Becoming a sponsor for AA might be a great idea if you are committed to the program and want to help new members. Alcoholics Anonymous has been around for decades and has helped thousands of people with their recovery from addiction. A big component of AA is sponsorship. You might consider becoming a sponsor to a new member of AA if you are willing to be vulnerable and share your experience. In addition, you should have a year of sobriety under your belt and have plenty of time to devote to sponsorship. And finally, you’ll need to know the program very well in order to help others learn the ropes. Hopefully, you’ll find the right fit and be able to help a new member of the program with their recovery.
Becoming a Sponsor for AA: What to Know
Must Be Willing to Be Vulnerable
Becoming a sponsor for AA means that you’ll need to open up and share your journey with another person. You’ll need to be willing to be vulnerable about your experience with recovery. Sharing your personal journey is a great way to help somebody through their hardest moments. However, you need to be secure in your recovery because it can be painful for you as well.
One Year of Sobriety
You should not think of becoming a sponsor for AA until you’ve spent plenty of time in the program. For example, most consider one year to be the minimum time of sobriety before committing to sponsorship. However, longer is even better as you’ll be even more secure in your recovery.
Time Commitment
Becoming a sponsor for AA is a big-time commitment. You’ll need to make sure that your schedule allows for you to meet with or at least speak on the phone with your sponsee as much as needed. Before committing to a new member as their sponsor, make sure that your schedules line up. Try to make sure that you’ll have some times when you are both available to meet.
Knowing the Program
Finally, becoming a sponsor for AA means that you’ll be sharing the twelve steps with new members. Therefore, you’ll need to know the program back to front. You also need to be a supporter of the program and believe in the power of the twelve steps. Your sponsee might have questions and concerns that you’ll need to address.
Becoming a sponsor for AA is a big step. Make sure that you fully are prepared for everything it entails before you commit. For example, you’ll need to be prepared to share your experience, even the hard parts, with a new member. This can be painful and trying to your sobriety. It’s best if you have at least a year of sobriety under your belt. In addition, you need to make sure that you have the time available to help a new member. And finally, make sure that you truly believe in the program and know the twelve steps inside and out as you’ll likely need to guide a new member through them. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find a great sponsee that will benefit greatly from your experience.