Recovery Contacts When Your Phone Is Lost or Flat
A flat battery can turn a usable contact list into information you cannot reach. Keep a small backup of the people you have permission to call, along with enough meeting information to get started without an app. Check that the backup makes sense on its own.
Choose a few contacts who have agreed
Ask people whether you may keep their number on a private paper backup. Check how they want their name recorded and whether a brief message is okay. Choose people you have permission to contact, with more than one option in case someone is unavailable.
A small card may need only a first name, number and an agreed note such as “text first” or “evenings.” Leave out other people’s personal history and addresses. Your main recovery contact list can hold more detail in the place you have chosen for it.
Make the card understandable without your screen
Write numbers with the country code if you may travel, and copy them carefully. Test the card by reading it while the phone is put away. Can you distinguish similar names, read the digits and tell which number belongs to whom?
Add the essential details of one meeting you know how to reach, such as its name, day, time and public venue address. Check current information with the group before writing it down. Avoid putting a closed online meeting password on something likely to be lost or read by others.
Decide how you will make contact
Think through the ordinary situation first. At home, you may have access to another phone with permission. Away from home, a trusted companion or staffed venue may be able to help you place a call. Ask for the specific help you need without handing over more personal information than necessary.
AA’s Living Sober chapter about telephone contact offers fellowship experience on keeping in touch. The paper card supports that practical action when your usual device is unavailable. It does not mean any person on the list will always be able to answer.
If you need immediate help, try another agreed contact when the first is unavailable. In an emergency, use local emergency services. Keep emergency information separate and clear enough that you do not confuse a peer’s number with an urgent service.
Review the backup when something changes
Update the card after a number changes or a contact asks for different arrangements. Check the meeting details before a trip or a long period away. A familiar group may change venue or time, and an old card will not automatically show that change.
If the phone is lost, consider the information stored on it and use the device provider’s normal recovery guidance when you can. This article’s first concern is reaching your willing contacts. Ask for help with the device itself through a suitable support channel.
You can carry the card discreetly with ordinary personal items. If you also carry a sobriety medallion, decide where each item will be useful and safe to keep. The number on a coin records a chosen milestone; it does not provide contact information. Select a new keepsake only for an occasion you have separately confirmed.
Once you are connected again, let a person know if you had asked them to expect another call. Return any borrowed phone promptly and thank whoever helped. A brief backup is easiest to keep current when it contains only information you actually use.
Medallions to consider
If you are also marking your own or a loved one’s confirmed AA sobriety anniversary, these are two optional personal keepsakes. Ask whether a gift is welcome and check the milestone before choosing.
Tricolor Glittering Purple Diamond Sparkle (1-50y)
The current selector lists 1 to 50 years. The main photograph shows one sample inscription. Choose the confirmed milestone in the selector and check the order.
Tricolor Opulent Deep Blue (24h, 1-65y)
The current selector lists 24 Hours, 18 Months and 1 to 65 years. The main photograph shows one sample inscription. Choose the confirmed milestone in the selector and check the order.
Common questions
Should I include surnames and recovery details?
Ask contacts about their preference and keep only what you need to identify and reach them. A discreet card can avoid recording sensitive personal detail.
How often should I update it?
Review it when a number, contact arrangement or meeting changes, and before travel. Replace an unreadable or outdated copy.
Keep reading
Compare current designs in Elite Medallions and Deluxe Coins, then check the available milestone options on the product page.
