Alan began eating addictively in mid-childhood. Soon he found himself stealing, sneaking and bingeing food. As an overweight teenager Alan would eat in isolation and in his adult life spent years trying to manage his weight through diets and exercise. But he continued to eat addictively even as it resulted in obesity and ill-health. At one stage he was given some Food Addict in Recovery literature but dismissed it as another diet program that was bound to fail. Eventually, Alan walked into an FA meeting, came out of denial and began his recovery. He practises the 12 Steps of FA every day and has arrested his addictive behaviour.