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Document 4d: Sample FA Telephone Meeting Format

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FA TELEPHONE MEETING FORMAT

A. Before using this format, please make necessary edits.

Insert the meeting day, time, and registration location.
Insert timing for individual sections. For example, sharing starts at the beginning of the hour and goes until 20 minutes past.
Delete sections that the meeting does not use. For example, if the meeting never follows the “Sharing Meeting” format, delete that page.

B. Meeting Format Options

At a business meeting, review the following meeting options:
1. Qualification (recording or live person)
2. Sharing Meeting
3. Literature Meeting - Big Book
4. Literature Meeting - FA Book
5. Literature Meeting - connection
6. Literature Meeting - Living Abstinently: A Guide to the FA Tools
7. Literature Meeting - Other FA Conference-approved pamphlets
Decide on meeting format option(s), using group conscience. Some groups may choose to vary meeting options and some groups may use the same meeting option every week. If the meeting chooses to vary the options, specifically indicate them in the format.

INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to the [day of the week, time a.m./p.m., time zone] meeting of Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous – FA.

My name is _____________(name/location). I am a food addict and the leader for this meeting. After a moment of silence, will you please unmute and join me in the SERENITY PRAYER? [pause]

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

The Meeting Tech will now place all callers on mute to reduce background noise [*5-1]. Please do not press *6 on your phone to unmute until you are ready to speak, then press *6 again to mute when you have finished speaking. When speaking, please announce your name and where you are calling from. When you are done speaking, please repeat your name and where you are calling from. Please do not use a speaker phone when you are sharing or reading – it creates an echo and distortion on the line.

If you are dropped from the call and have trouble dialing back in, there is an alternate number you can try: 781-838-3229. The access code remains the same.

PREAMBLE:

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous is a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience and mutual support, are recovering from food addiction.

We welcome all who want to stop eating addictively. There are no dues or fees for members; we are self-supporting through our own contributions, neither soliciting nor accepting outside donations. FA is not affiliated with any public or private organization, political movement, ideology, or religious doctrine. We take no position on outside issues. Our primary purpose is to abstain from addictive eating and to carry this message of recovery to those who still suffer.

We would like to encourage those who do not yet have 90 days of continuous abstinence in FA to read. We’re all set with readers for today, but if you’d like to read next week, just arrive 10 to 12 minutes early to the call and sign up. Readings may be downloaded from the FA website, foodaddicts.org. Type “Readings Only” in the search bar at the top of the page, then click on “Meeting Formats.”

Would _________________ (name & location) please read the DEFINITION OF FOOD ADDICTION?

Please press *6 to unmute, and mute yourself again when you are done.

DEFINITION OF FOOD ADDICTION

Food addiction is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit for which there is no cure, but it can be arrested a day at a time by our adapting to a disciplined way of eating and the Twelve-Step program of FA. When we abuse food by using it as a drug, our lives become unmanageable.

Food addicts have an allergy to flour, sugar, and quantities that sets up an uncontrollable craving. The problem can be arrested a day at a time by the action of our weighing and measuring our food and abstaining completely from all flour and sugar.

FA defines abstinence as weighed and measured meals with nothing in between, no flour, no sugar, and the avoidance of any individual binge foods.

INTRODUCTIONS AND WELCOME:

In a moment we will introduce ourselves. Please make sure you are in a quiet place, so everyone can be heard.

Please unmute with *6 and introduce yourself by your first name, and tell us where you are calling from.

We will start with those who are new to the FA program. Are there any newcomers to FA on the call?

[Pause. Welcome each newcomer after they announce their name.]

We encourage you to stay on after the call so you can share your contact information.

Is there anyone at this meeting for the first time, though not new to FA?

[Pause]

Would everyone else who cares to, please say your name and where you are calling from? If you overlap with someone else, just repeat your information if you don’t think we heard you.

[Leader continues:]

If you have not already done so, please be sure you are muted by pressing *6. Do not press *6 on your phone to unmute until you are ready to speak, and then mute again when you are finished speaking.

FA is based on the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. We will now read a portion of the “How It Works” chapter from AA’s Big Book. At AA’s request, we read this as originally written, so the words “alcohol” and alcoholic” remain.

Now _______________ (name & location) will read “How It Works.". Please press *6 to unmute.

HOW IT WORKS

Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.

Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it—then you are ready to take certain steps.

At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.

Remember we deal with alcohol—cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power—that One is God. May you find Him now!

Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery.

