Common Member Questions

I am interested in attending CEA-HOW meetings; however, there are none in my area. What do I do? Can you give me guidelines for starting a new meeting?

Thank you for your inquiry about attending a CEA-HOW meeting. Click on the button and you will find a searchable list of meetings.

If there are no meetings in your area, you may want to try the Phone Bridge meetings.  This will take you to the Phone Bridge page which will explain how Phone Bridge meetings work.  Under the heading Meeting Schedules, you can click on English or Spanish to see a schedule of Phone Bridge meetings in either language.

After 30 days of abstinence, you can chose to start a local face-to-face meeting (see Starting a Meeting and Starter Kit under Help with Meetings).

I am interested in starting a meeting in my town. How would I go about getting a starter kit and literature?

To start a new meeting, you must decide on a date and time, and determine a meeting location.  The contact person or secretary for the proposed new meeting goes to the Starting a New Meeting page. Meeting requirements are listed on that page, as well as instructions for requesting approval and registration of a new meeting.

If the CEA-HOW meeting guidelines listed on the registration page are met, the secretary or contact person completes the information required online and clicks SUBMIT.  WSO receives the request and emails the proposed Intergroup with which the meeting will be affiliated to inform the Intergroup a new meeting is forming in its Intergroup.  A response is requested from the Intergroup in 5 days; when the Intergroup notifies WSO that the proposed meeting is in the appropriate Intergroup WSO assigns a meeting number to the new meeting and registers it; the meeting immediately appears on the CEA-HOW website meeting list.  Concurrently, WSO sends notice of registration and the meeting starter packet to the contact person for the new meeting, together with contact information for its Intergroup.   The Intergroup is also notified of registration of the new meeting.

Email or call WSO for additional assistance if needed.

Crosstalk is just one member’s response to another member’s share, and common sense and respectful behavior are suggested. We respect our fellows’ right to share in a safe environment, and we do not interrupt or draw attention to ourselves during a fellow’s share.

Each group determines its guidelines for crosstalk. Keep in mind our Fourth Tradition which reminds us that “Each Group should be autonomous except in matters affect other Groups or CEA-HOW as a whole.”’  See Crosstalk Article.

BASIC CEA-HOW MEETING REQUIREMENTS

• The primary purpose of a CEA-HOW meeting is to carry the message of CEA-HOW recovery; therefore, no other 12-Step fellowships, literature or recovery facilities are mentioned during the meeting.
• The abstinence requirement (30-days or 7days with sponsor’s approval) is upheld in meetings.
• Anonymity is maintained during and following the meeting, i.e., pictures are not taken during the meeting and what is heard or seen at the meeting stays at the meeting.
• Every meeting contains the four readings:  the 12 Steps, the 12 Traditions, the CEA-HOW Concept, and the CEA-HOW 7 Tools of Recovery.  The 7 Tools are read by a member with 30 days of abstinence
• The Leader of the meeting has 30 days of abstinence and has stepped up to be a Food Sponsor (see Sponsor Guidelines).  The Leader ensures the meeting follows CEA-HOW guidelines and begins and ends on time.  The meeting follows a specific format as listed on the meeting lists so members come prepared with their literature.
• To assure the safety and comfort of all members, it is the responsibility of the Meeting Secretary to ensure that the CEA-HOW guidelines are followed during the meeting and that the meeting format is adhered to: timing of leads and pitches is followed, the group’s crosstalk guideline is followed, no outside issues are raised, members are respectful, there are no distractions from within or outside the group.
• A 7^th Tradition collection is taken at every meeting and members are encouraged to give back to the fellowship and support all levels of the Fellowship in carrying the message of recovery from compulsive eating through the CEA-HOW Program.
• During qualification at the end of the reading of The 7 Tools, all sponsors qualify by giving only their abstinence date, weight change, sponsor level, and whether they are available. Qualifying, even if you are not available, is one of the strongest messages we carry to a newcomer or struggling member.

