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Sponsorship - Q & A · Sober Readings

• Scott Hayes: Hey everybody, welcome to Sober Readings. My name is Scott. I'm glad you're here with me. This is a special episode, or additional episode, if you will, of Sober Readings. This one's all about sponsorship. And I'm gonna read today a pamphlet that is issued by the AA General Services Conference, and it's called Questions and Answers on Sponsorship. But before I get to that, let's start like we always do with the Serenity Prayer. God Grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. So in the beginning of this literature or pamphlet, if you will, I I call it a pamphlet, but it's actually twenty seven pages long. So it begins with the Alcoholics Anonymous preamble. So I'll read that. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem. And help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership. We are self supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or institution, does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. So on the next page is, or the next two or three pages actually, is the table of contents, which I'm not gonna read all of it, but I'll just go through the main chapters here. So what is sponsorship? The next is for the person seeking a sponsor, then there's a section on for the person wanting to be a sponsor, then there's another section for groups planning sponsorship activity. And within each of those groups, there is six or seven, at least six or seven pages. For each. So let's get started on the first one. 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 doctor Bob, who had been trying desperately and unsuccessfully to stop drinking, and out of their common need AA was born. The word sponsor was not used then. The twelve steps had not been written, but Bill carried the message to doctor 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 AA 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 AA. Anyone who has a desire to stop drinking is welcome to join us. In AA, 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 Who is attempting to attain or maintain sobriety through AA? When we first begin to attend AA 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 AA 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're 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 AA 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 AA meeting have had no prior contact with AA. They have not telephoned a local AA intergroup or central office. No member has made a twelve step call on them. So especially for such newcomers, give us a 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 AA approach to recovery from alcoholism through the 12 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 AA members who want to share their sobriety through their sponsorship, and for groups that wish to develop sponsorship activity. See what procedures can a group set up to sponsor new members? Page 23. For the person seeking a sponsor. How does sponsorship differ from 12-step calls? A 12-step call Visiting an alcoholic who has asked for help and talking about the AA program with him or her may become the beginning of sponsorship, but by itself it is not necessarily sponsorship. Sponsorship, with its continuing interest in another alcoholic, often develops when the prospect is willing to be helped, admits having a drinking problem, and decides to seek sobriety as a solution. Sponsorship is twelfth step work. But it is also continuing responsibility for helping a newcomer adjust to a way of life without alcohol. How does sponsorship help the newcomer? It assures the newcomer that there is at least one person who understands the situation fully and cares. One person to turn to without embarrassment when doubts, questions, or problems linked to alcoholism arise. Sponsorship gives the newcomer an understanding, sympathetic friend, When one is needed most. Sponsorship also provides the bridge enabling the new person to meet other alcoholics in a home group and in other groups visited. How should a sponsor be chosen? The process of matching newcomer and sponsor is as informal as everything else in AA. Often the new person simply approaches a more experienced member who seems compatible and asks that member to be a sponsor. Most AAs are happy and grateful to receive such a request. An old AA saying suggests stick with the winners. It's only reasonable to seek a sharing of experience with a member who seems to be using the AA program successfully in everyday life. There are no specific rules, but a good sponsor probably should be a year or more away from the last drink, and should seem to be enjoying sobriety. Should sponsor and newcomer be as much alike as possible? Often a newcomer feels most at ease with a sponsor of similar background and interests. However, many AAs say they were greatly helped by sponsors totally unlike themselves. Maybe that's because their attention was then focused on the most important things that any sponsor and newcomer have in common alcoholism and recovery in AA. AA experience does suggest that it is best for men to sponsor men, women to sponsor women. This custom usually helps our members stay focused on the AA program. Some gay men and lesbians feel an opposite sex sponsor is more appropriate for similar reasons. Must the newcomer agree with everything the sponsor says? No. If the sponsor's ideas sound strange or unclear, the newcomer had better speak up and ask questions. Theirs is supposed to be an easy, open relationship, in which both parties talk freely and honestly with each other. The AA