Questions and Answers on Sponsorship (contd)

The AA (General Service conference approved) booklet: Questions and Answers on Sponsorship 

Extract: 

“What is sponsorship?

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS began with sponsorship.

When Bill W., only a few months sober,
was stricken with a powerful urge to drink, this
thought came to him: “You need another alcoholic
to talk to. You need another alcoholic just as much
as he needs you!”

He found Dr. Bob, who had been trying desperately
and unsuccessfully to stop drinking, and out
of their common need A.A. was born. The word
“sponsor” was not used then; the Twelve Steps had
not been written; but Bill carried the message to
Dr. Bob, who in turn safeguarded his own sobriety
by sponsoring countless other alcoholics. Through
sharing, both of our co-founders discovered, their
own sober lives could be enriched beyond measure.

What does A.A. mean by sponsorship? To join
some organizations, you must have a sponsor —
a person who vouches for you, presents you as
being suitable for membership. This is definitely
not the case with A.A. Anyone who has a desire to
stop drinking is welcome to join us! 

In A.A., sponsor and sponsored meet as equals,
just as Bill and Dr. Bob did. Essentially, the process
of sponsorship is this: An alcoholic who has
made some progress in the recovery program
shares that experience on a continuous, individual
basis with another alcoholic who is attempting to
attain or maintain sobriety through A.A.

When we first begin to attend A.A. meetings,
we may feel confused and sick and apprehensive.
Although people at meetings respond to our
questions willingly, that alone isn’t enough. Many
other questions occur to us between meetings; we
find that we need constant, close support as we
begin learning how to “live sober."

So we select an A.A. member with whom we
can feel comfortable, someone with whom we can
talk freely and confidentially, and we ask that person
to be our sponsor.

Whether you are a newcomer who is hesitant
about “bothering” anyone, or a member who has
been around for some time trying to go it alone,
sponsorship is yours for the asking. We urge you:
Do not delay. Alcoholics recovered in A.A. want to
share what they have learned with other alcoholics.
We know from experience that our own sobriety
is greatly strengthened when we give it away! 

Sponsorship can also mean the responsibility
the group as a whole has for helping the newcomer.
Today, more and more alcoholics arriving at
their first A.A. meeting have had no prior contact
with A.A. They have not telephoned a local A.A.
intergroup or central office; no member has made
a “Twelfth Step call” on them. So, especially for
such newcomers, groups are recognizing the need
to provide some form of sponsorship help. In
many successful groups, sponsorship is one of the
most important planned activities of the members.

Sponsorship responsibility is unwritten
and informal, but it is a basic part of the A.A.
approach to recovery from alcoholism through the
Twelve Steps. Sponsorship can be a long term
relationship.

We hope that this pamphlet will provide
answers to some of the often-asked questions
about the rewarding two-way street called sponsorship
— for people who may be seeking sponsors
— for A.A. members who want to share their
sobriety through sponsorship — and for groups
that wish to develop sponsorship activity (see
What procedures can a group set up to sponsor new
members? Page 23)”

(our emphases – in bold print)

Comment: From the above it may be seen that it remains with the newcomer to take the initiative. It is up to them who they select as sponsor (if that person agrees of course). Moreover there is no question of the sponsor dictating to the sponsee. They meet “as equals” both benefiting potentially from the arrangement. Sponsorship is not subject to some set of rules – it is unwritten and informal. It can be long term – but not necessarily. Indeed the reality is that all sponsorship is temporary. Finally although sponsorship may be highly recommended it is by no means necessary for recovery – and no sponsorship is far preferable to bad sponsorship. Many members recover without any kind of 'formal' sponsorship relationship preferring to rely on that abundant resource to be found within AA – good old fashioned friendship. (It should also be remembered at this juncture that many alcoholics recover without AA at all!: “Upon therapy for the alcoholic himself, we surely have no monopoly” ('Alcoholics Anonymous', Foreword to the Second Edition))

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(to be continued)