GENERAL CEA-HOW MEETING PRACTICES

• Crosstalk as defined by group conscience is stated in the meeting format and is not practiced (see Crosstalk Article on the www.ceahow.org website Meeting Assistance page)
• CEA-HOW Literature is put on display and available for purchase at every meeting.  It is important to display all literature so that members can see what is available; members need to see all of the CEA-HOW literature that is available to assist us in our recovery. Only conference-approved literature is sold at the meetings or referenced during the meetings.
• Step-up ceremonies are held to show the program works and to celebrate the strength of the program.
• Anniversary celebrations are held during meetings to recognize periods of abstinence and to show members that abstinence is attainable. Celebrating abstinence anniversaries is a form of doing service.
• Members make a point of greeting newcomers and welcoming them to the meeting.
• Business meetings are held on a regular basis or when issues arise, with a 2-week notice period
• All strong groups incorporate an awareness of the 12 Traditions in their meetings.  All Traditions support Tradition 1, — Unity, and Tradition 5 — singleness of purpose. Four Traditions bear specific mention in relation to successful meetings.  This means that, in practice, based on these Traditions we do not mention therapy approaches, other 12-Step groups, treatment centers, authors, publications other than CEA-HOW and AA literature, church or religious organizations, or  media personalities.  All of these practices distract from our primary purpose of spreading the CEA-HOW message and no other and they divide us from each other.  The Traditions, as paraphrased, are:

o        Tradition 1:  Unity, our common welfare.  We are all here because we are compulsive eaters recovering in the CEA-HOW program.  When we talk about another program, therapy, etc., we become divided because not all members are in other programs, therapies, etc.  Our strength lies in our unity.

o        Tradition 5:  The primary purpose of a CEA-HOW meeting is to carry the message that there is recovery from compulsive eating. We share other addictions or concerns in other programs or venues.

o        Tradition 6:  A CEA-HOW group does not lend its name, endorsement, or financial support to other related programs or facilities so that issues of money, property, and prestige do not divert the group from the primary purpose of carrying the message of recovery.

o        Tradition 10:  A CEA-HOW group has no opinion on outside issues and stays out of public controversy.

SERVICE POSITIONS

• Meeting service positions are filled for 6 months to one year and rotation of service among members is critical to a strong meeting so all may participate; rotation of service is especially important in providing newer members the opportunity to grow and give back.   Service positions are filled by members who meet abstinence requirements; all members are encouraged to review their meeting service positions, duties, and abstinence requirements by reviewing the Structure of Meetings found on the website on the Meeting Assistance page. All members take turns doing service.  Service to a meeting is a privilege and a way to give back and ensure the meeting will be there for the newcomer just as members made sure it was there for you.
• The meeting Treasurer completes the Meeting Financial Record form weekly and reports monthly to the meeting; donations are distributed to the Intergroup, Area, and WSO on a monthly basis.
• The meeting Intergroup Representative attends every Intergroup Meeting taking the meeting’s concerns to the Intergroup and reporting back with information from the Intergroup.  The IG Rep makes copies to be placed on the literature table of all event flyers and information passed out at the IG Meeting. The Representative also provides information found on the CEA-HOW website to the members and keeps them updated by making announcements of upcoming events, News You Can Use, and Just Ask information.
• The Sponsor Workshop Chairperson service position is an important meeting service position. The Sponsor Workshop Chairperson facilitates sponsor workshops which are held monthly (following the meeting and lasting for ½ to ¾ hour; basic CEA-HOW practices are discussed in an open forum environment).  The Chair also announces during the meeting that newcomers should meet her/him at a designated spot in the room after the meeting and she/he will help them find a sponsor.
• A suggested meeting service position is a member who takes each newcomer’s contact information and ensures that each newcomer is called or emailed after the meeting (the same day or the next) to continue the welcome and get them started on the outreach phone calls.

What is the policy about closing a CEA-HOW meeting early if there are not enough members with 7 or more days of abstinence and letting those who do not meet the abstinence requirement share?Do you have suggestions for alternatives to this practice?