program is simple, but it didn't seem that way to many of us at first. Often we learned by asking questions at closed meetings or most especially in conversations with our sponsors. What if the sponsor is unavailable when needed? It is the whole AA program, not the individual's sponsor, that maintains the newcomer's sobriety. Sponsorship is just the best way we know of introducing a newcomer to the program and helping them continue in AA. So we have many resources when we are unable to contact our sponsors. We can telephone other members, go to an AA meeting, and Phone or visit the nearest AA office or clubroom for sober alcoholics, or read AA books or pamphlets or our magazine, the AA Grapevine, to find answers for almost any problem troubling us at the moment. May a newcomer have more than one sponsor. Many feel it is best for a newcomer to have only one sponsor. Choosing one sponsor helps to avoid the precarious practice of a newcomer going from sponsor to sponsor and Seeking the advice he or she wants to hear. May a newcomer change sponsors. We are always free to select another sponsor with whom we feel more comfortable, particularly if we believe this member will be more helpful to our growth in AA. If a newcomer has received a thorough course of treatment and indoctrination in an alcoholism program outside AA, will a sponsor still be needed in AA? Is a special approach needed? The alcoholism programs of government, industry, and other agencies are referring more and more alcoholics to AA. These newcomers usually reach us in a physically dry condition at a somewhat later stage in recovery than the shaking newcomer of the past. Detoxification is often weeks and even months in the past, and the physical compulsion to drink is gone. But the mental obsession with alcohol may still be there. And as AA groups that have welcomed such newcomers generally believe, sponsorship is necessary as soon as possible to help overcome that obsession. This newcomer may have learned many medical facts about the disease of alcoholism, but learning about alcoholism in an institutional setting is one thing, and functioning as a sober alcoholic in a drinking world is quite another, we find. The sponsor is ready to share experience and In how to cope with this situation, the sponsor's personal experience can enable the newcomer to find guidance in applying AA principles to everyday life, just as any other newcomer does who arrives at AA's doors for help. Is it ever too late to get a sponsor? No, an AA who has been in or around the fellowship for many years often finds that getting a good sponsor, talking frankly, and listening can make the whole program open up as it never did before. Most AAs feel that sponsorship is a vital part of their ongoing growth and progress in recovery, including persons who have long term sobriety. Sponsorship can be the answer for the person who has been able to achieve only interludes of sobriety or Who has attended meetings casually and has not really taken the first step. For such a person, a sponsor with a firm grounding of sobriety and AA can make all the difference. Even if we have many dry years behind us, we can often benefit by asking an AA friend to be our sponsor. We may have been feeling discontentment or real emotional pain because we forgot that the AA program offers a whole new way of life, not just freedom from alcohol. With the sponsor's help, we can use the program to the full, change our attitudes, and in the process come to enjoy our sobriety. The next section is for the person wanting to be a sponsor. How does sponsorship help the sponsor? Sponsorship strengthens the older members' sobriety. The act of sharing sobriety makes it easier for a member to live without alcohol. By helping others, alcoholics find that they help themselves. Sponsorship also offers the satisfaction that comes from assuming responsibility for someone other than oneself. In a very real sense, it fills the need felt by most human beings. To help others over rough spots. Can any member be a sponsor? There is no superior class or cast of sponsors in AA. Any member can help the newcomer learn to cope with life without resorting to alcohol in any form. In most instances, AA custom does suggest one limitation. Sponsorship should be avoided whenever a romantic entanglement might arise between sponsor and sponsee. We AA members, no matter how long we have been sober, remain thoroughly human, subject to emotions that might divert us from our primary purpose. When is a member ready for sponsorship responsibility? Our primary purpose is to carry the message of AA to the alcoholic who still suffers. AA members who have actually worked the steps of AA as a way to attain sobriety. are often in the best position to share their experience, strength, and hope. The most successful sponsors seem to be men and women who have been in AA long enough to have a good understanding of the AA program outlined in the twelve steps. Many of us think it wise to seek advice from our own sponsors about when we may be ready to take on the responsibility of sponsoring another alcoholic. The member who has been sober for months or years is usually, but not always Able to work more effectively with newcomers than the members whose experience is limited to only a few weeks or days. Thus, length of sobriety is a factor, but not the only factor in successful sponsorship. Just as importantly, the sponsor should have capacity for understanding, patience, and the willingness to devote time and effort to new members. What does a sponsor do and not do? A sponsor does everything possible within the limits of personal