The AA
(General Service conference approved) booklet: Questions and Answers on Sponsorship
Extract:
“Should
a sponsor lend money to a newcomer?
This
is, of course, a matter of individual judgement and decision.
Involved in it is the basic fact that A.A. has a single purpose: to
help alcoholics with their drinking problem. A.A. is not a
philanthropic or job-finding society.
Money,
or the lack of it, has never been a key factor in an individual’s
ability to get sober in A.A.
The
sponsor who lends money to a newcomer does so at risk and may even be
slowing down the new person’s progress toward sobriety. The
newcomer who turns to A.A. for money, clothes, or assurance of
employment is coming to the wrong place for the wrong thing. A.A. has
something far more important to offer: sobriety.
Professional
agencies can furnish other kinds of help if any are needed. But many
alcoholics when sober can solve their own domestic,
vocational, or legal problems.”
Comment:
Are you nuts! And who's got any money to lend!! Thanks to the
unswerving dedication of bankers everywhere to the principle of 'who
can bury their snouts into the profits deepest' followed by the
consequent ruination of economies worldwide the answer to the
question: “Buddy can you spare me a dime?” can generally be
answered with a resounding 'no'! On the other hand alcoholics can
equally well be said to be extremely generous when it comes to
providing lifts to meetings, a chat in a cafe over a cup of tea and
lending an empathetic ear. As for the statement “many alcoholics
when sober can solve their own domestic, vocational or legal
problems” we would substitute the words “all alcoholics can
solve...”. They have to. It's no one else's responsibility”
But
remember: a sponsor is NOT ESSENTIAL to recovery. And NO sponsorship
is better by far than BAD sponsorship!
Cheers
The Fellas
(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
(to be
continued)
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