People come into CEA-HOW because of the structure.  When we deviate from the structure, we are sending members, especially newcomers, a mixed message.

CEA-HOW experience has shown that the program works as it is written.  One bottom-line promise that CEA-HOW should always be able to fulfill is that when you attend a CEA-HOW meeting anywhere in the world, you will hear an abstinent share.  This is a distinguishing feature of CEA-HOW.

When a meeting registers with CEA-HOW, it affirms that it complies with the CEA-HOW guidelines,  Note particularly the following guidelines:

• To promote recovery from compulsive eating, CEA-HOW meetings employ a 30-day CEA-HOW abstinence requirement in order to share at a meeting or 7 days if a person has discussed their sharing with their CEA-HOW sponsor.  (emphasis added)
• Adherence to abstinence requirements to pitch, per the 7 Tools of CEA-HOW

CEA-HOW is an inclusive program — our meetings include recovery.  Recovery is in sharing the solution, not in sharing the problem.   We all know about the problem, that’s why we come to CEA-HOW.   “There is a solution;” and members at meetings want to hear it.

The CEA-HOW program is designed specifically for the purpose of finding fellowship and recovery and to give all members, including the struggling compulsive eater, every possible opportunity to share the pain and to hear recovery.  In order to work the program, abstinent or not, we are required to share as set forth in our 7 Tools:

• We go to three meetings a week where we hear about recovery and solutions to our problems; then,
• We share our personal struggles with:
  • Our sponsor
  • Three outreach calls a day,
  • Fellowship before and after our three meetings a week.

Further, the practice of “closing” a meeting to allow non-abstinent shares is outside the parameters of Tradition 4 because it affects CEA-HOW as a whole.  If a meeting is a registered CEA-HOW meeting, it is affirming it is following the CEA-HOW guidelines.  If a member needs a CEA-HOW meeting and attends a registered meeting that has “closed” early and hears only non-abstinent sharing, CEA-HOW as a whole is affected because members cannot trust registered meetings to be CEA-HOW meetings.

The best solution to the dilemma is of course for people to get abstinent!  Until they do, other options a meeting could choose are:

• Listen to a taped speaker;
• Read conference-approved literature such as the AA Big Book;
• Have a 5-minute quiet reflection followed by 5 minutes of writing with anyone meeting the abstinent requirement sharing their writings

Recovery is found when the CEA-HOW program is followed as written and the voice of recovery is heard in the meetings.  CEA-HOW is unified by the CEA-HOW Concept, 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, and 7 Tools.  We find strength and unity in knowing that the CEA-HOW program is constant throughout the world.

One of our CEA-HOW groups took a group conscience and decided to forgo the policy on the qualification for seven days with permission of the sponsor or thirty days abstinence to share.  Does this violate the tradition of “Each group is autonomous, except in matters affecting other groups or CEA-HOW as a whole?”  In other words, is this something they can have a group conscience about, if it will indeed affect other groups?

Thank you for your concern in maintaining the strength and integrity of the CEA-HOW program.

The Seven Tools, which state we must have 30 days abstinence to pitch or seven days if discussed with our sponsor, are contained in the CEA-HOW Bylaws; CEA-HOW as a whole is subject to the Bylaws on which we are founded.  For this reason, a registered CEA-HOW group cannot take a group conscience to forgo the abstinence requirement to pitch.  Such a group conscience does affect CEA-HOW as a whole.  Further, it is outside the guidelines of Tradition Four.

A meeting is free to take a group conscience not to follow the abstinence requirement; however, that meeting would no longer be in compliance with the CEA-HOW Bylaws, Tradition Four or the CEA-HOW guidelines and is not eligible to be registered on the CEA-HOW website.  CEA-HOW as a whole is affected if members cannot rely on meetings listed on the CEA-HOW website to be in compliance with CEA-HOW guidelines and provide CEA-HOW recovery.  It is a disservice to the fellowship to register a meeting which does not follow the CEA-HOW guidelines.

