About Us
LA HOW is the Los Angeles community of CEA-HOW — a Twelve Step fellowship for people who suffer from compulsive eating, anorexia, and bulimia.
What is CEA-HOW?
Compulsive Eaters Anonymous – HOW is a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience and mutual support, are recovering from compulsive eating. The HOW in our name describes how we approach the program: Honest, Open-minded, and Willing. Our program of recovery is based on the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous, and on a structured, disciplined approach to food and to working the Steps.
Our Purpose
Our primary purpose is to abstain from compulsive eating and to carry the message of recovery to those who still suffer. We are not a diet club, and we take no position on outside issues — including nutrition science, medical treatment, or weight-loss programs. CEA-HOW is a spiritual program, not a religious one; members of all faiths and none are welcome.
What Does It Cost?
There are no dues or fees for membership. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively. We are fully self-supporting through our own voluntary contributions (our Seventh Tradition), and we neither seek nor accept outside funding.
What Does It Offer?
- Meetings every day of the week — online, by phone, and in person — where members share experience, strength, and hope.
- A structured way of working the Twelve Steps, with a sponsor's guidance, one day at a time.
- A community that understands compulsive eating from the inside, and a local Intergroup that connects our meetings and puts on workshops and fellowship events.
Is It For You?
Only you can decide. If you have tried to control your eating on your own and found you couldn't do it alone, you are welcome to visit any meeting and listen — no commitment, no cost, and no one will ask you to say anything you don't want to. Anonymity is the foundation of our fellowship: who you see and what you hear at a meeting stays there.