Step 1

1
In preparation for the workshop, we ask that you:
1) Obtain a paper copy of the book, Eating Disorders Anonymous, referenced throughout this workshop as the EDA
Big Book, available from online retailers (there is a free PDF version at www.4EDA.org if needed).
2) Read the Preface (pp. xi-xviii)
3) Read Gisele’s Story of Hope (Chapter 1, pp. 51-68) and More About Eating Disorders (Chapter 3, pp. 84-98).
4) Download the Zoom application on your computer, smartphone, or tablet.
5) Write about the five questions in #7 of this handout.
All of the workshop handouts can be found at EDAHopeForRecovery.com

Welcome!
This workshop is intended to give you an experience of the 12 steps of Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA). We hope
it will provide a meaningful experience, particularly for those who have not yet found a sponsor, but a workshop is
not a substitute for having a sponsor so please continue your efforts to find one. The opinions expressed here are
those of the person speaking, and do not necessarily represent EDA as a whole.

Workshop Guidelines
• Have your EDA Big Book with you • When sharing, please do NOT mention
• Have your camera on, if possible numbers, specific foods, or food plans
• Try to attend all workshop sessions and be on • Do the homework to the best of your
time ability
• Maintain the anonymity and privacy of • Try not to multi-task
members of this workshop by not sharing • Be gentle with yourself – remember that
anything you hear or see here unless it is we do our best, and no one does it
about yourself perfectly

1. Is there a food plan in EDA? “There are no food plans in EDA. EDA endorses sound nutrition and discourages
any form of rigidity around food. Balance – not abstinence – is our goal. We encourage our members to work
with qualified professionals, such as registered dietitians and therapists trained in treating eating disorders”.
(from brochure Frequently Asked Questions)
2. What distinguishes EDA from some other 12-Step programs?
• A focus on balance not abstinence. “EDA’s focus on balance and perspective, rather than abstinence,
distinguishes it from most other Twelve-Step fellowships. EDA fully embraces the Twelve Step concept that
‘recovery is a process not an event.’ When recovery entails dealing with food, something we need almost
as much as air and water, any rigid approach to food-related behaviors — including thinking of food as ‘an
addiction’— simply did not work for us. We think our approach is effective because it focuses our attention
on changes that lead to long-term success.” (EDA Big Book, p. xi)
• Freedom from eating disorder symptoms is seen as a product of working the steps, and not a necessary
condition for beginning or continuing them. A return of eating disorder symptoms is understood to be an
opportunity for growth, if dealt with openly and honestly. “We would like to assure all readers that it is
completely normal for someone with an eating disorder to continue to engage in old patterns of thought
and behavior until they have – through repeated and determined practice – learned to rely more heavily on
a new foundation created through working the Twelve Steps.” (EDA Big Book, p. 111)

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Excerpts from Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA) literature have been reprinted with the permission of the General Service Board.
 • Full recovery. With time and practice, we fine we react sanely and normally when old patterns of thought
come up. “This rich, full recovery is not an overnight matter. Like happiness, it is a byproduct of thinking
and doing the right things, including focusing on and reinforcing the positives—recognizing what we are
doing right and celebrating it. Trusting the process, working the steps, and using the tools, even if it takes
time, does lead to changes in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.” (from brochure Fully Recovered)

• A focus on feelings, not food. EDA literature repeatedly emphasizes that recovery is about feelings not
food. We discovered our eating disordered behaviors and obsessions were motivated by powerful
feelings, and thoughts. Through using the tools of our program, such as meetings, sponsorship, literature,
service and step work, we develop healthier responses to these thoughts and feelings.

• Higher Purpose. Like other 12 step programs EDA is spiritually based. However, in addition to, or instead
of a Higher Power, EDA embraces the idea of serving a purpose greater than ourselves. This provides
atheists and agnostics a culture of acceptance and opportunity to find full recovery through working the
steps from a slightly different perspective. Relying on ideas of significance beyond ourselves to provide
meaning, perspective, and opportunities to be of service reliably produces good results.

• Milestones. In keeping with EDA’s focus on balance not abstinence, we celebrate milestones of recovery,
instead of counting numbers such as days or years in the program. “A ‘milestone of recovery’ is a self-
defined marker on our journey in recovery. It is essential to recognize that even on our worst days we do
things that are right and good and supportive of our recovery. Milestones – which take myriad, and often
surprising forms – are bright spots in our meetings that inspire us with their honesty and reality. We find,
often in retrospect, that our milestones express how we are working the principles of the program in our
lives.” (from brochure Recovery, Milestones and Balance in EDA)

Taking Care of Basic Needs: The importance and priority of taking responsibility for meeting our own basic
needs is a key concept in EDA. We build trust in ourselves when we do this. With this increase in trust, we are
better prepared for the work required for recovery. (EDA Big Book, pp. xv-xvi)
• “Eat when hungry, stop when moderately full. Consistent nutrition is essential for recovery. Recovery is
about feelings, not food, but we can’t reason or build trust when bingeing, purging, or starving.
• Get basic needs met first. If hungry, eat. If angry, find a safe outlet. If lonely, reach out. If tired, sleep. If
ashamed, talk about it.
• Ask others for input, then make your own decisions.
• When anxious or troubled, do something that focuses attention on your physical senses, get outside, pray,
or meditate. Then deal with the problem head-on.
• Get open with others. Honesty restores integrity.
• Develop willingness to look at things differently. Recovery is not rigid.
• Go to Twelve-Step meetings, read the literature, and work the Steps with a sponsor
• Be proactive and plan your recovery.”