There are many opportunities for all CEA-HOW members to share.  The structure of Compulsive Eaters Anonymous – HOW is set up to not only encourage but to require all members to share on a regular basis, whether abstinent or not. All CEA-HOW members who are working the CEA-HOW program share with their sponsors on a daily basis, in three outreach calls a day, through their daily writing, and through fellowship before and after meetings.

The purpose for sharing at a meeting is to carry the message of recovery.

Group consciences are guided by all our Traditions.  Traditions One (CEA-HOW unity), Two (our Higher Power as expressed through a group conscience), and Four (matters affecting CEA-HOW as a whole) are particularly important.

Letter sent to Alcoholics Anonymous – January 22, 2015

Dear [AA],

We thank AA for granting permission to Compulsive Eaters Anonymous-HOW for use of the 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, and 12 Concepts of Service with the appropriate disclaimer (AA Literature Policy July 1998). We appreciate your generosity and respect the guidelines for use contained in your letter.

We are frequently asked by our members whether in reading AA literature a substitution of words is permissible, i.e., substituting the words “compulsive eater” for “alcoholic” or “compulsive eating” for “alcohol ” when reading Chapter Five at the beginning of a meeting or when reading from the Big Book or 12&12 in book study meetings   We interpret the intent of your July 17, 1998, letter as a request not to verbally use such substitutions. However, we would appreciate clarification from AA in writing on this point to assist our fellowship in respecting AA’s position.  May we have permission to adapt and to recite adapted AA literature in our meetings and special events?

CEA-HOW World Service Office

Response from Alcoholics Anonymous

January 23, 2015

The answer to your question, unfortunately, is no, you may not have permission to adapt and to recite adapted AA literature in your meetings and special events.

Sincerely,

Darlene G. Smith
Intellectual Property Administrator
A.A. World Services, Inc.

A member is using a food plan from a commercial dieting program. She told her group she is abstinent on this plan and would like to sponsor. She says she won’t mention she is on a different food plan. Her group told her she couldn’t sponsor.

Sponsor Guidelines booklet (Types of CEA-HOW Sponsors) details the requirements for sponsorship in the CEA-HOW program. One of the requirements for each type of sponsor is continuous CEA-HOW abstinence which is abstinence following the CEA-HOW food plan as set out in Forever Abstinent. The WSO Policy Letter on Food Questions in Forever Abstinent refers consistently to Forever Abstinent for food-related questions.

Unless the member is using the other food plan for medical reasons and it meets the requirements for medical abstinence set out in Forever Abstinent, the member would not qualify as a sponsor in CEA-HOW. Modifications made by a physician or medical intervention made by someone who understands the addictive nature of the disease are acceptable if they fall within the parameters of being sugar- and flour-free and a weighed and measured program as set out in Forever Abstinent. If modifications for medical reasons are made, they must be in writing, discussed with a sponsor, and followed as directed.

I have been a sponsor in CEA-HOW for several years, and something has begun to bother me a good deal. In listening to the sponsee as she does her inventory, there are often stories of sexual abuse and date rapes, but recently I heard a horrendous story of a violent rape. We should have some counselors for referrals for these women if we are going to hear their traumatic stories.

What about us as sponsors who listen to such horrific things? How do we process and let go of them?

I feel it is irresponsible to just listen to these stories of sexual trauma without taking action.

When working with a sponsee who has had a history of physical/emotional/sexual abuse, which is obviously very traumatic for them, it is sufficient to say to the sponsee that our program is not designed to deal with all types of traumatic issues. In these situations, it is our policy to refer people to professionals. However, for us to have a list of recommended therapists would be to endorse specific people outside program and Traditions 5, 6 and 10 tell us we do not do that.

When a sponsee says something that is particularly bothersome to you, discussing it with your sponsor and processing it as soon as possible is healthy. We do not have to do anything alone in this program. Things can trigger our own issues, which may result in our own need to seek professional advice.

