How to Make Use of Support Groups to Treat Your Eating Disorder

Support groups bring together people with similar problems. They help participants feel less alone. Most support groups are free and participants can usually join without giving their full names or details about who they are. They are also groups for friends and relatives of people with eating disorders.

Some support groups focus specifically on behaviors related to food. For example, participants may discuss not only the events that trigger their binges but also healthy alternatives to bingeing. Other groups deal with underlying emotional issues as well as specific behaviors associated with their disorder.

In addition to in-person support groups, telephone hot lines provide support and advice as needed, as do Internet chat rooms. In selecting a support network, it's important to choose ones that have well-documented experience. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) is the oldest national nonprofit organization devoted to eating disorders. It is a good resource for finding support groups throughout the country.

Q & A

Question: My friend almost died from anorexia. Could a support group help her?

Answer: If she has a severe case of anorexia, your friend may have problems developing the relationships that make support groups effective. She also may still feel the desire to be thinner than everyone else, and therefore too competitive to provide and accept mutual support. The psychotherapist or physician helping your friend recover can let her know when a support group may be beneficial.

Teen support groups

Teenagers face unique challenges and social situations. A support group made up of teens may be beneficial in dealing with issues related to adolescence. Being among people of the same age can counterbalance peer pressure, especially when peer pressure has played a role in the development of an eating disorder. Teens speak the same language and they typically don't accept each other's excuses, which can be helpful in the recovery process. Local experts and national resource centers can refer people to teen support groups.

Overeaters Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is one of the most successful self-help groups in the nation. Overeaters Anonymous (OA) models its philosophy after AA, taking the approach that binge eaters are as powerless over food as alcoholics are over liquor. Like AA, OA has a 12-step program that requires participants to incorporate twelve specific rules into their lives to achieve lifelong recovery. Participants try to help one another resist the temptation to binge. Those who have been in the program for some time act as sponsors for people who are new to the program. Newcomers can call their sponsors to talk whenever they are finding it hard to resist the urge to binge. OA also has special meetings for people with bulimia and anorexia.