Meetings are gatherings of two or more compulsive eaters who come together to share their personal experience and the strength and hope OA has given them. They are usually held once a week and run from an hour to an hour and a half. Though there are many types of meetings, fellowship with other compulsive eaters is the basis of them all.

NHI has over 25 registered meetings in our Intergroup.  We have a mix of face-to-face meetings, Zoom meetings, and telephone meetings.  Additional meetings outside of New Hampshire can be located on the OA World Service’s Find a Meeting page

Meeting Definitions

According to the Traditions, bylaws and policies of OA, the only requirement for OA membership is the desire to stop eating compulsively. We ask each person attending to respect the meeting’s group conscience. All registered meetings welcome and give a voice to any person who has the desire to stop eating compulsively.

Open Meeting

Open meetings are open to OA members and non-OA visitors. All meetings are considered open unless otherwise indicated.

Closed Meeting

Closed meetings are restricted to those who desire to stop eating compulsively (OA members and others who think they may have a problem with food).

NOTE: Not all meetings have a Special Focus or Special Topic.

Special Focus Meetings

Identified as gay and lesbian, women’s, 100-pounders, maintainers, anorexic/bulimic, etc., these meetings are composed of individuals who feel they can more readily identify with fellow OAers with similar attributes.

Special Topic Meetings

Identified as Big Book Study, Lifeline, Speaker, Newcomer, etc., these meetings have a defined topic of discussion.

Meeting Information

Please be aware that meeting information is as current as the communication NHI receives from the groups. Though each meeting has a contact person, it isn’t necessary to call a meeting’s contact person to attend a meeting. However, the contact person can confirm the meeting place and time, give you directions to the meeting, and answer questions about the program. To connect with a contact person for a specific meeting, please call our 24 hour answering service at 1-800-201-8720 (toll free in NH, ME, MA, VT only).

Group Secretary Information

Registering a meeting ensures it will be listed in NHI’s directory. The group secretary connects the meeting to NHI, making sure that NHI has current meeting and contact information. He or she is also responsible for distributing information from the NHI – such as newsletters, surveys and other mail – to group members. When changes to the meeting details occur, please submit them to NHI using the online registration/change form or email the Meeting List Coordinator.