A Sponsorship Guide For 12 Step Programs by M.T.

[Beloved]

:xmasu :na2 :hugehug Hi and thanks for everyone allowing me to share . stay in the rooms , keep you eyes , and ears open . And please don't try to get a sponsor ask your Higher Power to give you a sponsor "Thy Will Be Done" That way HE will only give you what is needed to aid you in your process of personal , and spiritual growth . Don't try to grade your own paper it's like sponsoring self , and if that will be the case just Think about the last person you got HIGH with , and that person would be you. So keep comin back and you expect a miracle OK love Ya ! (Beloved)

[logo]

Anyone that is sponsoring themselves has a fool for a sponsor.

[Beloved]

Hi everybody ! I hope that this sponsorship topic has been of help to you guys . one addict helping another is with-out parellel take what you need here , and just leave the rest . a great deal of suggestions helps me in my on-going recovery process so you all keep comin back ! we'll be here with the lights on . HUGGS to you all . Beloved .

[Old fart]

When I got cleen their was no NA meeting in town.My sponcer was from a differant program.He and other old timers help us get started because they know that we were differant.When we got the meetings going I keeped him as sponcer he had worked the 12 steps and I wanted what he had.Also when I got cleen it was hell just to get a basic text they were going as fast as they were being printed.My sponcer just pased away with 43 years of soberity.He is the only sponcer that I have known.As for all the books that NA has out they are very great tools.I am a sponcer to I don't have the time to teach the steps the way they were loving showed to me by my sponcer.I Also got cleen and have stayed cleen by reading just the basic text.I now use the other tools step study,it works how and why.They are realy great but are they a must to stay cleen.I have been cleen for 22 years now and only started using step study 2 years ago.I sponcer 9 people right now they have 20,18,15,13,10,6,5,2, years and 9 months
Every thing in this program has been borrowed from some where.Look in first-third addition of our text we pay homage to a 12 step program for their steps.What I know about the steps is they gave me a live worth living.I picked NA for me because I feel good hear.The bottom line for me and just for me is it is all god I love NA and it will go on with or with out me.But I don,t go on with out it Every body go's at different paces but we all get their.If my motives are spirital in nature there is no conflict.

[Old fart]

I spent some time talking to the people that I sponcer and they got on the phone and talked to the people that they sponcer and we all got cleen and have stayed cleen with the Basic Text The people with 2 or less years we started using srep guide.Here are our numbers are 123 people in our chain from me down.The best thing that we have going for us is a love for each other and a great great great love for the simpleness of the program.When I came in to the program it was made simple just for people like me.Why o why do we have to complicate it so much. Basic text says a meeting a day at least the first ninty days is a good idea.It's that way so we do'nt go to six meeting in one day and take the rest of the week off.That is how simple it is the answers are in the book.If I am going to qwote them then I had better be reading out of the Basic text.It will tell you we can and do recover.I for one belive it. Am I a bad sponcer because I beleave in keeping it simple.

[ledbyhp]

Hello...I am new here but not new to the program of Narcotics Annonymous. I am apolled to read someone in the NA program suggesting to a newcomer to read the 12 by 12. I think someone needs to get their programs straight and decide where you need to be so you can carry a clean message to the addict who still suffers.

[ledbyhp]

Originally Posted by Pernell Johnson

I tell them to keep a rock in their pocket to remind them to call their sponsor. I suppose calling everyday is the most important thing. It begins to get them into good habits. I tell them to go to meetings, no set amount, because they won't be using in a meeting. If they're messed up, they need to be in a meeting. I feel my way along with the person I'm dealing with and then see what to suggest. Sometimes they just have to get comfortable going to meetings. I'll have them read the book so they become familiar with the program; it's not like a demand. Mostly, I get women with three, four, or five years clean, so I tell them just read the Twelve and Twelve through.

sorry i forgot to put the quote from where I got the info.

[dalin]

damn..........keep forgettin what program i belong to....

[dalin]

so which mixed breed pupy are we...

