At 11 years old Victoria started to comfort eat when her parents divorced.A pattern of binge eating and dieting began that lasted into her 20s.To try to get a handle on her out-of-control weight, Victoria (not her real name) saw therapists and nutritionists and tried diet after diet.She would maintain the diet for a little while but would always go back to overeating.“When I was 22, I hit rock bottom,” said Victoria, who is now in her 30s. “I put on more weight and was really depressed. All I wanted to do was stuff my face, but I couldn’t stop.”Then she found a group called Overeaters Anonymous (OA).It involves a 12-step programme similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, that approaches overeating as a food addiction.OA holds meetings in Bermuda twice a week and has a handful of members.It is an independent organisation, not affiliated with any diet plan or nutritionist. Members are encouraged to see a nutritionist, if they need one.“When I found OA it was such a help,” Victoria said. “It was not just about the food, I was using eating as a coping mechanism.“Some people say they are born compulsive overeaters, for me it started off as a way to comfort myself and took on a life of its own. The thing that really opened my eyes in OA, is that everyone has such different stories. Some people’s mothers were obsessive health nuts.“For some people, it started in childhood and for others it didn’t start until their 30s. I have sisters and they didn’t get it [become overeaters].”OA is anonymous, so that people in the group feel comfortable discussing their issues. There are no leaders, because OA does not want to be associated with any one particular person.“It is about principles before personality,” she said. “It is about keeping the organisation healthy. It is a very private thing, dealing with addiction. There is a lot of shame involved.”The group suggests eight tools for recovery: establishing an action plan for eating, sponsorship from an OA member who is living the 12 steps and willing to share their recovery, attending meetings, calling another member when in need of support, writing down feelings to help dispel them, reading approved OA books and pamphlets, maintaining anonymity and helping others in OA.“They say that it is like a design for living, not just a diet,” said Victoria. “For example, one of the tools is the telephone.“You reach out to other people when you are struggling. Another tool is writing; write about your feelings. Going to meetings is another way of coping. I find it such a loving programme.“We only have about five or six members at the moment. We are always looking for members, because obviously there is strength in numbers. You get support from each other and strength.”Victoria said she found OA’s approach very helpful because all the nutritionists and therapists she had talked with had always cited food as her problem.“They would say ‘stop eating this and lose this amount’,” she said. “My problems were much bigger. I was feeling uncomfortable in my own skin, and I was not coping with life.“Whether I was happy, scared, lonely or sad, I would always want to eat, which was so frustrating.”Nowadays she is doing very well. She has been eating in a healthy way and maintaining a healthy weight for seven years.“I feel like OA has totally changed my life,” she said. “When I came into OA I couldn’t string a day together of eating right. It has given me such a wonderful life.“I am having so much fun in my life. Sometimes it is difficult when you are tired or feeling hungry. I think normal people can comfort eat once in a while, but if you are a compulsive eater it is something you can’t do.”She said everyone struggling with eating issues is welcome at the meeting.There is no membership fee, but a small donation of $3 is suggested to help cover the cost of renting the room.“I want to emphasise that it is all based on ordinary people wanting to spread a message of hope,” said Victoria. “I don’t do it for any other reason than that it worked for me.“I am only continuing doing the programme to stay well. My only motivation for being interviewed about this is that I want to let other people who are suffering have the opportunity to get better as well.”OA meetings are every Wednesday from 1pm to 2pm and on Saturdays from 11am to noon in the Stevenson Room at Wesley Methodist Church on Church Street, Hamilton.All are welcome overeaters, bulimics and anorexics.For more information e-mail oabermuda[AT]hotmail.com.Useful website: www.oa.org.