On Being A Sponsor

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ON BEING A SPONSOR

The decision to be a sponsor is important and should not be taken lightly. Whenever possible, we consult our own sponsor before agreeing to sponsor someone else. Our motive in sponsoring another dually-diagnosed person is to help another someone who still suffers. We can only keep it by giving it away.

In deciding whether to sponsor someone, we need to ask ourselves if we are ready and willing to share our experience, strength and hope and to take on the responsibility. Many feel that sponsoring is easier once we have made some headway with our own recovery. By helping others, we reach outside of ourselves and grow spiritually toward wholeness, remembering always that our recovery comes first. There is always a fine line between caring and enabling; as sponsors, our responsibility is to carry the message, not the other person. Sponsoring someone does not mean that you become responsible for their life, their recovery or their mental health. We are not therapists, psychiatrists, moneylenders, marriage counselors or parole officers. It is also important to remember that we are sick. There may be times when we may not be able to relate, when we may see someone in danger of wanting to hurt themselves or someone else; we do our best to direct that person to someone who may help. When you are sponsoring someone, problems may creep up that you will need to discuss with your own sponsor (always respect anonymity and confidentiality in these matters). Remember, even if someone relapses, we’re not here to play God, our responsibility is to our own recovery and there will be times when we don’t have answers. If we can, we help that person seek the help they need; our program is based on one person helping another with the help of the God of our understanding but remember, we are not God.

As sponsors, we do everything possible within the limits of personal experience and knowledge to get and stay clean, stay awy from jails, institutions and death. and work the 12-steps of recovery. We live our program one day at a time and help the newcomer partake in what we have been freely given. Out of this common bond, we recover and service lives on.

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