Letter to Faith Leaders
For food addicts, FA offers a spiritual solution that is compatible with any religion. This letter explains more.
Dear Faith Community Leader,
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA), is an international recovery program based on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.).
Members of FA have an addiction to food that parallels an alcoholic's relationship with alcohol. As with alcoholism and other addictions, no amount of willpower has led to a healthy attitude about food or body size.
Food addiction has manifested in us in many ways, including:
- Obesity or overeating
- Obsession with food, weight, or body image
- Undereating, using laxatives, or purging
- Compulsive exercise or dieting
FA is not a diet program or a religious group. Successful FA members have found long-term and sustained recovery from obsession with food and body size. The FA program offers at no cost:
- Abstinence from addictive eating by following a healthy food plan
- Daily help from a sponsor and fellow FA members
- Ongoing support in working the Twelve Steps of A.A. as adapted for food addiction
- Free daily online, telephone, and in person meetings
Faith Community Leaders are welcome to observe any FA meeting to learn more. For assistance, contact FA at pi@foodaddicts.org or call or text (781) 932-6300.
Sincerely,
FA Public Information Committee
If you are a FA Member who wants to send this letter to your local faith leader, you can download a copy of the letter to faith community leaders here. Click here for instructions on how to use the letter.
"I was amazed to hear people stand in front of the room and talk about the kinds of fears and uncertainties I'd always tried to hide. They said we had a disease, and they mentioned a spiritual solution. After the moment of relief that there were others like me, I began to feel afraid that the group was religious, that the people were going to try to convert me. I was wearing a Star of David that night, and without my saying a word, a Jewish woman suddently came over and sat next to me. She put her hand on my knee. "Relax," she said. "Just listen. No one wants anything from you. We're only here to help each other." All of my tightness and fear evaporated then."
- Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, p.55