experience and knowledge to help the newcomer get sober and stay sober through the AA program. Shows by present example and drinking history what AA has meant in the sponsor's life. Encourages and helps the newcomer to attend a variety of AA meetings, to get a number of viewpoints and interpretations of the AA program. Suggests keeping an open mind about AA if the newcomer isn't sure at first whether he or she is an alcoholic, introduces the newcomer to other members, sees that the newcomer is aware of AA literature, in particular the big book, twelve steps and twelve traditions, Grapevine, as Bill sees it, Living Sober, and Suitable Pamphlets, is available to the newcomer when the latter has special problems. Goes over the meaning of the twelve steps and emphasizes their importance, urges the newcomer to join in group activities as soon as possible, impresses upon the newcomer the importance of all our traditions, emphasizes the relevance and spiritual value of anonymity, both on a person to person basis as well as at the public level, including social media. For more information, see the pamphlet Understanding Anonymity. Tries to give the newcomer some picture of the scope of AA beyond the group and directs attention to AA literature about the history of the fellowship, the three legacies, the service structure, and the worldwide availability of AA, wherever the newcomer may go. Explains the program to relatives of the alcoholic if this appears to be useful, and tells them about Al Anon family groups and Alatine. Quickly admits, I don't know. When that is the case, and helps the newcomer find a good source of information. The sponsor encourages the newcomer to work with other alcoholics as soon as possible, and sometimes begins by taking the newcomer along on twelve-step calls. Never takes the newcomer's inventory except when asked. Never tries to impose personal views on the newcomer. A good sponsor who is an atheist does not try to persuade a religious newcomer to abandon faith. Nor does a religious sponsor argue theological matters with an agnostic newcomer. Does not pretend to know all the answers and does not keep up a pretense of being right all the time. An AA sponsor does not offer professional services such as those provided by counselors, the legal, medical, or social work communities, but may sometimes help the newcomer to access professional help if assistance outside the scope of AA is needed. Stresses the importance of AA being a safe place for all members and encourages members to become familiar with service material available from the general service office, such as safety in AA, our common welfare. The sponsor underscores the fact that it is the AA recovery program, not the sponsor's personality or position, that is important. Thus the newcomer learns to rely on the AA program, not on the sponsor. A sponsor well grounded in the AA program will not be offended if the newcomer goes to other AA members for additional guidance or even decides to change sponsors. Is there any one best way of sponsoring a newcomer? The answer is no. All members are free to approach sponsorship as their own individual experiences and personalities may suggest. Some sponsors adopt a more or less brusque, take it or leave it approach in dealing with newcomers. Others exhibit extreme patience and great personal interest in the people they sponsor. Still others are somewhat casual, content to let the new person take the initiative in asking questions or seeking help in special situations. Each approach is sometimes successful and sometimes fails. The sponsor has to decide which to try in a particular case. The experienced sponsor recognizes the importance of flexibility in working with newcomers, does not rely on a single approach, and may try a number of different approaches with the same person. How can a sponsor explain the AA program? Sponsors will want to explain AA in the manner that each finds most natural and most likely to be clear to the newcomer at hand. Some sponsors find that reminding the newcomer of the first step that they are powerless over alcohol and that their lives have become unmanageable is key to a successful recovery. Many sponsors make it a point to emphasize that together they can do what they could not do alone, stay away from the first drink. These sponsors remind the newcomer that AA offers a practical program and that it has already helped more than two million men and women. They suggest the need for open mindedness in facing alcoholism as a personal problem, and they underscore the fact that it is up to the newcomer alone to decide whether he or she is an alcoholic and whether AA can help. Nearly all members who work with newcomers look upon the AA program in terms of their own experience and They tell the new person that no one speaks for AA and that every member is perfectly free to arrive at an individual understanding of the program. Some sponsors talk about the program in a more spiritual way than others do, but nearly all call attention to the source of strength to be found in a power greater than ourselves. Again, the sponsor points out it is up to the newcomer to determine what that AA phrase means. It expresses an idea that people of many faiths or of no particular faith can and do accept with complete harmony. Many sponsors discuss the significance of anonymity at a personal level and public level early on. Anonymity at a personal level provides protection for all members from the identification as alcoholics, a safeguard often of special importance to newcomers. At the public level of press, radio, films, and other media