Now __________ (name & location) will read THE TWELVE STEPS as adapted by FA.

THE TWELVE STEPS

We admitted we were powerless over food—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to food addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

[Leader reads.] The following passage is also from the Big Book.

Many of us exclaimed, “What an order! I can’t go through with it.” Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.

Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:

That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
That God could and would if He were sought.

Now _______________ (name & location) will read the TWELVE TRADITIONS as adapted by FA.

THE TWELVE TRADITIONS

Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends on FA unity.
For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
The only requirement for FA membership is a desire to stop eating addictively.
Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or FA as a whole.
Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the food addict who still suffers.
An FA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the FA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Every FA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
FA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues, hence the FA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

The DISCIPLINES of this meeting are:

No smoking, food, drinks, or gum, please.
Please participate from a quiet, private location, and refrain from actions that may be distracting, such as household chores, caring for family members or pets, texting, or working on your computer.
To protect anonymity, we ask that you do not record or share the audio of this meeting under any circumstances.
Business meetings are held after the first meeting of every month. All members are welcome to attend. Members with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA, who are working with an FA sponsor and regularly attend this meeting, will have a voice and a vote and service positions open to them.
Please remember that naming specific foods, or even describing them without a name, may trigger cravings for some members.
Please refrain from crosstalk.

In order to keep our meeting safe for everyone and avoid confusion, we ask that you not interrupt the phone call for any reason. This includes questions about phone numbers, problems with volume level or background noise, or any advice or correction to the person speaking. The leaders will handle any problems, and phone numbers will be given out at the end of the call. Thank you!

THE TOOLS OF RECOVERY:

We would like to encourage those who do not yet have 90 days of continuous abstinence in FA to read one of the TOOLS OF RECOVERY. As a reminder, to volunteer to read, please join the call 10-12 minutes early to sign up. Press *6 to unmute, and please be sure to mute yourself again when you are done.

__________ (name & location) has volunteered to read ABSTINENCE:

In the past, addictive eating was our most common reaction to life. We obtain abstinence from addictive eating by weighing, measuring, and committing our food to an FA sponsor. We have found that we must abstain completely from all flour and sugar.

__________ (name & location) has volunteered to read SPONSOR:

We ask an FA sponsor to guide us through the recovery program on every level: physical, mental, and spiritual. Ours is a program of attraction. Find a sponsor who has what you want and ask how it was achieved.

__________ (name & location) has volunteered to read MEETINGS:

We attend meetings, where we share our experience, strength, and hope with each other. We have found that unless we give to newcomers what we have received from the program, we cannot keep it for ourselves.

__________ (name & location) has volunteered to read TELEPHONE:

Food addiction is a disease of self-centeredness and isolation, so we use the telephone daily to connect with FA members. We begin with a committed call to our sponsor. Phoning others throughout the day, we share our hope, and when we need help, we ask for it. Above all, we call if we are tempted to take the first addictive bite.

__________ (name & location) has volunteered to read ANONYMITY:

Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our program. We are not afraid to admit our own addiction, but at the public level, we protect the program by concealing our full names and faces. Humility is essential for our recovery. No individual member should ever be seen as representing FA as a whole. Within the program, we reach out to help, but we do not gossip or reveal anyone’s membership in FA except our own. Each person’s story is theirs to reveal.

__________ (name & location) has volunteered to read LITERATURE:

We study FA Conference-approved literature to strengthen and reinforce our program. When we read it daily, the literature impresses on us basic truths we have found vital to our recovery. Literature is an ever-available tool that gives us insight into our problem, strength to deal with it, and the hope that there is a solution for us.

__________ (name & location) has volunteered to read WRITING:

Writing is an indispensable tool for sustaining abstinence and working the Twelve Steps. We write down our food plan each day before committing it to our sponsor. When we are troubled, writing also helps us see situations more clearly and better discern any necessary action.

__________ (name & location) has volunteered to read QUIET TIME:

To maintain our abstinence, we must learn to rely on a Power greater than ourselves. We set aside a full half hour each day to sit quietly and relax. In this time with our Higher Power, we listen, seeking the perspective, serenity, and strength that will enable us to stay abstinent and respond sanely to the challenges and joys of the day.

__________ (name & location) has volunteered to read GRATITUDE:

Food addiction is a disease of negativity. Our contented abstinence depends on our willingness to replace negative thoughts and feelings with thankful ones. In the past, we thought of gratitude as a feeling, but in FA, we practice it as an action.

