This is funny because I was checking them out online yesterday so I could get some advice on how to control my binge eating. Gotta say I was disappointed with the set up. They wanted me to set up a completely new email account so I could have access to the group so I checked out a different ed site...this one wanted my main phone number so they could contact me. um, No.
Granted, these were online experiences, so maybe if you are able to attend an actual meeting, your experience will be a positive one. For now I feel like I need to put together my own recovery plan. :/

IT WORKS! I've stuck with 12 step programs for almost 2 years now to treat my eating disorder. I almost died of mine. I went to a treatment center that was twelve step based. I've been an eating disorder sponsor for a long time now. It's a real life saver and teaches you how to cope with so much more than just the food aspect of your life. It's never a bad option to try, and it's free. The key is to stick with it and KEEP GOING TO AS MANY MEETINGS AS YOU CAN. Real life meetings are best, but when you're in a pinch they also have a list of telephone meetings and online meetings on the OA website.

both are excellent points! perhaps i should muster up the courage to give it a try. trying anything at this point would be good for me. thanks so much for all the input!

it definitely works - I am a member too.

I was encouraged to go to the meetings, even though my ED didn't included over eating. While I was in treatment I went to a couple and they were fairly helpful. There aren't any I can go to in my home town though. If I had the opportunity, I would take it.

For those of you who are OA members, may I ask for advice? What I was really searching for were some tips on changing my cognitive behavior and coping skills. What are some of the changes you have had to make to help you gain control of your urge to hide behind food?

pandora...that is a loaded question. It is not just one thing. mostly it is working through the issues behind why I would restrict, binge or purge. if I did not/do not deal with my feelings, I would not/will not have recovery from this. This is a chronic disease so the work is on going. It is not like you do XYZ and are fixed. It is a lot of work to get well but it is a lot of work to be sick too. I choose to spend my time on energy on getting well. I also stay away from trigger foods, white flour, white sugar, processed foods. My meal plans include whole foods - as close to their natural state as possible/the less processed the better. This has helped me in SO many ways. I am finally feeding my body the food it is looking for... the quality of the food we eat has a HUGE impact on our state of mind, the choice we make and this disease.

Thank you Cal7. I realize my question cannot be answered with a simple cut and dry answer but what you did say really does help me. :)
I've been dealing with ed's since age 14 (so that's a LOT of years!) and you are the first person who has mentioned focusing energy on healing. Usually I'm told to "go take a walk" or "just don't eat those foods"....maybe I'm too slow in the head but those bits of advice do nothing for me.
I appreciate your time and answer; be well ~*~

don't you love that helpful advice pandora? i love it when people say "you know if you'd eat less and move more you'd lose weight."

no really?? sometimes i think people think i'm stupid. i get it rationally. it's the rest that messes me up.

i think what cal said is really the core issue for me. for too long i've felt broken and that the only way i'd ever be thin was to be deprived and miserable. i don't think we're put here on this earth to suffer, so why do i participate in it so freely? why am i so mean to myself? if i talked to others the way i talk to myself, i just don't know.