Setting boundaries with sponsees is appropriate when the details get too upsetting for the sponsee or the sponsor. It is also appropriate to tell a sponsee that you are not a professional and advise them to take the details of their trauma to a professional. The general concept of what happened is sufficient to tell a sponsor.  While it may serve the sponsee to vent about these details, sharing the details with trained and capable professionals would be more appropriate.

Do I have to have special medical knowledge or experience with a specific medical condition to sponsor a medical abstinence?

Thank you for your concern for the integrity of the CEA-HOW program and your fellows.

No, you do not need special medical knowledge or experience with a specific medical condition to sponsor medical abstinence.

Tool No. 1 in the 7 Tools is the broad outline short form of medical abstinence; the explanation and details of medical abstinence are in the Medical Abstinence section on page 7 in Forever Abstinent. Note specifically on page 7, “…but changes must come from a medical professional who understands the addictive nature of the disease. In addition, all changes must be consistent with the CEA-HOW program including weighing and measuring all food and abstaining from sugar, flour, and quantity.” (Emphasis added)

Note also the Doctor/Health Care Professional’s Modifications section on page 7 which requires the medical professional to list the medical condition and the specific food plan modifications. If the medical condition requires eating between meals the health care professional must state so. The sponsor and sponsee must discuss the medical modifications and agree they fall within the CEA-HOW program, then the sponsee follows the agreed upon food plan and commits it to the sponsor just as we follow and commit our regular food plan.

For modifications to be consistent with the CEA-HOW program, as stated in Forever Abstinent they must follow our sugar, flour and quantity guidelines. Health care professionals typically prescribe something for a medical condition which is their standard suggestion but does not take into consideration the addictive nature of our disease or our sugar, flour and quantity guidelines. It is the responsibility of the sponsee or the sponsor and sponsee to then ask the health care professional for, or suggest for approval, alternatives which do fall within our guidelines.

I am a vegan.  When I qualify can I qualify as a Vegan Sponsor?   Can I qualify as a Vegan Sponsor who will only sponsor vegans?

We look to our literature for an answer.  As guardians of our fellowship WSO endorses the principles in our Sponsor Guidelines which identify only four types of CEA-HOW sponsors: food, inventory, step and maintenance.   Our Seven Tools state:  “…qualify as to the length of your abstinence, weight loss, and kind of sponsor that you are (food, inventory, step and /or maintenance), ….”

Our program is meant to be inclusive so although people have different experiences we are asked to be open to sponsoring all who walk through our doors. If we limit our sponsoring by qualifying that we are a vegan, male, female, medical and/or any other type of specialty sponsor we are acting outside the guidelines of Traditions Three and Five by adding a specialty that prevents us from carrying the message of recovery to all in our program.

Questions regarding sponsoring qualifications or sponsoring practices are answered in our Sponsor Guidelines and our book, Sponsoring in Compulsive Eaters Anonymous-HOW.

To share your experience, strength and hope working the CEA-HOW program with specific medical conditions or dietary choices, we suggest you register on the Special Focus Outreach page of our website.

I am a maintenance sponsor and I have been asked to be a maintenance sponsor to someone who is within 10 pounds of goal weight. Although the requirements for being a maintenance sponsor are clearly spelled out in the guidelines, I am confused about what a sponsee needs to accomplish before moving on to maintenance. Could you clarify that for me? Should s/he have reached goal weight? Should s/he have worked the 12 steps, etc.?

A member transitions to the maintenance food plan with the help of a maintenance sponsor. Maintenance goal weight is determined with the help of a maintenance sponsor and/or health care professional. When a member has reached the agreed-upon goal weight, s/he may transition to the maintenance food plan regardless of where s/he is in the CEA-HOW questions. If the member has not already stepped up as a food, inventory, and step sponsor, he/she transitions to the maintenance food plan with the help of a maintenance sponsor and continues to work on the appropriate questions until these first three sponsorship levels are completed. The member can then begin the CEA-HOW Maintenance Questions and complete the Maintenance Sponsoring Stepping Up Ceremony. Once he/she has reached goal weight, completed the Maintenance questions and the Maintenance Sponsoring Stepping Up Ceremony, and been stepped up as a Maintenance sponsor at a meeting, the member is ready to be a maintenance sponsor.