technologies, such as the internet, anonymity stresses the equality in the fellowship of all members by putting the brake on those who might otherwise exploit their AA affiliation to achieve recognition, power, or personal gain. The sponsor is quick to point out the benefit of anonymity at this public level. Sponsors may provide examples from their own experience of maintaining public anonymity. Should a sponsor recommend hospitalization? The important thing to remember is that hospitalization is not part of the AA program and that a doctor, not a sponsor, is the person who should say whether it is required. Experienced sponsors are careful not to set themselves up as substitutes for doctors in dealing with any phase of alcoholism. An AA old timer offers this reminder. Hospitalization or other professional care given to a newcomer is Does not in any way lessen the responsibility of the AA member to carry the message in the best possible way and to furnish good sponsorship. It is not good AA simply to dump an alcoholic into the lap of others because we do not have enough time or because the alcoholic is troublesome and demanding. Most of us recall with gratitude and enduring patience and great kindness older members showed us when we were new ourselves. How can a sponsor work with an alcoholic's family? The sponsor can explain the AA program to a spouse, partner, or relative, and point out that most members have found it easier to live a life without alcohol when their relatives took an interest in AA, became familiar with AA literature, and attended open meetings of a local group. In general, the sponsor can help the alcoholics family give the newcomer every chance to make good in AA and can urge the family not to expect too much, too soon, from the recovering alcoholic. In some cases, family relationships have slipped seriously as a result of the alcoholic's behavior while drinking. The sponsor should not act like a professional counselor in such situations. However, many threatened relationships have been saved once the primary problem of alcoholism has been brought under control, and the sponsor can point this out. The sponsor will also want the family to know about alanon family groups and alatine. Made up of relatives and friends of alcoholics, alcoholics who may or may not be an AA. The Al-Anon program parallels AAs, but Al Anon is an entirely separate fellowship. It helps relatives of problem drinkers to understand the illness and its effects on family life. In Alatine, a part of Al Anon, teenagers who have alcoholic parents share their own experiences. Local groups of Alan and Alatine meet regularly in many communities where an Alan listing often appears in the phone book. Alanon literature and meeting information may be requested by writing to sixteen hundred Corporate Landing Parkway, Virginia Beach, Virginia two three four five four dash five six one seven or at Alanon.org. Should a sponsor lend money to a newcomer? This is, of course, a matter of individual judgment and decision. Involved in it is the basic fact that AA has a single purpose to help alcoholics with their drinking problem. AA 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 AA. 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 AA for money, clothes, or assurance of employment is coming to the wrong place for the wrong thing. AA 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. Should a sponsor intercede with an employer? By the time an alcoholic turns to AA, he or she may already have lost a job or be in danger of losing one. If there is a job, it may involve working for an employer who is uninformed about problem drinkers and knows little or nothing about AA. Whether or not a sponsor should intercede to preserve another alcoholic's job depends upon the individual circumstances of each case. A surprising number of employers anxious to restore competent employees to maximum efficiency welcome the news that a worker has turned to AA and are interested in knowing more about the recovery program. An informative pamphlet is there a problem drinker in the workplace has been prepared to acquaint employers with the help that AA can offer. Can a sponsor be too firm? Some sponsors believe in being fairly blunt with a newcomer. They describe the AA program as they understand it. They explain what AA has meant to them. They point out that there is no known cure for alcoholism, but that it can be arrested. Having done these things, they leave the next move up to the newcomer. If the still drinking alcoholic does not reach a decision immediately to join AA, This sponsor believes in letting the situation alone. This approach is not totally unsympathetic. Many alcoholics respect it and recognize it as an attempt to be completely factual about AA, to avoid emotion. The AA program is based on certain tested principles, which a newcomer may disregard only at risk. Firm sponsorship emphasizes this and usually works well in convincing the newcomer. Most AAs, however, recognize that firmness overdone can upset a newcomer. It should be tempered with sympathy and understanding. Can a sponsor be overprotective? In their enthusiasm to help a newcomer achieve sobriety, some sponsors may tend to be overprotective. They worry unduly about the persons they sponsor and tend to smother them with attention. In doing so, they may run the risk of having a newcomer depend on an individual member rather than on the AA program. The most effective sponsors recognize that alcoholics who join AA must eventually stand on their own feet and make their own decisions, and that there is a difference between helping people to their