Addictive Eaters Anonymous Request to the Media

Introduction

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We appreciate any and all help from the media in carrying the message of Addictive Eaters Anonymous to individuals suffering from the disease of addictive eating. We have many recovered overeaters, binge eaters, anorexics and bulimics in our fellowship who first heard of the solution we offer through our friends in the media, whether online, in print or broadcast. Our experience shows us that word of mouth is not enough to carry our vital, life-saving message to the many who need it: We need your help and greatly appreciate your support.

 

We are also thankful for the media's continued respect and understanding with regard to maintaining the individual anonymity of our members. This sensitivity proves invaluable for us as a fellowship, enabling new members to join without fear of exposure or embarrassment. 

For those media organisations new to Addictive Eaters Anonymous, we offer the following Request to the Media, which explains a little of how our fellowship works, and how we operate as an organisation. We hope you will find it helpful.

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Request to the media

 

Addictive Eaters Anonymous (AEA) welcomes interest from media organisations and is grateful for the media’s ongoing cooperation.

 

AEA is a worldwide fellowship, patterned on the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps programme. We are not affiliated with any religion, or any outside organisation. We are self-supporting, so do not solicit outside funds.

 

Our primary purpose is to carry the AEA message of recovery to people suffering from addictive eating. 

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The AEA programme is based on the principle of one addictive eater helping another, hence we are not a professional therapy organisation.

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AEA appreciates the support already received from the media, and asks media professionals to observe the principle of anonymity outlined in AEA’s Twelve Traditions.

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Anonymity is important to AEA for two fundamental reasons

 

Firstly, it serves to reassure members that their privacy will be protected at the public level. It also safeguards prospective members. People suffering from addictive eating problems may be reluctant to seek help if they feel they could be publicly identified as an AEA member.

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Secondly, AEA’s Anonymity tradition allows us to keep our focus on the principles of the AEA recovery programme, not its personalities. 

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This means individual members speak at the public level about their personal experience of the AEA programme. We ask our members, in our Eleventh Tradition, to refrain from using their full names at the public level.

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To assist us in preserving the integrity of this important principle, we respectfully ask media interviewing AEA members to please:

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• Use first names only, John, Mary etc; or pseudonyms.

• Not publish photographs or videos in which AEA members can be identified.

 

A designated AEA member can be quoted about a specific AEA event, namely a public meeting or a convention, but by first name only.

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AEA also advises the media that we have no opinion on outside issues, including topical controversies. This policy ensures we are not diverted from our primary focus of one addictive eater helping another to achieve sobriety. It means AEA members will speak from their own experience, rather than expressing general views about addictive eating.

 

AEA looks forward to continued contact with the media.

 

We thank you for considering our anonymity request.

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Contact AEA

 

If you would like more information about AEA, or would like to speak to a member of the fellowship, please email contact@aeainfo.org. We would be only too happy to hear from you.

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