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New to Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous?
If food, body image, or control feel like they take up more space in your life than you want, you are not alone.
Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous offers a recovery path grounded in compassion, shared experience, and the Twelve Steps.
This space is for you.
Many people arrive at ABA feeling uncertain, conflicted, or unsure whether this is the right place for them. Some are actively struggling. Others are simply looking for understanding or relief.
This page is meant to walk alongside you, offering information and reassurance as you decide what feels right for you.
If you are a friend or family member seeking support for yourself, you may also want to learn about our sister organization, Ab-Anon, which is specifically focused on supporting those who care about someone with an eating disorder.
"The only requirement for ABA membership is a desire to stop unhealthy eating practices..." - ABA's Third Tradition
Not sure if you belong? Don't worry, that feeling is common. This page is intended to help you learn more about ABA. We also recommend attending 6-12 ABA meetings to help you decide if ABA is right for you.
How ABA Is Structured
In ABA, many of us came to see that our eating disorder wasn’t really about food. It was about an intense mental obsession and a powerful need to control food, weight, shape, or exercise in order to feel okay.
ABA approaches recovery in two connected ways:
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Sobriety in our eating practices, so the mental obsession can begin to quiet
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A Twelve Step program, which supports long-term emotional and spiritual healing
Recovery is not about willpower or perfect behavior. It’s about learning, with support, how to live without the constant pull of the eating disorder.
What does “sobriety” mean in ABA?
In ABA, sobriety means letting go of control over food, weight, exercise, and body shape, one day at a time. Many of us learned that as long as we were still trying to manage or control these things, the mental obsession never truly stopped.
In early recovery, this often means accepting help from others around food. Over time, as clarity returns and the Twelve Steps are practiced, many people experience a new sense of ease and freedom around eating and their bodies.
Sobriety is not something we force. It’s something we receive, with support.
Our Sobriety is Surrender article provides a deeper look at how ABA defines sobriety.
What actually happens in a meeting?
ABA meetings are structured, respectful, and focused on recovery. Most meetings include a welcome, a short reading, and time for sharing. Sharing is always optional. You can attend without speaking and without turning on your camera.
Meetings honor anonymity and are kept within a set timeframe. Each group is a little different, so if one doesn’t feel right, trying another is encouraged.
Some meetings offer optional fellowship time afterward, where people can stay and ask questions or connect informally.
You might be wondering if ABA is for you.
People come to ABA with many different experiences. Some have been diagnosed. Others haven’t. Some are underweight, some are not. What connects us is the experience of being trapped by thoughts and behaviors around food and our bodies.
If you find yourself constantly thinking about food, weight, or control, or if you’ve tried to change these patterns without lasting relief, ABA may be worth exploring.
See our questionnaire Do You Have an Eating Disorder for more clarity.
A simple next step
The best way to understand ABA is to experience it. We suggest attending 6-12 different meetings before deciding whether this fellowship is right for you.
Reading the ABA Meeting Preamble may help you feel ready to attend.
ABA Zoom meetings are safe and supportive spaces for people recovering from eating disorders. Each meeting usually begins with the Serenity Prayer, the ABA Preamble, followed by a reading from the ABA Book. Some meetings feature a speaker who shares their experience, and then time is opened for members to share. Members may share in turn or by raising their hand, with the chairperson helping to guide the flow so everyone has a chance. Meetings are kept within a set timeframe, honor anonymity, and follow ABA’s Steps and Traditions. After some meetings, members can stay for an informal social time to connect with others in fellowship. ABA does offer some in-person meetings, as well.
Additional reading you may find helpful.
Some people find it useful to spend a little more time reading or reflecting as they consider whether ABA is right for them. The links below offer further context about ABA’s approach, common questions, and spiritual tools that some members find supportive.
These materials are optional. You’re welcome to explore them now, later, or not at all.
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We're Here to Help
If you’re not sure where to begin or need more information about our work, feel free to reach out. We’re glad you’re here.
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