feet and insisting on holding them up there after. Another danger of overprotectiveness is that it may annoy the newcomer to the point of resenting the attempts to help, and expressing that resentment by turning away from AA. Can a sponsor be too casual? Some sponsors prefer to adopt a casual attitude toward newcomers with whom they work. For example, they are perfectly willing to spend time with the new member who asks for it, but rarely take the time or trouble to call between meetings or help the newcomer get to meetings. Some newcomers actually flourish best left pretty much on their own, but there may be some danger in this approach. A timid or reserved newcomer may conclude that the group and the individual sponsor are not interested in helping. Many present members report that they did not make a firm decision to adopt the AA program until months or years after their first contact with AA, simply because they were allowed to drift away from the group. A growing number of groups try to avoid this by establishing a program for following up with newcomers during a period of weeks or months after an in an initial approach is made to the group. How can a sponsor handle an over dependent newcomer? In the first days of sobriety, a newcomer is sometimes so bewildered and frightened, or so mentally fuzzy and physically weak, that he or she needs to be taken to each meeting and perhaps helped in making personal decisions. But such utter dependence on the sponsor when carried past the earliest stages of recovery often becomes damaging to both parties. It has already been pointed out that we stay sober through reliance on the AA program. Not on any one member, so the newcomer's chances in this situation may not be very good. And the sponsor may either feel harried by constant, unreasonable demands, or feel flattered and let the ego build up dangerously. How can this dilemma be solved without leaving the newcomer disheartened? Many AAs when first asked to sponsor, will have met with the newcomer and reviewed this pamphlet in an effort to avoid pitfalls. Most likely, the sponsor and newcomer will have discussed their commitments and agreed upon expectations early in the relationship. The sponsor will also have encouraged the newcomer to talk to other AA members with longer term sobriety. Now might be the time for a heartfelt talk in which the sponsor again explains the importance of relying on the entire AA program as well as their concern regarding the over dependence of the newcomer. If this conversation fails to provide a solution, the sponsor may offer to remain as a temporary sponsor until the newcomer can find a sponsor they feel more comfortable with. How can a sponsor work with a newcomer who rejects help? In such cases, there is little a sponsor can do except assure the newcomer of willingness to help when and if needed. Occasionally, it may be wise to introduce the newcomer to an AA member who shares more of the newcomer's background and interests. Sponsorship is a flexible venture, and good sponsors are themselves flexible in working with new people. It is just as much a mistake to thrust unwanted help upon a newcomer as As it is to refuse help when a newcomer asks for it. When newcomers resist the spiritual side of the program, what can sponsors do? First of all, we can relax and remember that sponsorship does not mean forcing any specific interpretation of AA upon newcomers. Most men and women who have been in AA for more than a few months recognize that its program is based on spiritual principles. At the same time, they appreciate that alcoholics who have been able to achieve and maintain sobriety without any belief in a personal higher power. Perhaps the sponsor might point out the distinction between the words spiritual and religious. As our preamble says, AA is not allied with any sect or denomination, and no sort of religious belief is required for membership, only a desire to stop drinking. On the other hand, the help offered by our program is certainly neither material nor physical. We do not offer money or medicine, only ideas and the AA love of one alcoholic for another. In this sense, the entire program, rather than just a side of it, may be called spiritual, and almost any newcomer can appreciate a concept so broadly defined. How should a sponsor deal with slips? It can be most discouraging to work with a newcomer who gets sober for a period, then has a relapse or slip, and starts drinking again. This can be a delicate, difficult time for both the sponsor and the newcomer. The sponsor may be tempted to consider the newcomer ungrateful or even to give up. Here, we sponsors need to look carefully into our own attitudes to steer a middle course between harsh criticism that would only build up the newcomer's remorse and And maudlin sympathizing that would add to self-pity. The newcomer, of course, may be even more discouraged and bewildered and may find it extremely difficult to return to the sponsor and to the group for a fresh start. For this reason, many sponsors believe it important to take the initiative and call the newcomer. In order to make the return truly a new beginning, it may be wise at this point to avoid postmortems on the reasons for the slip. Instead, the sponsor can help guide the newcomer back to the simplicity of the first step and the prime importance of staying away from the first drink just for the day at hand. Later, the newcomer wait may want to check the kind of thinking that possibly led to the slip in order to guard against its recurrence. Here, the sponsor's role depends completely on the two people involved. If the sponsor