Today I got a call from an FA member from the U.S. who was traveling with family in Europe. It was a call for help. I heard how difficult it was for her to get the food she needed to stay abstinent, to stick with mealtimes, and to meet her family’s needs. I could relate.
I could relate so well because I had just recently been traveling in a country where I did not know the language. I stayed in four different hotels over a period of seven days. I had given a printed version of my food plan to each hotel before my trip started and had asked the travel agent to arrange for me to get my lunch to take out, before the daily bus tour started.
I had been quite confident. Why should it be difficult to put something that simple into practice? They had it in black and white, I thought. My sponsor had warned me to be careful, that I might have to be assertive. I soon learned what she meant.
The first hotel gave me about just half of my breakfast and lunch. My first reaction was anger, but I did not show it. I took a deep breath and asked for help. My sponsor later assured me that in certain circumstances it is okay to let go of a food item.
At the other hotels, things were easier. I gave them lots of extra tips and did not worry about members of my travel group giving me strange looks and wondering why I weighed things out in the morning.
On the fifth day of the trip, I told our travel guide that I would check out for a day and that I needed to rest. Even though I had paid lots of money, I took a whole day in order to have a much-needed rest. Fortunately there was an English-speaking meeting that day, which I had carefully scheduled before the trip, so I had the opportunity to share my feelings and to express my gratitude for what this program enables me to do.
Passing on my program became very important; I know I need to share it if I want to maintain it. I had asked FA members for their mailing addresses before I left for my trip, and every night after dinner, I sat down and wrote at least three postcards to FA members all over the world.
What a pleasure to share what I had seen that day with people who understand that I just have a daily reprieve from food obsession. No one from the tourist group I traveled with knew I, this thin lady, who was being so careful about her food, came from 20 years of bulimia, under eating, over-exercising, episodes of serious mental illness, and at times was unable to just make a trip to the doctor. And this recovering food addict, to whom travel seemed so far out of reach ten years ago, was able to see the most beautiful places in Europe, have the freedom to look at the wonders of culture, and feel safe to know that there will be a next meal, and it will be enough.