alone?
5. Is my eating affecting my health or the way I live my life?
6. When my emotions are intense—whether positive or negative—do I find myself reaching for food?
7. Do my eating behaviors make me or others unhappy?
8. Have I ever used laxatives, vomiting, diuretics, excessive exercise, diet pills, shots or other medical interventions (including surgery) to try to control my weight?
9. Do I fast or severely restrict my food intake to control my weight?
10. Do I fantasize about how much better life would be if I were a different size or weight?
11. Do I need to chew or have something in my mouth all the time: food, gum, mints, candies or beverages?
12. Have I ever eaten food that is burned, frozen or spoiled; from containers in the grocery store; or out of the garbage?
13. Are there certain foods I can’t stop eating after having the first bite?
14. Have I lost weight with a diet or “period of control” only to be followed by bouts of uncontrolled eating and/or weight gain?
15. Do I spend too much time thinking about food, arguing with myself about whether or what to eat, planning the next diet or exercise cure, or counting calories?

If you answered yes to several or most of these, you may be one of us. Please visit our meetings to see if you identify with our members and whether OA can help you.

At our meetings you can expect to meet others with your affliction and to enjoy the powerful fellowship that helps us overcome our disease.

Here’s a video from our OA friends in West Chester, New York, that explains how OA works.

For additional information, please visit OA.org’s page for newcomers or its meetings page to see what you can expect at an OA meeting.