was aware of the danger signals beforehand, one newcomer may say If only you had told me, but another may rebel at the idea of having been watched. Regarded realistically, the slip can become a learning experience for both the person sponsored and the sponsor. For the sponsor, it may serve as a push toward humility, a reminder that one person cannot keep another person sober and that the twelfth step says we tried to carry this message. Most good sponsors emphasize that people who have slipped continue to be welcome in AA. Successful sponsorship activity depends to a large degree on the understanding and love that the individual and group offer to a newcomer who may have one or more slips despite sincere efforts to achieve sobriety. Can a member sponsor more than one newcomer simultaneously? AA members differ in their enthusiasm for sponsorship work, in their ability to handle it effectively, and in the time they can give. Members who are willing and able to sponsor several newcomers simultaneously should certainly not be discouraged. At the same time, it should be kept in mind that sponsorship is, in a sense, a privilege to be shared by as many members as possible. And an activity that helps all members to strengthen their sobriety. Further, members who do too much sponsorship work may get exaggerated ideas about their abilities, may even risk their own sobriety. As in so many phases of AA, common sense is the best guide. Can I sponsor a person in custody? Yes. For more information, please refer to the corrections kit and workbook. Or contact your local corrections committee. And the last section is titled For Groups Planning Sponsorship Activity. How does sponsorship help a group? The primary purpose of an AA group is to carry the message of the recovery program to alcoholics who want and ask for help. Group meetings are one way of doing this. Sponsorship is another. In some groups, the idea of sponsorship is broadened to include working with alcoholics in nearby institutions and through correspondence with isolated loan members, internationalists, seagoing AAs, and homers. Active sponsorship programs within a group remind all members of the group's primary purpose. They serve to unite a group, keep it mindful of first things first. Sponsorship can also help a group to create a welcoming and secure environment. Safety is an issue affecting all members, and it is important for groups to remain accessible to all who are seeking recovery. Sponsorship can help keep the group focused on the common welfare. What procedures can a group set up to sponsor new members? Carefully planned sponsorship activity within a group is often likely to produce best results than sponsorship left to chance. A typical pattern of planned sponsorship within a local group might include the following a regular committee on sponsorship or a twelve step committee with members rotating frequently. If there is an intergroup or a central office that keeps a list of local groups and the members available for twelve step calls, Such a committee may check to see whether the group has enough of its members on the office list to fulfill its responsibility. Regular beginners meetings, also called newcomer meetings, particularly in large communities where there are many newcomers. A guide for leading beginners meetings may be ordered from GSO. Regular assignment of members to greet newcomers at meetings and introduce them around. In large groups, people on a hospitality committee may wear badges for the benefit of the newcomer. In smaller groups, the secretary may during the announcements simply ask newcomers to come up and make themselves known after the meeting so they may be introduced to other members. Another suggested announcement. If any person here does not have a sponsor and wants one, please see the secretary, who will arrange a temporary sponsor. Where this practice is followed at each meeting, members say it reminds the group of the value of sponsoring and being sponsored. Closed meeting discussions of sponsorship, problems and opportunities. Some groups schedule meetings especially for this purpose. Table display of conference approved AA literature on recovery, including this pamphlet. Study of chapter seven in the big book, working with others, regular procedure carried out by the Secretary or the Sponsorship Committee for welcoming newcomers who have just left institutions in Treatment centers or halfway houses. For instance, the secretary may receive word from the secretary of a prison group that a newly released person is about to attend a meeting and the outside group is then alerted to the arrival of this newcomer. If it is feasible, a member of the group may even offer to meet the person immediately upon release. How may outside AA groups help groups and members in institutions? This subject is fully covered in the pamphlets AA in correctional facilities and AA in treatment settings. Also see guidelines on corrections committees and guidelines on treatment facilities committees, treatment facilities workbook and corrections workbook, all available from GSO. Service sponsorship AA service is anything, whatever that helps us to reach a fellow sufferer. Ranging all the way from the twelfth step itself to a ten cent phone call and a cup of coffee, and to AA's general service office for national and international action. The sum total of all these services is our third legacy of service, the AA Service Manual, 12 Concepts for World Service. Sponsorship in AA is basically the same, whether helping another individual's recovery or service to a group. It can be defined as one alcoholic who has