The Compulsive Eaters Anonymous-HOW Concept has been formed to offer the compulsive eater who accepts the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions as a program of recovery a disciplined and structured approach. The CEA-HOW Groups have been formed in the belief that our disease is absolute and therefore only absolute acceptance of the CEA-HOW Concept will offer any sustained abstinence to those of us whose compulsion has reached a critical level.
Therefore, the CEA-HOW plan of eating, steps, traditions and tools of recovery are not suggested. Rather, we accept them as requirements for our recovery.
Meetings are dedicated to the concept of remaining Honest, Open-minded, and Willing to listen – this is the HOW of the program. We pray that the collective group conscience and love that these ideals offer us will promote a strong sense of security that will enable us to experience a new unity and wholeness with all those around us and that the CEA-HOW ideal will help us to progress in our program of recovery on a daily basis.
To be certain, much of our strength is found in the structure of meetings and in the daily adherence to the program as it is written in our literature.
Each Group also firmly understands that after our recovery has begun through abstinence and the taking of the first three steps, our further surrender to the additional steps of recovery offers us a promise of happiness, contentment, and achievement in all areas of our lives.
We ensure our continued and sustained abstinence from compulsive eating by being forever aware that God is doing for us what we have never been able to do for ourselves.
May God, as each of us understands Him, open our minds and hearts to the love which is manifest in this room.
Amen.