__________ (name & location) has volunteered to read SERVICE:

We do service by staying abstinent. Abstinence gives us freedom from compulsion and obsession with food so that we can be available to others. Any service that reaches a fellow sufferer adds to the quality of our own recovery. We are promised a life of sane and happy usefulness as a result of working the Twelve Steps. Service fulfills that promise.

MEETING FORMAT OPTIONS

A. QUALIFICATION

Today we have a speaker, ___________(name) from __________ (location).

Please share for ______ minutes your experience, strength and hope as a recovering food addict. If you wish, I can give you a 3-5 minute notice when it is time to wrap up. You may give us your phone number if you would like.

[Qualifier should end at approximately ____ minutes before/after hour. At _____ minutes before/after the hour, give the qualifier a 3-5 minute warning to wrap up.]

[At ______ (same time), the Meeting Tech presses *2 to get the number of participants.]

SHARING FROM PARTICIPANTS:

The meeting is now open for sharing from all those with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who are working with an FA sponsor. Please refrain from crosstalk, such as praising or commenting on what others have shared. To make sure that others have the opportunity to share, please keep your sharing to 3-5 minutes. Press *6 to unmute, and re-mute when you are done.

Please do not use your speaker phone when sharing. We invite anyone who shares to stay on after the call, in case other fellows want to reach you.

- To begin, we invite those who recently reached 90 days of continuous abstinence who are working with an FA sponsor to share first.
  [pause]
- We also invite sharing from visitors with 90 days of continuous abstinence who are working with an FA sponsor.
  [pause]
- The meeting is now open for sharing from all those with 90 days of continuous abstinence who are working with an FA sponsor.

[Sharing ends at approximately ____ minutes before/after the hour.]

Thank you all for sharing.

[Share until approximately _____ minutes before/after the hour, then proceed to GREETERS.]

B. SHARING

At this meeting, we invite sharing from members with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who are working with an FA sponsor.

Please refrain from crosstalk, such as praising or commenting on what others have shared. To make sure that others have the opportunity to share, please keep your sharing to 3-5 minutes.

Please be sure to re-mute when you are finished sharing. Please do not use your speaker phone when sharing. Press *6 to unmute, and re-mute when you are done.

- To begin the sharing, we invite those who recently reached 90 days of continuous abstinence who are working with an FA sponsor, to share first. [pause]
- We also invite sharing from visitors with 90 days of continuous abstinence who are working with an FA sponsor. [pause]

The meeting is now open for sharing from those with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who are working with an FA sponsor.

[Share until approximately _____ minutes before/after the hour, then proceed to GREETERS.]

C. LITERATURE

[Choose a reading from one or more of the following books or pamphlets.]

1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (BIG BOOK)

[When choosing a selection from the Big Book, please avoid reading passages from Steps Four through Twelve.]

I’ll read a passage from the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as AA’s Big Book.

[At __________ minutes before/after the hour]

[Share until approximately _____ minutes before/after the hour, then proceed to GREETERS.]

2. FOOD ADDICTS IN RECOVERY ANONYMOUS [FA BOOK]

[When choosing a selection from the FA Book please avoid reading passages from Steps Four through Twelve.]

Today I’ll read a passage from Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous. Typically, we refrain from mentioning food by name, but we will read these stories as they are written.

[At __________ minutes before/after the hour]

[Share until approximately _____ minutes before/after the hour, then proceed to GREETERS.]

3. connection

[Choose a connection story.]

Today I’ll read an article from connection magazine.

[At __________ minutes before/after the hour]

[Share until approximately _____ minutes before/after the hour, then proceed to GREETERS.]

4. TOOLS

[Read one tool and then ask members to share. As time permits, read another tool, followed by sharing. Proceed one tool at a time until _______ minutes before/after the hour.]

I’ll read sections from the booklet Living Abstinently.

[Share until approximately _____ minutes before/after the hour, then proceed to GREETERS.]

5. PAMPHLET MEETING

Today I’ll read a portion from [name of selected pamphlet. See Meeting Guidelines Document 3 for suggested pamphlets].

[At __________ minutes before/after the hour]

[Share until approximately _____ minutes before/after the hour, then proceed to GREETERS.]

[These closing segments require approximately 7-8 minutes. Begin this portion about 8-12 minutes before the meeting ends to allow time for THE PROMISES.]

