Crisco,
That sponsor relationship is pretty wide open. I've seen all kinds of different styles and methods work for people. If you are on step 7, you may have some kind of meditation practice that may provide direction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crisco  I feel that my programs lacks somebody providing strict direction. The sponsor makes all of the decision instead of me. My sponsor and I spend a lot of talking about feelings, emotions, and daily life issue. He provides a lot of advice but does not provide strict direction. |
I'm not sure I understand. You say your sponsor makes all the decisions instead of you, but you think it lacks strict direction? It seems like a contradiction.
I can just tell you how it works with guys I sponsor and with my own sponsor. I view my job as a sponsor as limited to walking shoulder to shoulder with a new guy through the 12 steps. That's it. We may become friends. We may talk about feelings. We may not. But the one thing we are going to do is know exactly what step we are on. And we are going to have some clear, definite directions for taking that step.
In my mind, a sponsor is not somebody you call before taking a drink, somebody you discuss life problems with, somebody who controls what you do and how you do it, or somebody that gives advice. A sponsor shows another alcoholic in the Big Book precisely what they did to recover.
Some of the other stuff may go on from time to time. I can make use of the experience of another alcoholic who has walked the same ground as me. But really, all a sponsor can (or should) do is to walk another through the steps.