Do all CEA-HOW meetings count toward the “three meetings a week” requirement in The Seven Tools?

Thank you for your recent question about required meeting attendance in CEA-HOW.  In our literature the Seven Tools explains that members must attend three meetings a week in order to be following the CEA-HOW model of abstinence.  On our website, under the Meeting Assistance tab/How to Start a Meeting, you’ll find the following information:

If you are interested in starting a CEA-HOW Meeting, please review the points below. Only those meeting/groups which comply with this definition of a CEA-HOW meeting/group may be registered with the World Service Office.

• As a meeting/group, they meet to practice the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of CEA-HOW.
• All who have a desire to stop the symptoms of food addiction are welcome in the meeting/group.
• A meeting/group may be formed by two (2) or more persons meeting together to abstain from food addiction.
• The person registering the meeting must have 30 days of CEA-HOW abstinence, be a qualified CEA-HOW Food sponsor, and be working with his/her own CEA-HOW sponsor.
• As a meeting/group, we have no affiliation other than CEA-HOW. This means that we do not pitch about 12-Step programs other than CEA-HOW.
• To promote recovery from compulsive eating, CEA-HOW meetings employ a 30-day CEA-HOW abstinence requirement in order to share at a meeting or 7 days if a person has discussed their sharing with their CEA-HOW sponsor.
• To be considered a CEA-HOW meeting, the meeting must meet the following requirements:
  • The reading of the Twelve Steps of CEA-HOW, the Twelve Traditions of CEA-HOW, the CEA-HOW Concept, and the Seven Tools of CEA-HOW. These are to be read as written.
  • The leader must have a minimum of 30 days of CEA-HOW abstinence
  • Adherence to abstinence requirements to pitch, per the 7 Tools of CEA-HOW
  • Only CEA-HOW or AA Conference literature is used at the meeting.  Outside literature is not read or quoted.

If a meeting complies with these guidelines and is registered with WSO, then it is considered a CEA-HOW meeting whether it is face-to-face or on the Phone Bridge and it would count toward the requirement of three CEA-HOW meetings a week.

We encourage all members to work with their sponsors to determine the best way to meet the requirements of the program while being able to carry the message of recovery to those who still suffer.

When a member finishes the book of questions Steps Six thru Twelve with their sponsor and is not on maintenance, which set(s) of questions is recommended until the member is ready for the maintenance questions?

The guideline for this situation appears on page 3 of the Sponsor Guidelines. The Twelve Traditions Study Guide is the workbook used immediately preceding or following the Maintenance Questions. World Service Business Conference 2015 addressed this question. When a member completes Steps Six though Twelve but is not yet ready for maintenance, the member follows Steps Six through Twelve with The Twelve Traditions Study Guide. If a member moves directly from Steps Six through Twelve to the Maintenance Questions, the first workbook of questions the member moves to after completing the Maintenance Questions is The Twelve Traditions Study Guide.

This policy adopted by the Delegates at World Service Business Conference 2015:
CEA-HOW is a disciplined and structured approach to working the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions (from the CEA-HOW Concept). Therefore, members’ disciplined and structured approach to working this program is to use the following sets of questions in the following order in their progression of recovery:

1. First 30 questions from the Sponsor Guidelines;
2. Fourth Step Inventory questions from the Sponsor Guidelines;
3. Steps Six through Twelve;
4. CEA-HOW Maintenance Questions from the Maintenance Sponsor Guide;
5. The Twelve Traditions Study Guide.

