Sponsorship for addiction recovery
Sponsorship for addicts is a crucial component of many recovery programs, particularly those utilizing the twelve-step model, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Cocaine Anonymous (CA). A sponsor is typically someone who has successfully navigated their own recovery journey and provides guidance and support to individuals new to the program. This relationship is built on trust, empathy, and shared experiences, helping the sponsored individual stay committed to their recovery process. While there are no strict requirements to become a sponsor, it is generally recommended that potential sponsors have at least one year of sobriety and should ideally be of the same gender as their sponsee to reduce distractions.
The role of a sponsor includes attending meetings together, offering personal support, and encouraging adherence to the program's principles. Sponsors also help establish clear boundaries and communication expectations, fostering an environment conducive to recovery. While they provide mentorship, sponsors are not responsible for medical advice or financial support; rather, they facilitate the individual's personal responsibility in their recovery journey. Both sponsors and sponsees can benefit from this relationship, as it reinforces the sponsor's own sobriety and purpose within the recovery community. Overall, sponsorship plays a vital role in promoting successful recovery outcomes and building a supportive network for those recovering from addiction.
Sponsorship for addicts
DEFINITION: Sponsors are people who have recovered from an addiction, typically by completing a twelve-step program, and have remained with the program for social support of their abstinence. Sponsors encourage and guide new program participants, working as long-term role models of recovery for themselves and for the persons sponsored. Being a sponsor is not a requirement for participating in a twelve-step program, but the role is considered vital for the recovery of people new to these programs and is beneficial for the sponsor, as it helps to maintain their sobriety and sense of worth.
Becoming a Sponsor
Three well-known and successful treatment recovery programs center on the twelve-step model of addiction recovery and abstinence. These programs are Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Cocaine Anonymous (CA). Each program provides group recovery meetings for discussion and encouragement.
Although the entire service group of each twelve-step program is considered a sponsorship in itself for people who desire addiction recovery, single sponsors commonly help people working to overcome their addiction. The step recovery model is supported by the group but is encouraged more closely by an individual sponsor who has lived through and sustained the recovery experience.
No strict guidelines exist to define or restrict the position of a sponsor; instead, the post has developed naturally as a result of treatment program fellowships. Empathy from a fellow person who has also struggled with addiction in the past can help another in recovery. Thus, anyone sober who has completed the twelve steps and who continues to participate in the fellowship can be a sponsor.
The AA, NA, and CA programs all suggest that anyone considering a sponsorship role be addiction-free for a minimum of one year to provide the best counsel; however, a baseline time limit is not enforced, and the person’s strength of character during sobriety is often more relevant than the length of sobriety itself.
A sponsor’s level of patience and willingness also are key factors in appropriate selection. In addition, AA suggests that sponsors ideally be the same gender as the person beginning their recovery to encourage focus on the recovery process and make it less likely to be distracted by a potential romantic relationship. In addition, a single sponsor is considered sufficient for ultimate bonding, focus, and discussion about the addiction recovery process. Selecting a sponsor early in the program but doing so with care and consideration is highly recommended for the best chance at recovery. Individuals who have a sponsor they trust experience better treatment outcomes, have better attendance at meetings, and are more involved in activities that promote sobriety.
Becoming a sponsor is as simple as connecting with a new member in a mentorship; a person beginning their recovery simply asks a person who has completed the twelve steps to sponsor their twelve-step recovery, often after forming a bond with the sponsor at an early meeting. By participating in group meetings, a person new to recovery can identify with someone they desire to emulate or with whom they have shared experiences of abuse and recovery. The relationship between the sponsor and sponsee relies upon compatibility and the assurance of sobriety in the sponsor. The sponsor should continue to live according to the twelve steps and traditions of the program.
Roles and Responsibilities
Upon voluntarily sponsoring a person struggling with addiction who is starting the recovery process, a sponsor’s role varies. Sponsors provide informal, individualized support; at minimum, the sponsor attends meetings with the person in recovery and assists them through the twelve-step path. In addition, sponsors encourage the new lifestyle promoted by recovery programs—one that is moral and sometimes faith-based.
A sponsor should be available to the person in recovery between meetings to answer questions about the recovery process and to provide deeper and more personal discussions of relevant issues than are possible during group settings. Sponsors provide individual care and attention, and they ultimately guide a person struggling with addiction to recovery and abstinence by developing a close, confidential relationship built on mutual trust and respect. While these are important roles of the sponsor, it is important for the sponsor-sponsee relationship to establish clear boundaries early in the sponsorship. Outlining if calls, texts, or emails are preferred, when the best time for phone calls may be, and the expectations of the sponsor and the sponsee can improve the sponsorship's success for both parties.
Although a sponsor can encourage a person in recovery by sharing their past experiences, the sponsor cannot be available at all times, cannot provide medical advice, and is not expected to provide financial or other social support and guidance. The burden is on the person in recovery to maintain open communication with their sponsor, to progress along their own twelve-step path, and to be responsible for their own personal recovery. Sponsors introduce the person new to recovery to other group members, provide opportunities for sober interactions, and offer literature to support the person working to overcome their addiction.
Sponsors also experience benefits from their roles and responsibilities. The twelfth step of recovery typically involves helping another person struggling with addiction by introducing them into a recovery program. Sponsorship itself is not a step, but it is a continuous relationship that supports lasting twelfth-step work.
Being a sponsor is an important responsibility that can strengthen personal sobriety, provide a continued role for the recovering person in the program, and provide an active mentorship connection without the temptation of abuse. Sponsor roles are privileged and must be well-balanced among the members of a service group; a one-on-one relationship serves both the person struggling with addiction and the sponsor by providing opportunities to a variety of group members.
Bibliography
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“Questions and Answers on Sponsorship.” Alcoholics Anonymous, June 2022, www.aa.org/questions-and-answers-sponsorship. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
“The Sponsor/Sponsee Relationship.” The Recovery Village, 21 June 2023, www.therecoveryvillage.com/treatment-program/aftercare/sponsor-sponsee-relationship. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
"12 Questions about the 12-Steps: What is a Sponsor?" American Addiction Centers, 9 May 2024, americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/what-is-a-sponsor. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
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