EAI 2026 Motion - Silver Spring 60m Meeting

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You can review the suggested pilot format in full.  The pilot formats will NOT be amended or wordsmithed at EAI. 

2026 FA World Service Business Convention

SHORT NAME: Meeting Format Pilot (EAI)

MAIN MOTION

The Silver Spring, MD Sunday 8:30am in-person meeting group moves to amend the FA WSI June 2024 Standing Rules of Order to permit registered FA meetings to meet for 60 or 90 minutes; adopt and pilot a revised meeting format for up to one year; and adopt a revised format that will be in effect from the time of WSC approval until the next WSBC.

Note: Similar Motions have also been submitted by or supported by meetings in Washington, D.C.; Ft. Pierce, Florida; Lima, New York; and Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, which included members from Australia, Egypt, India, Japan, Morocco, South Africa, United Kingdom.

CURRENT WORDING

2024 June: Meeting Requirements

An FA meeting group is an association of two or more food addicts who regularly meet to share experience, strength, and hope about recovery from food addiction through the Twelve Steps of FA. The requirements for registration as an FA meeting group are stated below…

1….

2. Meet for 90 minutes

12. Use the appropriate FA Meeting Format found on the FA website, which includes these required items:

1. the FA Preamble
2. the Twelve Steps as adapted by FA*
3. the Twelve Traditions as adapted by FA*
4. the definition of food addiction*
5. the definition of abstinence*
6. “How It Works” and “The Promises” from A.A.’s Big Book
7. the FA tools of recovery
8. a break approximately midway through the meeting for greeting newcomers and visitors^
9. the statement that only persons with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who are working with an FA sponsor will be invited to share*
10. the statement that only persons with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who are working with an FA sponsor and who regularly attend the meeting will have a voice and a vote at the meeting group’s business meetings*
11. announcements welcoming newcomers and visitors, identifying available sponsors, and explaining how to donate as per the Seventh Tradition

PROPOSED WORDING

2024 June: Meeting Requirements

An FA meeting group is an association of two or more food addicts who regularly meet to share experience, strength, and hope about recovery from food addiction through the Twelve Steps of FA. The requirements for registration as an FA meeting group are stated below…

1….

2. Meet for 60 or 90 minutes as determined by the group conscience of each meeting

12. Use the appropriate FA Meeting Format found on the FA website, which includes these required items:

1. the FA Preamble
2. The Twelve Steps as adapted by FA
3. the Twelve Traditions as adapted by FA
4. the definition of food addiction
5. the definition of abstinence
6. “How It Works” and “The Promises” from A.A.’s Big Book
7. a list of the FA tools of recovery
8. a break approximately midway through the meeting for greeting newcomers and visitors^
9. the statement that only persons with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who are working with an FA sponsor will be invited to share*
10. the statement that only persons with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who are working with an FA sponsor and who regularly attend the meeting will have a voice and a vote at the meeting group’s business meetings*
11. announcements welcoming newcomers and visitors, identifying available sponsors, and explaining how to donate as per the Seventh Tradition

INTENT

Currently, FA meetings are required to take place for a duration of 90 minutes, as per the existing WSI Standing Rules of Order (SRO).

The proposed motion aims to amend the FA-WSI Meeting Requirements 2024 SRO to allow meetings to voluntarily shorten meetings from 90 minutes to 60 minutes using a required pilot meeting format.  A shortened meeting format for 60-minute meetings is below and would be required for a trial period of up to one year. During this time, meetings can submit feedback to the WSB that will be incorporated into a revised format to be presented for conference approval at the 2027 World Service Business Convention. Meetings can elect to change back to the approved 90-minute format at any time during the pilot year or afterwards.

RATIONALE:

In our FA mission statement, we say that we welcome all who want to stop eating addictively.  FA also states that this is a program of attraction. The 60-minute revised format will afford time for all present, not only newcomers, to hear and witness the miracles in recovering individuals. This can be done by limiting the amount of time needed for format readings and announcements. The valuable information contained in the FA readings and announcements can be augmented by the FA literature and website resources.

There are also challenges for members who are aging, neurodiverse, disabled, or who face other obstacles in their lives. Members with poor night vision may be unable to attend in-person meetings in the evenings. Managing family obligations, work, health, and other complex life situations can be overwhelming.

Shorter meetings may help to attract and retain new members and grow the fellowship, as A.A. did. A.A. membership found that one meeting a week was not sufficient to maintain their recovery. At that point, the meetings, utilizing Tradition 4 (Autonomy), decided to hold more numerous, shorter meetings. Currently, our 90-minute meetings include so many directives in the format that it’s hard for newcomers and other listeners to separate the musts from the miracles.

For videoconference meetings specifically, there are studies (see link) confirming this. An MIT Sloan Institute research shows that remote meetings suffer from faster attention decline. Reducing the meeting length creates positive pressure; research shows that groups operating under some level of time pressure actually perform more optimally given increased focus and stimulation." In today’s modern technological landscape, Zoom and other electronic meeting platforms have become a constant of daily life already.

The Purpose and Not the Length Counts: The important thing is to remember why meetings exist. The Fifth Tradition says that “Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” They are long enough for groups to help all those like us to become sober and stay sober. Meetings aim to “lift us up from where we were when we came in and to aid us in victory over our addiction.”

This motion seeks to give meetings another option which will contribute to the growth and sustainability of the FA program.

PROPOSED 60–MINUTE FORMAT:

ALL EDITS ARE SUBJECT TO A PILOT PERIOD, AND ARE NOT FINAL

We have reduced the number of readings to better streamline the format and provide more time to hear individual miracles of recovery. The following required readings will continue to provide five opportunities for newcomers to actively participate in the meeting:

• Definitions (food addiction and abstinence)
• 12 Steps
• 12 Traditions
• How It Works
• Promises

Here is a summary of what we propose for other elements of the format:

• Meeting Guidelines - customizable per meeting
• Removed the “What an Order!” reading
• Condensed some non-required readings and announcements and eliminated repetition.
• Removed separate Literature, Connection  Phone List, MESA announcements.
• Kept sponsors, greeters, and the 7th tradition announcements.
• Shortened the break duration from 10 minutes to 5 minutes

READ THE PROPOSED 60 MINUTE FORMAT HERE