[dalin]

i remember this book being done in the early 90s or late 80s.things have changed alot since then,so i shall drop my nazi stripes,ha ha.actually my grandsponsor was in it.
i did have a copy once,all griss for the mill

[Gmoney]

Hi Family,

I've read through most of this thread and truly believe that the intention for posting it was good and thoughtful. Sponsorship is so very important to the survival of the NA Fellowship and NA Program, and it should never be minimized. It's one of the basic ways the NA message gets carried from one addict to another: an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use and find a new way to live. Our steps are what make recovery possible because they are the solution. Yet, in order for the newer members to be guided through the steps, there has to be members who are ready, willing and able to provide the guidance.

So often I hear members with extensive clean time share about how many sponsees they've had (or have) as a testament to their ability (or qualifications) as sponsors. Anyone who has been around for some years can tell you that the doors to NA continue to revolve and addicts come and go all the time. Numbers can be very misleading and the quantity of members sponsored pales in comparison to the quality of the lives of those sponsored. I mention this not as a put-down of those listed with much time and multiple sponsees, but moreso as a caution for the newer members to not buy into the hype. The quality of a potential sponsor's recovery is more important than how much time they have or how many members they sponsor. Our recovery speaks louder in how we live than it does in what we say.

Since this is a NA thread, I can relate to the importance of adhering to Traditions, NA Language and "singleness of purpose." Yet, we have to be careful not to become overly restrictive or venture into the realm of being the NA police. I, for one, am well aware of the importance of keeping our message from being blurred or directly associated with other fellowships, but even in our Basic Text, a member uses the term "clean and sober" (page 182, 5th ed.), so I try not to get my drawers in a bunch whenever someone goes there. We have to learn how to allow others to find their way just as we did - this includes coming to understand that being "clean" covers all bases and the terms sober or sobriety becomes redundant. Patience and tolerance are the principles applied here.

When it comes to sponsorship, we have to keep in mind our 12th step, and understand that our ability to carry the message is always directly associated with our distinct personalities. Sure...there are some basic fundamental suggestions, but I believe our real value as sponsors is revealed when we can cater our efforts to carry the message according to those we carry it to. Meetings, sharing, reading and writing was a big part of how I was taught...and I still think it's just as important today, but being flexible to the needs and concerns of the newer member can play a crucial part in helping them to stay clean and grow spiritually. Most importantly, we have to remember that the best way to carry the message is by the way we live and the most powerful tool for reaching the still suffering addict is the power of example. Too often there are those of us who bite off more than we can chew (by taking on too many sponsees) and find ourselves not having enough time or resources to be as effective as we could be. Being a sponsor should never be viewed as a status thing.

The basic suggestions: do 90 meetings in 90 days...join a home group...get a Basic Text and read it...get a phone list and reach out...get a sponsor...step work...get involved in service, and don't use no matter what; have worked for countless addicts before and after me. The new member's desire to stay clean, fostered by desperation, will determine their willingness to follow direction. And when it's all said and done, it's not so much our unique abilities as teachers (sponsor's) that should be given credit. Why? Because sponsorship is a two-way street and the sponsee helps us to stay clean just as much as we help them. We can only keep what we have by giving it away, and it is the giving that allows us to receive our daily reprieve.

The heart of NA beats when two addicts share their recovery.

[mae164]

WOW, sponsorship is HUGE! I just read "just dont use and go to meetings"
A sponsors job is to get you connected to a power greater than yourself that will solve your problem(the steps) and then hold you accountable on relying on the power from then on.. NOT RELYING ON MEETINGS OR THE FELLOWSHIP TO STAY SOBER...i take my girls through the work my sponsor did in a short period of time to get God in and them OUT

[mae164]

forgot the end of that post- if i could just not use I WOULD NOT GO TO MEETINGS..it is important when approching a newcommer that they know that you have been where thay are, i had lost the choice and control in using and that is why i looked for help

[mae164]

This is exactly why the topic is SO IMPORTANT!! THANK YOU FOR STARTING THIS! The work we do should all be the same the experience and how god works in our life id different but the work done to get there should be the same!I just read some intresting IDEAS on what the steps and sponsorship mean but they do NOT MATCH UP WITH WHAT OUR BASIC TEXT SAYS AT ALL( FYI- NA CAME FROM AA SO IT SHOULD MATCH UP ALSO)

