Relapse and Recovery Workshop Outline

Introduction: Serenity Prayer; Reading from The 12th Step Within or Members in relapse.

5 Minute Speakers: Shared experience strength and hope around relapse. Why did I come back? What do I think caused my relapse? What I feel I learnt from the experience of relapse and how I feel about it now.

Workshop: Break up into groups of four or five, choose a reading from 'As Bill Sees It' or 'For Today'. Each group has 15 minutes to discuss their group topic and write some points on a large sheet of paper to be shared with the whole group at the end. If they finish early they could share in their group on their experience of relapse.

Group Topics: What do you consider a relapse? What can I do personally for someone in relapse? How can I prevent relapse? What can we do as a group for someone in relapse? What can I do about being in relapse? (15 minutes was allocated for groups to report back.)

Readings: Warning signs of relapse; Symptoms and solutions.

Closing: I put my hand in yours.

From 'The Twelfth Step Within' handbook of Region 5

Warning Signs Of Relapse
Some of the mental states and warning signs that proceed a relapse into compulsive overeating are found in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 35-43:

• Not accepting a spiritual remedy
• Failing to enlarge a spiritual life
• Ignoring or denying my feelings
• Getting into Slippery places when not in a fit spiritual condition
• Thinking a little couldn't hurt me
• Ignoring reasons for NOT eating compulsively
• Using trivial excuses
• Deliberately eating compulsively and feeling justified by nervousness, anger, worry, depression, jealousy etc.
• Giving little thought to the terrible consequences that might ensue
• Getting a thrill out of compulsively eating in spite of warnings
• Continuing to eat compulsively despite warnings
• Thinking it does not apply to me because I'm not that bad
• Telling myself that it won't happen again
• Not admitting that I am a compulsive overeater.

Feedback from the groups - Region Ten convention

What do you consider a relapse:

• A regression in all areas of life
• A slow slide backwards
• A sudden jolt caused realisation of relapse - accompanied by shame, guilt etc.
• A noisy head
• A detour from discipline of living OA programme
• Not only from food, including isolating, less meetings, more shame
• Getting back on board is much harder than 1st time recovery
• Denial / Justifying / Self will / Self pity
• Picking up the first one - which is often the last event in the chain.

What can I do personally for someone in relapse:

• Not being judged, accepted
• Door swings both ways
• OA is one of the hardest places to go when eating
• Sharing Pitfalls v perfect recovery
• Hard to share when eating.

What to offer:

• Daily reprieve
• One bite away
• Can't catch disease when people in relapse
• Fear
• Being human
• Service
• People still suffering/not necessary
• Newcomer
• Ringing, loving, hug, not afraid.

What can we do as a group for someone in relapse?

• Support and be there for them e.g. phoning
• Hold a Relapse and Recovery workshop
• Learn from others who have relapsed
• Keeping contact/friendship
• Being understanding of where they are at
• Encouragement/affirmations
• Acceptance of where they are at
• Share the message of strength and hope
• Don't be afraid of relapse - it's not bad
• Relapse is not a communicable disease.

What can I do about being in relapse?

• Keep coming to meetings
• Keep contacts - Sponsor, Other OA members, Phone/personal contacts
• Don't be afraid to ask for help
• Pray for willingness
• Keep reading literature
• Write down and phone in food plan
• Remember our powerlessness
• Be kind to self
• Focus on positive aspects of your recovery - on solution, not problem
• Acceptance of self and where you're at
• Don't make comparison to others
• Service
• Turn up early to meetings.

How can I prevent Relapse?

• Keeping in touch with your sponsor
• Ongoing housekeeping - 4th and 5th step
• Keep going to regular meetings
• 10th step, in writing, every day, no excuses
• Not taking the first bite
• Keeping the 1st step to the forefront
• 1st things first - recover
• Rigorous honest in all my affairs
• Humility - not getting cocky
• Prayer, meditation
• Daily contact with other members
• Carrying the message
• Principle in all our affairs - helping others whether they are in OA or not
• Making amends [promptly]
• Remembering other peoples relapse stories
• Daily reading of OA/AA literature
• Surrender - 'Thy Will, Not Mine' - everyday, minimum
• Regular service
• Stick with the winners - Win with the stickers.

From the Region Ten News Sheet, Volume 7 #2, 2002

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Creating and Maintaining Quality Meetings

At the World Service Office Business Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico in May 2002, a forum was held on "Creating and Maintaining Meetings". A number of excellent ideas came from these discussions including the following:

Meeting Structure

• Set up the meeting in plenty of time to start punctually
• Have a set meeting format
• Regular group conscience
• Rotation of service positions - with abstinence requirements
• Time the speakers
• Participate in Intergroup, Region, a World Service Business Conference
• Support representatives to report back from business meetings
• Be self supporting at all levels
• Pass on enough funds to support the wider OA structure.

Member Responsibility

• Arrive to the meeting early
• Have a home group that you are committed to unless sick or out of town
• Know you can be relied on to be there
• Take responsibility for ensuring the meeting is there for the newcomer and that it understands and lives by the Traditions
• Be accountable
• Be an example of commitment in action.

Sharing in Meetings

• Focus on recovery - the solution not the problem
• Share you experience, strength and hope of how the twelve steps and twelve traditions have changed your life
• Focus on the disease and step one when there is a newcomer present
• Keep sharing short and to the point - having a topic based on a literature reading can help
• Talk about what service and sponsorship have done for you
• Discourage cross talk
• Above all, keep it simple.

Newcomers

• Invite newcomers to identify at meetings
• Have literature available for them, especially newcomer packs and local meetings lists
• Talk to them before and after the meeting
• Give them your phone number
• Offer a ride to a meeting.

Some Final Memorable Lines

• We can't keep it if we don't give it away
• Meetings should be a safe place to recover, not a safe place to stay in the disease
• We are here for recovery, not relief
• Be an attraction
• Remember our primary purpose - the meeting is there to carry our message of recovery to the still suffering compulsive overeater.

> From the Region Ten Trustee Report
Region Ten News Sheet, Volume 7 #3, June 2002

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Carrying the Message Workshop Questions

Membership surveys consistently show more people come to OA through friends and family than any other one avenue. Many of us devote a lot of time, money and energy to Public Information activities. How much time do we spend carrying the message where it is proven it has the most effect, is free, and where our literature says is most likely to bring us recovery?

• Who in my life knows I'm in OA and knows what OA is? When and why have I told them? What was their reaction?

• among my family (including extended family)
• among friends
• among people I work with
• among people I socialise with
• among people I share hobbies and pastimes with
• among people I share other fellowships with (religious, 12 step etc)
• among people I meet casually



• Who in my life doesn't know I'm in OA? Why?

  • among my family (including extended family)
  • among friends among people I work with
  • among people I socialise with
  • among people I share hobbies and pastimes with
  • among people I share other fellowships with (religious, 12 step etc)
  
  
  
• Think of a few occasions when you've shared your membership and perhaps, what OA means to you, or what OA has done for you.

  • On what occasions has this been most successful?
  • How have you approached people on those occasions?
  • How have they responded?
  • What factors have contributed to their reacting in that way?