(If a member has stepped up as a Step sponsor and has not reached the maintenance stage of recovery, the member shall use the Twelve Traditions Study Guide as a writing tool until the member is ready for the maintenance questions. It will be a mutual decision between the sponsor and sponsee whether the member shall interrupt the Twelve Traditions Study Guide and move to the maintenance questions if the member reaches the maintenance stage prior to completion of the Traditions Study Guide.

This does not change the use of slip questions or a member’s choice of questions following completion of The Twelve Traditions Study Guide.)

THIS DOES NOT CREATE A NEW LEVEL OF SPONSORSHIP.

After completing the Maintenance Questions and stepping up as a maintenance sponsor, and after completing the Twelve Traditions Study Guide, your sponsor will guide you back to the CEA-HOW booklets with more questions and readings for daily writing.

Can you tell me how many grams would be equivalent for a selection of protein?

World Service Business Conference 2012 amended Forever Abstinent to include a Metric Conversion Table.  This Table includes an equivalency measurement for ounces and grams.  Pursuant to the Conversion Table, one ounce (1 oz.) equals 28.35 grams (rounded off to 28 grams).  Therefore, 4 oz. = 112 grams.

The food plan states 3 T. raw bran is “optional” for all three food plans. After the first 30 days, is raw bran considered a grain, or is it (in) addition to the 2 grain servings?

If a question arises regarding an item in Forever Abstinent, the Policy Letter on Food Questions found in Forever Abstinent offers guidance. Research CEA-HOW literature, then discuss the results of your research with your sponsor and determine whether or how the item falls within the guidelines of Forever Abstinent. The Policy Letter on Food Questions states our abstinence is between us, our sponsor, Forever Abstinent, and our Higher Power.

I am asking for clarification in the Forever Abstinent book on what “1 teaspoon of fat” means for “The first 30 Days” and “After the First 30 Days.”

Here is the short-form answer:
First 30 Days:                   1 teaspoon of ANY type of fat
After the First Days:        1 teaspoon of ANY type of fat
Maintenance:                   See list of fat quantities in MAINTENANCE ONLY in Forever Abstinent 

For the first 30 days and after that until maintenance, we are dealing with one quantity of fat, which is 1 tsp.  ANY type of fat is allowable as long as the quantity is 1 tsp. The type of fat is not relevant, 1 tsp. of fat is 1 tsp. of fat.

Only on maintenance are additional quantities of fats allowed and the quantities vary dependent on the type of fat.  Because on the Maintenance food plan the quantity of the additional fats varies, it is necessary to list the types of fat with the quantity for that particular fat. It is not necessary to list the types of fat in the First 30 Days or After the First 30 Days because the quantity does NOT vary; any type of fat is allowable but the quantity always remains 1 tsp.

The narrative portion of Forever Abstinent states “You should infer healthy fat.” This is an inference and not a requirement. Pursuant to our Twelve Traditions, we leave health matters to the professionals.

Is all CEA-HOW literature available online?

The CEA-HOW Forever Abstinent and Sponsor Guidelines are not available online.
Members get Forever Abstinent and the Sponsor Guidelines through their sponsors. Accordingly, Forever Abstinent and the Sponsor Guidelines, the two basic texts of CEA-HOW, are not sold online to unsponsored individuals. We would be doing a disservice to both the suffering compulsive eater and to the program of Compulsive Eaters Anonymous – HOW by selling these two texts to unsponsored individuals.

First, we are doing a disservice to a suffering compulsive eater by providing only the food plan (Forever Abstinent) and not providing an opportunity for the compulsive eater to be successful in relieving his or her suffering. The food plan is just one small part of our program of recovery; the food plan alone will not afford the compulsive eater relief from compulsive eating. Our program works as it is written, which includes the support and guidance of a sponsor and of the fellowship, and through use of the 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, CEA-HOW Concept, and the 7 Tools.

