Honesty,
Open-mindedness, and Willingness (H.O.W.)
ARE YOU A COMPULSIVE EATER?
Do you eat when you're not hungry?
Do you go on eating binges for no apparent reason?
Do you have feelings of guilt and remorse after compulsively eating?
Do you give too much time and thought to food?
Do you look forward with pleasure and anticipation to the moments when you
can eat alone?
Do you plan these secret binges ahead of time?
Do you eat sensibly before others and make up for it alone?
Is your weight affecting the way you live your life?
Have you tried to diet for a week (or longer), only to fall short of your
goal?
Do you resent others telling you to "use a little willpower" to stop
compulsively eating?
Despite evidence to the contrary, have you continued to assert that you can
diet "on your own" whenever you wish?
Do you crave to eat at a definite time, day or night, other than mealtime?
Do you eat to escape from worries or trouble?
Have you ever been treated for obesity or a food-related condition?
Does your eating behavior make you or others unhappy?
Have you answered yes to three or more of these questions? If so, it is
probable that you have or are well on the way to having a compulsive eating
problem. We have found that the way to arrest this progressive disease is to
practice the twelve-step recovery program of Compulsive Eaters
Anonymous-HOW.
WHAT IS COMPULSIVE EATERS ANONYMOUS HOW?
CEA-HOW is a Fellowship of men and women who meet to share their experience,
strength, and hope with one another in order that they may solve their
common problem and help those who still suffer to recover from compulsive
eating. HOW meetings offer a disciplined and structured approach to the
compulsive eater who accepts the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions as a program of
recovery.
PURPOSE OF CEA-HOW
Our primary purpose is to stop eating compulsively...and we welcome in
fellowship and friendly understanding all those who share our common
problem.
REQUIREMENT FOR MEMBERSHIP
A desire to stop eating compulsively.
COST FOR MEMBERSHIP
There are no dues or fees for CEA-HOW membership. We are self-supporting
through our own contributions.
WHAT CEA-HOW OFFERS YOU
Acceptance- of you as you are now, as you were, as you will be.
Understanding- of the problems you face now and share, almost certainly,
with others in the group.
Communication - since we find that we identify with each other,
communication becomes the natural result of our mutual understanding and
acceptance.
Relief - having found acceptance, understanding, and communication with
others, we have found relief from our illness and help toward a new
self-acceptance and self-understanding.
Power - by the acceptance and understanding of oneself, by the practice of
the twelve-step recovery program, by the belief in a power greater than
oneself, by the support and companionship of the group, a door is opened to
a new way of life.
IS CEA-HOW FOR YOU?
Only you can decide that question...no one else can make this decision for
you. We who are now in CEA-HOW have found a way of life which enables us to
live without the need for excess food. We believe that compulsive eating is
a progressive illness...one that, like alcoholism and some other illnesses,
can be arrested. Remember, there is no shame in admitting you have a
problem; the most important thing is to do something about it.
