Paul P., a Hoboken resident, began struggling with his weight in 1982 after he ended a 15-year smoking habit. His weight jumped 20 pounds in one year.
Paul attempted to shed the weight through programs like Weight Watchers and found the results unsatisfying. His weight still fluctuated, and then it shot up again 12 years later when he lost his job due to corporate downsizing.
Paul said that during this time, he realized his “eating was out of control,” leading him to consume as many as three full meals late at night.
“I told my doctor that my eating was out of control,” Paul said recently, “and he didn’t have a thing to say to me.”
Surprised by the doctor’s reaction, Paul continued to privately search for a solution and found his answer in the form of a newspaper ad for the Hoboken branch of Overeaters Anonymous (OA).
Thanks to a bevy of support groups in the area, residents no longer have to face their problems alone. Area groups focus on conditions ranging from overeating to low self-esteem to sex addiction to various physical ailments, utilizing peer involvement to provide a safe environment for sufferers.
“The most important thing when you are facing any problem is knowing that you’re not alone, and that is the true value of support groups,” said Joan Quigley, a spokesperson for St. Mary Hospital in Hoboken, recently. “We all benefit from helping one another. Personally, I find it beneficial to have a model of success, to know someone who has survived or overcome the problem that I am facing.”
Such is the purpose of OA. Although OA does not prescribe a specific eating plan, Paul has found the program a success. “[The sessions deal with] the underlying concepts that make people eat,” he said. “I feel better about myself. My weight is under control.”
Overeaters Anonymous meets every Sunday at Saint Mary Hospital in Hoboken. OA is a worldwide organization with 9,000 meetings in 60 countries.
Paul largely attributes his success with OA to the program’s incorporation of the 12 steps. “[The 12 steps are] like life principles,” he said. “There is a spiritual side, which has nothing to do with religion. It just has to do with being a better person.”
This philosophy has encouraged the attendance of people suffering from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. However, not everyone who attends OA falls into one extreme of the eating spectrum. “Many people that [attend meetings] aren’t terribly obese or thin; they just have some issues with food,” Paul said.
Paul summed up the benefits of support groups. “A group environment seems to work better,” he said. “People do better. They go to a meeting and they see people. There is some commitment as far as time and effort and it translates over.”
Sex addiction
D.L., a 28-year-old Hoboken resident, came to a crossroads in his life three years ago. A sex addiction that started when he was a teenager was bringing his relationships with his family, friends and fianc