by toadfood » Tue Feb 14, 2012 12:47 pm
Good for you for getting back on track, and for stretching yourself to help those girls! It sounds like a wonderful program.
I know you're a 12-stepper like me, so I thought you might appreciate this writing exercise my sponsor gave me. It's called a Steps to a Slip Inventory. I hope I'm not being presumptuous posting this here; if I am let me know and I'll delete it.
1. Select lined paper and write on every third line. You will be putting in other details later. Write a story of what happened leading up to your slip, starting at least four hours before it
happened.
2. Write about the slip as if you were holding a movie camera on yourself. Your actions, thoughts and feelings should be included, right up to “and then I ate…”
3. Identify where the “emotional relapse” happened. When did you get angry, start obsessing, try to control a situation, feel overwhelmed by fear. Write the feelings on the empty lines. You may need another food addict to help you with this.
4. What were the lies you told yourself so that you could eat? “It’s only one bite.” “I’ll start tomorrow.” “It’s my last chance to eat something yummy.” “Oh, screw it; I’m going to have what I want.”
5. After that, identify the spiritual disconnection. Did you have a connection to your Higher Power that morning? How long ago did you lose it? That’s when your slip really began.
6. Read this inventory to two other abstinent food addicts, in addition to your sponsor. You need abstinent people to help you through the blank spots and denial. People that are still in the food are not clear enough to help you.
7. Write out your plan for how to address the situation the next time it happens (AND IT WILL.)
8. Finally, what is the spiritual lesson in your slip?
I have to admit I didn't do number 6 -- I just read it to my sponsor, not to two other people as well. I did find it helpful though.
I have to stay with my turtle energy. Slow and steady wins the race. -- Letha