Document 4: Sample FA In-Person Meeting Format
A. Before using this format, please make necessary edits.
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Insert the meeting day, time, and location in the “Introduction” section.
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Delete sections that are not needed, such as meeting format options shown below that won’t be used.
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Once the meeting format options have been selected via group conscience, add a note to stop 50 minutes after the start of the meeting to indicate to the leader when to take the break for each selected format option.
B. Meeting Format Options
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At a business meeting, review the following meeting options:
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Qualification (recording or live person)
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Sharing Meeting
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Literature Meeting - Big Book
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Literature Meeting - FA Book
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Literature Meeting - connection
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Literature Meeting - Living Abstinently: A Guide to the FA Tools
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Literature Meeting - Other FA Conference-approved pamphlets
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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.
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If the meeting chooses to vary the options, specifically indicate them in the format. For example, WEEK ONE: Sharing, WEEK TWO: Qualification/FA Speaker Recording, WEEK THREE: Tools, WEEK FOUR: FA Book, WEEK FIVE: connection.
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At meetings where literature is read, the group decides whether to read one paragraph, several paragraphs, one page, or one section at a time. Please edit the format accordingly. Meetings can choose to add the wording, “Members with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA, currently working with an FA sponsor, may raise their hand to share during any part of the reading.”
C. Meeting Requirements
1. Meeting format must contain:
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The Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions of FA
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Definition of Abstinence
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Definition of Food Addiction
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FA Preamble
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How It Works
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The Promises
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FA Tools of Recovery
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Announcement of the Seventh Tradition collection
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Welcome newcomers and returning members
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Identify available sponsors
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An opportunity to greet newcomers and returning members
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The requirement that those who share must be FA members with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who are working with an FA sponsor.
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The requirement that members must have 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA, work with an FA sponsor, and regularly attend the meeting in order to have a voice and a vote at business meetings.
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2. Meetings must comply with the following standards:
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All meetings are 90 minutes long.
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Only FA Conference-approved literature and WSI Board-approved materials may be read.
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The World Service Conference (WSC) member must regularly attend the meeting.
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D. Sharing at the Meeting
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Focus on Food Addiction
Members talk about their experience with food addiction, describe what happened when they joined FA, and share what their lives are like now. Sharing about problems at work, family issues, and other personal matters is best discussed on phone calls.
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Avoid Crosstalk
Crosstalk means interrupting, commenting on, or referring directly to the content of someone else’s share. Even well-meaning praise can feel like unsolicited advice, opinion, or commentary. However, members may thank a person for qualifying.
Members are encouraged to stick to “I” statements and avoid using “we” or “you.”
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the [day of the week, time a.m./p.m., city] meeting of Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous — FA. Before we continue, please silence your cell phone. [Pause.] Thank you.
My name is __________. I am a food addict and the leader for this meeting. [Pause.] Will you please join me in a moment of silence, followed by 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.
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 come to the front of the room to read. Would someone please read the DEFINITION OF FOOD ADDICTION?
[Call on a volunteer to come to the front to read.]
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.
How many food addicts are here besides me? Welcome to you all. 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. Would someone please read “HOW IT WORKS”? [Call on a volunteer to come to the front to read.]
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.
Would someone please read the TWELVE STEPS as adapted by FA?
[Call on a volunteer to come to the front to read.]
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.
Would someone please read the TWELVE TRADITIONS as adapted by FA?
[Call on a volunteer to come to the front to read.]
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.
DISCIPLINES OF THIS MEETING
- No smoking, food, drinks, or gum, please.
- We encourage people to arrive early to help set up the room and greet newcomers.
- Please refrain from actions that may be distracting to others, such as texting or doing handicrafts.
- We ask that you not bring infants and children to the meeting. However, anyone who identifies as having a problem with food is welcome.
- Please remember that naming specific foods, or even describing them without a name, may trigger cravings for some members.
- 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 refrain from crosstalk.
We would like to encourage those who do not yet have 90 days of continuous abstinence in FA to come to the front of the room to read one of the TOOLS OF RECOVERY. Would someone please read the tool of ABSTINENCE?
[Call on one volunteer for each tool.]
THE TOOLS OF RECOVERY
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
[Select the meeting format option chosen by this meeting and continue.]
MEETING FORMAT OPTIONS
1. QUALIFICATION MEETING
I’ve been asked to qualify today, to share my experience, strength, and hope regarding recovery in FA.
[Some meetings consider clapping after a qualification a sign of gratitude for doing service. If your meeting prefers not to include clapping, you may include this wording: “We ask that you please refrain from clapping.”]
[At approximately _____a.m./p.m., proceed to the WELCOME.]
2. SHARING MEETING
Today we will hear from members with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who are working with an FA sponsor.
- 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 anyone with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who is working with an FA sponsor. Please keep your sharing to 3-5 minutes to allow more members time to share.