made some progress in recovery and or performance in service, sharing this experience with another alcoholic who is just starting the journey. Both types of service spring from the spiritual aspects of the program. Individuals may feel that they have more to offer in one area than in another. It is the service sponsor's responsibility to present the various aspects of service, setting up a meeting, working on committees, Participating in conferences, etc. In this matter, it is important for the service sponsor to help individuals understand the distinction between serving the needs of the fellowship and meeting the personal needs of another group member. A service sponsor is usually someone who is knowledgeable in AA history and has a strong background in the service structure. The AA member is introduced to a new language. ⁓ Minority opinion, they will become familiar with the traditions, concepts, and warranties, as well as the AA service manual, twelve concepts for world service, alcoholics anonymous comes of age, and other AA literature. The service sponsor begins by encouraging the member to become active in their home group. Coffee, literature, cleanup, attending business or intergroup meetings, etcetera. The service sponsor should keep in mind that all members will not have the desire or qualifications to move beyond certain levels and thus the service sponsor might help find tasks appropriate to individuals' skills and interests. Whatever level of service one performs, all are toward the same end, sharing the overall responsibility of Alcoholics Anonymous. Eventually, the service sponsor encourages the individual member interested in this form of service to attend. district meetings and to read about the history and structure of Alcoholics Anonymous. At this point, the individual beginning this work should begin to understand the responsibilities of service work, as well as feel the satisfaction of yet another form of twelve step work. Such individuals should be encouraged to take an active part in district activities and consider being elected to an alternate position in the district so as to learn about the responsibilities of various jobs in the service structure. During this process, it is important for the individual to continue to learn about the three legacies recovery, unity, and service. And to understand that the principle of rotation not only allows them to move on in service, but also gives newer members the privilege of serving. Rotation also allows them to understand that no one should hold on to a position of trust long enough to feel a proprietary interest and thereby discourage newcomers from service. Co-founder Dr. Bob said, I spend a great deal of time passing on what I learned to others who want and need it badly. I do it for four reasons. One, sense of duty. Two, it is a pleasure. Three, because in doing so I am paying my debt to the man who took time to pass it on to me. Four Because every time I do it, I take out a little more insurance for myself against a possible slip. The basis of all sponsorship is to lead by example. Service sponsors can impart to their sponsees the pleasure of involvement in the work of Alcoholics Anonymous. This is best done by stressing the spiritual nature of service work and by pointing out the usefulness of simple footwork and faith. Now through knowledge and experience, The new member is aware that service is our most important product after sobriety. With this knowledge, the individual is able to share their vision with others and ensure the future of Alcoholics Anonymous. And the summary. Most present members of Alcoholics Anonymous owe their sobriety to the fact that someone else took a special interest in them and was willing to share a great gift with them. Sponsorship is merely another way of describing the continuing special interest of a seasoned member that can mean so much to a newcomer turning to AA for help. Individuals and groups can't afford to lose sight of the importance of sponsorship, the importance of taking a special interest in a confused alcoholic who wants to stop drinking. Experience shows clearly that the members getting the most out of the AA program are And the groups doing the best job of carrying the AA message to still suffering alcoholics are those for whom sponsorship is too important to be left to chance. By these members and groups, sponsorship responsibilities are welcome and accepted as opportunities to enrich personal AA experience and to deepen the satisfactions that come from working with others. And the last three pages of this pamphlet are the twelve steps. The Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts, which I will not go into reading. And so there you have it. I hope that answered any questions you might have. That again was called Questions and Answers on Sponsorship. It's a pamphlet that is put out by the AA General Service Conference. And that is going to do it for this episode of Sober Readings. I hope you enjoyed that episode on sponsorship. And if you have any questions on sponsorship, please. Either reach out to me, you can leave a comment, or you can send an email to me at sober readings with Scott at gmail.com. Or simply reach out to a local AA group or go to an AA meeting. They generally have a lot of these pamphlets available for free. So thank you so much for listening today. Stay sober, keep reading, and I'll catch you in the next episode. Until then, take care of yourselves and each other, and remember, just for today, don't drink. Go to a meeting and keep coming back. Have a great day, everyone, and as my friend Larry says, best day ever.