3. Balance: “In EDA, our aim is balance: a balanced perspective, and a balanced life. We are comfortable with
the knowledge that our ideas will grow and expand as we go through life. We strive for progress, not
perfection.
We find it helpful to think of balance like the legs of a chair. We need to maintain strength and stability in four
areas of life to stay in balance:
• physical (nutrition/sleep/exercise; using our bodies to connect to joy – i.e. sunsets, hugging, music)
• mental/intellectual (stimulating/challenging work and being of service)
• emotional/social (building strong relationships; developing healthy levels of trust and engagement)
• spiritual/purpose-oriented (relying on Higher Power/higher purpose to gain humility and perspective)
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Excerpts from Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA) literature have been reprinted with the permission of the General Service Board.
 When any one of these ‘legs’ becomes weak, we are at risk of losing our balance. Balance is different for each
person, but we know we are in balance when we are free from obsession with food, weight, exercise and body
image.” (from brochure Recovery, Milestones and Balance in EDA)

4. What does EDA not do? “In EDA we focus on the solution, not the problem. We are not a ‘diet and calories
club.’ EDA endorses sound nutrition and discourages any form of rigidity around food. Food is nourishment
for mind, body and soul. In meetings, we discuss our disordered thinking so that we might also discuss how to
work a solution. Diets and weight management techniques do not solve our thinking problem. Because of
our competitive natures, we discourage any mention of numbers (weight, calories, time spent exercising,
etc.).” (from brochure Could you be one of us?)

5. Breakout Session: Small group sharing where each member will have an opportunity to:
1. Introduce yourself.
2. Share what you hope to get from this workshop and/or why you decided to attend.
3. Share your contact information verbally if you wish to and/or you can share it towards the end of
today’s workshop when we open the zoom chat feature.
Step 1 “We admitted we were powerless over our eating disorders—that our lives had become
unmanageable. We finally had to admit that what we were doing wasn’t working.”
(EDA Big Book, Appendix A, p. 482)

6. Step 1 Reading & Sharing: Reading of Step One directly from the EDA Big Book (pp. 115-117).

7. Sharing on the following five questions:

1. What methods have you tried to control your eating, body and weight?
2. How has your eating disorder made your life unmanageable? Examples include: obsessing about food/
weight/exercise/body image, guilt, cancelling plans, eating rituals, restricting, stealing, sneaking and
hoarding food.
3. Do you often feel unhappy, upset, or panicked about your eating, weight, and/or body?
4. Are you, at times, powerless to stop or start eating, even when you really want to? Do you often eat so
much or so little that it affects your plans for the day?
5. “Do you think you might have a problem with eating and/or weight control not mentioned above?”
(from brochure Could you be one of us?)

Homework
1. Referring to the four-legged chair, write about your current state of balance or imbalance in these four
areas of your life: Physical, Mental/Intellectual, Emotional/Social, and Spiritual/Purpose-oriented.
Be sure to note areas where you do feel balanced, as well as those where you would like more balance.
2. Study the chapter, “Doctors’ Opinions” in the EDA Big Book (pp. xix-xxx), and mark or select some
passages or quotes that especially resonate with you.
3. Write about the five questions, if you haven’t already.
4. Throughout this workshop, and throughout recovery, peer support will be one of your most important
resources. Call at least one person from this workshop or the EDA fellowship between now and the next
session, and share from your writing or any of the passages from the readings that resonated with you.
5. Attend as many EDA meetings as you can.

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Excerpts from Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA) literature have been reprinted with the permission of the General Service Board.
 Wrap-Up

Taking care of basic needs is a concept repeated frequently in EDA literature. Take time this week to listen to
your inner wisdom and begin or continue to prioritize taking care of your own basic needs. Also aim to focus on
what you are doing right – celebrate your milestones.

Closing
God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

IN KEEPING WITH OUR 7TH TRADITION, WE ARE SELF-SUPPORTING THROUGH OUR OWN CONTRIBUTIONS. PLEASE CONTRIBUTE AS YOU
CAN BY GOING TO THE SUPPORT PAGE OF THE EDA WEBSITE, SCROLLING DOWN, AND CLICKING ON A Donate BUTTON.

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Excerpts from Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA) literature have been reprinted with the permission of the General Service Board.