GREETERS:

If you are new or have any questions, greeters will be available after the meeting. Greeters, would you please unmute to introduce yourself and give your phone number with time zone? [pause]

The Fifth Tradition reminds us that we are all responsible for greeting newcomers. If you are new and uncertain about FA, we encourage you to attend several meetings to learn more about the program.

Please stay on the call after the meeting ends, so we can greet you and, if you like, get your contact information.

SPONSORS:

Sponsors are FA members currently being sponsored and living the Twelve Steps. FA recommends that a sponsor be six or more months abstinent. Sponsors help us begin the FA program and guide us in our recovery. We recommend that newcomers and anyone without a sponsor speak with one of these people. Would all sponsors with time available please unmute to introduce yourself and give your contact information and time zone?

PHONE LIST:

We maintain a phone list for this meeting. If you would like to be added to this list, or receive a copy, please email your information to ____________ (email of phone list contact), Please provide your first name and last initial, phone number with time zone, and if you like, your email address.

LITERATURE:

Information on how to get started in FA and other FA Conference-approved literature is available on the FA website. Audio qualifications may be downloaded as well. LITERATURE representative, please unmute and share your name and contact information.

SEVENTH TRADITION:

The Seventh Tradition advises us to support ourselves through our own contributions, neither soliciting nor accepting outside donations. You can contribute directly on the FA website, foodaddicts.org, using the “donate” button at the top of the main page. You can designate if you want your contribution to support your local intergroup and/or FA World Service.

connection:

connection is a magazine of experience, strength, and hope created by food addicts for food addicts. Subscribe at foodaddicts.org for a digital or print copy of the magazine. You can also submit art and articles.

connection representative, please unmute and share your name and contact information.

MEETING EFFECTIVENESS:

MESA stands for Meeting Effectiveness, Support, and Assistance. Would the MESA Representative please unmute and read the Meeting Effectiveness Question? This question is intended to remind us of the ways our meeting can help newcomers and communicate the message of FA recovery.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Are there any FA announcements? Please press *6 to unmute.

ATTENDANCE:

Would the Meeting Tech tell us how many participants attended today’s meeting? [*2]

CLOSING THE MEETING:

It is time to close our meeting.

The Leader and others will remain on the line for a few minutes after the close of the meeting. If you are a newcomer, we encourage you to stay on the line for a few moments. There may be others who would like your phone number for an outreach call.

Now ____________ (name and location) will read THE PROMISES from the Big Book.

THE PROMISES

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook on life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.

After a moment of silence, please unmute and join me in the SERENITY PRAYER. [pause]

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

TIPS FOR LEADING /COORDINATING PHONE MEETINGS

Some phone meetings have two service positions: a meeting facilitator or leader who reads the format, and a tech host (or coordinator) who manages the muting and other background tasks. In other meetings, both functions are done by one person.

Below is helpful information for accessing the meeting, and the muting and other functions.

Note: Codes refer to FreeConferenceCall.com. You’ll need to fill in your meeting’s call in number and access codes. If you are using a different conference call service, fill in the correct muting codes and other information for that platform.)

Call-In Number: ___________________ Access Code: _____________* Host PIN: ____________

The leader/coordinator presses the * key after the access code, followed by the special host PIN. (Note that this is different from participants, who only press the # key after the access code). The * key, followed by the host PIN, allows you to perform the muting and other functions listed below.)
Host PIN: ____________ (this is only to be used by the leader and tech).

MUTING SUMMARY

To mute participants in Q&A mode, press *5-1 (participants can unmute themselves)
To mute participants in lecture mode, press *5-2 (participants cannot unmute themselves)
To unmute all participants, press *5-3

OTHER FUNCTIONS

*2 provides the caller count.

*6 allows participants to mute and unmute themselves.

*8 turns the entry and exit chimes on or off.

VOLUNTEER READERS SIGN UP FORM

Members are asked to volunteer prior to the start of the meeting. This list helps the leader track who to call on to read. Enter the person’s name and location (state/province).

Definition of Food Addiction ______________________________________
How it Works _______________________________________________________
Twelve Steps ________________________________________________________
Twelve Traditions ___________________________________________________
Abstinence __________________________________________________________
Sponsor _____________________________________________________________
Meetings ____________________________________________________________
Telephone ___________________________________________________________
Anonymity __________________________________________________________
Literature ___________________________________________________________
Writing ______________________________________________________________
Quiet Time __________________________________________________________
Gratitude ____________________________________________________________
Service _______________________________________________________________
Promises _____________________________________________________________

cross-talk, cross talk, crosstalk

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