[At approximately _____a.m./p.m., proceed to the WELCOME.]
3. LITERATURE MEETING
[Choose a reading from the following books or pamphlets.]
3.1 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (BIG BOOK)
[Please avoid reading from Steps Four through Twelve. These portions may not be appropriate for newcomers.]
Today we will read from the book Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as the Big Book. Please take turns reading [length of reading] at a time. Those who do not wish to read, say “Pass.” Please start reading from page ____.
[If there is time before the break:]
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.
[At approximately _____a.m./p.m., proceed to the WELCOME.]
3.2 FOOD ADDICTS IN RECOVERY ANONYMOUS [FA BOOK]
[Please avoid reading from Steps Four through Twelve. These portions may not be appropriate for newcomers. Read and share one chapter at a time. Bookmark the following chapter for the next leader so the book can be read consecutively.]
Today we will read from Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous. Typically, we refrain from mentioning food by name, but we will read these stories as they are written. Please take turns reading [length of reading] at a time. Those who do not wish to read, say “Pass.” Please start reading from page ____.
[If there is time before the break:]
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.
[At approximately _____a.m./p.m., proceed to the WELCOME.]
3.3 connection
[Choose a story from an issue of connection magazine.]
Today we will read a story from connection. Please take turns reading [length of reading] at a time. Those who do not wish to read, say “Pass.”
[After the reading:]
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.
[If time permits, select another story, followed by sharing.]
[At approximately _____a.m./p.m., proceed to the WELCOME.]
3.4 TOOLS
[Read and share on one tool at a time. Bookmark the pamphlet for the next leader so it can be read consecutively.]
During this meeting we will read from the booklet Living Abstinently. Please take turns reading. Those who do not wish to read, say “Pass.” We will start with the tool of ________.
[After the reading:]
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.
[At approximately _____a.m./p.m., proceed to the WELCOME.]
3.5 PAMPHLET
Today we will read from [name of the selected pamphlet. See Meeting Guidelines Document 3 for suggested pamphlets]. Please take turns reading [length of reading] at a time. Those who do not wish to read, say “Pass.”
[After the reading:]
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.
[At approximately _____a.m./p.m., proceed to the WELCOME.]
- WELCOME: We would like to welcome any newcomers or visitors. If you are at this meeting for the first time, would you stand, if you are able, and give us your first name only, so that we may welcome you? [Pause.] Is there anyone here for the second or third time or anyone who has not been to this meeting recently? [Pause.] Welcome to you all.
- GREETERS: If you are new or have any questions, greeters will be available during the break and after the meeting. Would the greeters for this meeting please stand and introduce themselves? [Pause.] The Fifth Tradition reminds us that we are all responsible for carrying the message of recovery to newcomers. If you are new or uncertain about FA, we encourage you to attend several meetings to learn more about the program.
- 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. All sponsors with time available please stand and identify yourselves.
- PHONE LIST: A phone list of people who regularly attend this meeting is available at the literature table. If you wish to be added to this list as a regular attendee, please speak with the Phone List Coordinator at the break or after the meeting. Phone List Coordinator, please stand and identify yourself.
- LITERATURE: Free newcomer packets, phone lists, and a variety of FA Conference-approved materials are available at the literature table. Audio qualifications are available on the FA website. Someone will be at the table to assist you during the break and after the meeting. Literature Representative, would you please stand and identify yourself?
- SEVENTH TRADITION We will now collect the Seventh Tradition donation. The Seventh Tradition advises us to support ourselves through our own contributions, neither soliciting nor accepting outside donations. Our expenses include rent, literature, support of our intergroup [or chapter,] and support of the FA World Service Office. Please contribute generously to the Seventh Tradition.
- 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 this magazine. You can also submit art and articles. connection Representative, would you please stand and identify yourself?
- MEETING EFFECTIVENESS: MESA stands for Meeting Effectiveness, Support, and Assistance. Would the MESA Representative please 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?
We will now take a 10-minute BREAK.
[After the break, resume here.]
SHARING:
We invite sharing from members with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who are working with an FA sponsor.
Is there anyone who has recently reached 90 days of continuous abstinence who would like to share first? [Pause]
Are there any visitors who would like to share? [Pause]
This meeting is now open for sharing from anyone with 90 days or more of continuous abstinence in FA who is working with an FA sponsor. Please keep your sharing to 3-5 minutes to allow more members time to share.
[Conclude sharing 3-4 minutes before the end of the meeting.]
Would someone please read the PROMISES from the Big Book?
[Call on a volunteer to come to the front to read.]
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.
You are welcome to stay after the meeting for fellowship or to ask any questions you may have.
Will you please remain in your seats and, after a moment of silence, join me in the SERENITY PRAYER?
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.
cross-talk, cross talk, crosstalk