Relapse Telephone Connection Questions By admin Posted on May 1, 2017 5 min read 4 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Reddit Share on Pinterest Share on Linkedin Share on Tumblr I’m blessed with over twelve years of abstinence after a horrific fourteen-year relapse. What did I do differently? I became more honest, willing, and open with my fellows and my sponsor. No longer do I try to look like I have it all together when I don’t, because that way of thinking leads me right back into the food. I know this from experience. Since it’s my second time in recovery, I want it to last until I die. Another thing I do now is pick up the phone and call people. No longer do I think, “Oh, I don’t want to bother anyone.” Instead, I look at the clock, consider the day of week, and six names pop into my head—people who might be available when I need to talk through a challenging situation. This habit didn’t come overnight. I worked at it, as I worked my food plan, my Steps, and my program. At first, I called my sponsor, then fellow meeting-mates, then people I did service with along the way. Some have become close friends. When I pick up that two-ton phone (oddly, the phone was never this heavy when I was calling for food deliveries), it’s helpful to have questions ready: How is your day going? What do you like about your food plan? Do you weigh and measure your food? Did you do that right away? What benefits do you see? Are there foods you eat now that you were sure you’d hate but really enjoy? I’m not very creative with food preparation. Do you have ideas about recipes or food choices you could share? Do you have a nutritionist or dietitian you could recommend? How did you prepare for your Fifth Step? How do you maintain abstinence through trauma? I’m beginning to lose enough weight that people notice. It’s kind of nice, but now people are giving me advice about what to eat and how quickly or slowly I should lose. How did you handle that? How have your family relationships changed since you’ve been in program and abstinent? How do you handle reducing your desire to gossip? My spouse is giving me a hard time about what I eat. I’m torn between wanting to please and wanting to work this program because I like who I’m becoming. How do you handle this? What was your journey to finding your HP? Who or what is your HP? When and how do you meditate? Do you listen to music? Do you sit up or lie down? What is our region? What is the World Service Business Conference? What happens there? Why should I care? What is an intergroup meeting like? I want to do some service, but I don’t have a lot of time. Do you know what is available? I know you will find some questions of your own, but starter questions always give me enough courage to reach out to another person who understands my disease. — Anonymous, Minnesota USA