First-Ever ‘Meat and Dairy Eaters Anonymous’ Support Group to Debut in D.C.

For Immediate Release:
June 3, 2015

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

We were recently contacted about hosting a 12-step meeting at our Washington office—specifically, a Meat and Dairy Eaters Anonymous meeting. We immediately agreed, and the first session will be held on June 4. Because this is the first meeting, we are letting people know of its availability.

PETA is also offering space in New York City; Los Angeles; Oakland, California; and Norfolk, Virginia, for Meat and Dairy Eaters Anonymous meetings for anyone interested in organizing them. In keeping with 12-step tradition, PETA is simply offering a venue and not operating the program.

Meat and Dairy Eaters Anonymous offers support for those who want to help their health, the planet, and animals by going vegan but may struggle to fight cravings for burgers, cheese, cow’s milk, and bacon. Others may need assistance in facing challenges posed by friends and family members who aren’t supportive of their shift toward healthy, humane meals. Meat and Dairy Eaters Anonymous provides people with a safe space to share their struggles without judgment and help each other kick meat, eggs, and dairy products and maintain this food “sobriety.”

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop eating meat and dairy products. The 12 steps are a proven program of recovery from addictive cravings. The ideas behind the steps reflect spiritual principles combined with practical guidance. They encourage honesty, courage, humility, service, perseverance, and spiritual awareness.

“Every day, PETA hears from people who want to go vegan but are intimidated by the thought of handling cravings, unsupportive family members, or other roadblocks,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Meat and Dairy Eaters Anonymous will help aspiring vegans find a network of friends and the support they need to help them quit the meat and dairy habit for good.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—is happy to offer a meeting space for Meat and Dairy Eaters Anonymous’ first chapter, and we hope the new support group will soon spread to other cities across the country.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.