Secondly, we are doing a disservice to the CEA-HOW program of recovery because the compulsive eater who uses only the food plan will not find relief from compulsive eating and will then think the program of CEA-HOW is not effective when in fact he or she did not practice the program of Compulsive Eaters Anonymous – HOW. By confusing the use of the food plan with practicing the program of Compulsive Eaters Anonymous – HOW, this unsatisfied compulsive eater will then carry a negative and erroneous message of CEA-HOW which may prevent other suffering compulsive eaters from finding relief in our program of recovery.

NOTE the cover of Forever Abstinent states: THIS BOOK IS FOR USE BY SPONSORED CEA-HOW MEMBERS ONLY.

Our Group needs to open a bank account/rent a space and we were asked for a Tax I.D. number and/or proof of our tax exempt status.  Can WSO provide this to us?

While other corporations may provide their tax exempt designation to their affiliates, subsidiaries, branches, etc., because of their unique organizational structure 12-Step programs cannot share their corporate EIN and tax exempt status with other levels of their service structure.

The CEA-HOW WSO tax ID number and tax exempt status is specific to the corporation, CEA-HOW, Inc.  No local group or intergroup can use the corporation’s 501(c)(3) tax exempt status based on:

1. the fact that the corporation is fiscally autonomous in reporting to the IRS, and
2. issues of liability.

CEA-HOW service bodies (e.g.,Intergroups, Areas) may obtain their own Federal tax ID number (EIN) and tax exempt status.   To obtain an EIN, see https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/How-to-Apply-for-an-EIN.  Note that when you have obtained an EIN, you must file a tax return or proof of nonprofit status with the IRS annually.  After you obtain your EIN, you may obtain nonprofit status by filing Form 1023EZ, which is a new simplified application process; processing time may take as little time as one month.  See Form 1023-EZ, Streamlined Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, http://www.irs.gov/uac/About-Form-1023EZ.  Note there is a filing fee for Form 1023EZ, which is currently $275.00.  For additional information on nonprofit status see IRS Publication 557, Tax Exempt Status for your Organization, http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p557.pdf.

Can we use the CEA-HOW logo for group, Intergroup or Area purposes or CEA-HOW sponsored events?

Our logo is protected as a Registered trademark ® with the United States Patent and Trademark Office; if it is used the ® symbol must be part of the logo.

The CEA-HOW logo represents CEA-HOW as a whole.  It is a registered trademark and is used with permission from CEA-HOW WSO.  A written request for permission to use the logo is required, together with a copy or clear description of what the logo will be used for.  Permission must be granted in writing.  Permission may be granted based on the understanding that the content of any document or event on which the CEA-HOW logo is used will conform in its entirety to the CEA-HOW Concept, the 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, 12 Concepts of Service, the 7 Tools, Forever Abstinent and the Sponsor Guidelines.  Use of the logo implies endorsement by CEA-HOW as a whole so if permission is granted, we ask that care be taken to ensure these guidelines are carefully followed.

CEA-HOW does not have a Teen Program.

At one time CEA-HOW did have a Teen Program, including a meeting format, teen food plan, and teen inventory.  However, in April 2007 the CEA-HOW Board of Directors sent this letter to the Fellowship:

“It has been brought to our attention that there are current legal concerns regarding CEA-HOW supporting the formation and fostering of teen meetings in our program.  Laws are now in place at the municipal, county, state and federal levels that are very specific in the area of protecting minors from exposure to the possibility of abuse by adults.    To conform to these new laws and regulations, Twelve Step programs are requiring adult sponsors of teens to submit to background and fingerprint checks.  Unfortunately, CEA-HOW does not currently have the resources for these procedures.  It is the Board’s mandate to serve CEA-HOW by safeguarding its Traditions as well as by protecting it legally.  Therefore, in view of the potential liability to CEA-HOW it is necessary at this time to discontinue our CEA-HOW teen meetings.  If a teen is interested in attending CEA-HOW, he or she can attend meetings if accompanied by a parent or guardian.  However, this is not recommended as there is no method established by CEA-HOW for sponsorship of teenagers.

Any CEA-HOW Teen Program literature still in existence should be destroyed.  CEA-HOW does not sanction use of any Teen Program literature.