Step One- I HAVE ADMITTED I AM POWERLESS OVER ALCOHOL AND THAT MY LIFE IS UNMANAGEABLE- ONLY MEANSTHAT ONCE I START I CANT STOP,(cause i have an allergy which produces a craving for more and the more i drink the more i want another one) AND I AM UNABLE TO MANAGE THE DECISION TO DRINK-OBSSESION ( every time i say that i am done for good and all something happens in my head that I convince myself to pick it up again)
-loss of control and of choice step one is ONLY A CONCLUSION - done with spending time sitting across from a recovered alcohoilc/addict that understands this and has recovered from it! MAX 1 HOUR

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT STEPS ONE DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH CONCEQUENCES OR INJURIES - There are plenty of people whose life is unmanageable AND DRINKS but does that make them an alcoholic?NO- GIVEN A GOOD REASON THEY CAN STOP- AN ALCOHOLIC CAN NOT BECOUSE OF WHAT I JUST EXPLAINED

The steps are laid out to be worked quickly- cause of the 2nd part of step one (the mental obssesion, read p.23-24 BB) what ever low point i drank myself to that i am at that i have got to quit point- you give just an alcoholic/addict a week to a month(for me it was the same day within hours)
and i can not bring that pain back with enough force to keep me from doing it again-NO MATTER HOW BAD IT WAS- you will drink again then the cycle starts again i go to have one or just 2 allergy kicks in and WASTED - drink till i get to some low point and well ...over and over THAT IS STEP ONE- NOTHING ELSE- WITH OUT THAT UNDERSTANDING little or nothing can be done- WITH THAT YOU NEED A POWER GRATER THAN YOURSELF TO GIVE YOU THAT DEFENCE(bad spelling) ASAP HOW? BY GETTING TO 12-WHICH IS HAVING HAD A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE ....

If someone asks me to sponsor them i do not have the right to say no- i turned my will and life over to GOD in my 3rd step, and asked him take my diffaculties away so that i can show others that his way works- sponsorship is how you do that! Plus it is the most amazing thing to watch someone change before your eyes in such a short period of time!!!
LOVE YA ALL

[sticker]

WOW I am really confused wasn't aware this was an AA forum. Thought there was already one of those. I have an N.A. sponsor who has an NA sponsor and so on. We all use NA lit step guides It works how and why The sponsorship guide The experience of thousands of other NA members. I sponsor as I was sponsored because that is what worked for me. so there for that is all i can pass on. not what someone else says worked for someone else. if I am having sponsees read from other fellowship literature then I am blurring the message and have no business being a sponsor. They are looking to me to help clarify the message. I feel very fortunate to have been sponsored this way. And yes I am very familiar with the AA program and eternally grateful to them. But we are separate entities.

[sticker]

WOW I am really confused wasn't aware this was an AA forum. Thought there was already one of those. I have an N.A. sponsor who has an NA sponsor and so on. We all use NA lit step guides It works how and why The sponsorship guide The experience of thousands of other NA members. I sponsor as I was sponsored because that is what worked for me. so there for that is all i can pass on. not what someone else says worked for someone else. if I am having sponsees read from other fellowship literature then I am blurring the message and have no business being a sponsor. They are looking to me to help clarify the message. I feel very fortunate to have been sponsored this way. And yes I am very familiar with the AA program and eternally grateful to them. But we are separate entities.

[Gmoney]

Yeah...to post AA stuff on an NA forum is misleading (IMO), but I look at the dates and figure (just like now) there aren't that many folks visiting the NA forum...so it gets slid in. Some folks think they are the same, but they aren't. The 1st step of NA and NA's singleness of purpose should be considered.

[dalin]

This book was basicly what was understood about the program at the time of it was printed.The step guide is faily new material.My grandsponsor is in this book.
I am an addict,and only go to N.A. meetings.
At the time that this came out,there wasnt much out there abour sponsorship,so this was helpful to me,along with a few other unaproved
literature from hazledon or where ever.
The sponsor that I had was one that had a guide that he had written.
We also used unaproved recovery written by other addicts,nawol etc.
We used whatever info we had,and knew that alot was griss for the
mill.The new sponsorship book hant been truly accepted by alot of
our family of sponsorship.But basicly,alot is griss for the mill.
We still use the Back to Basic book that Greg P.
Alot is based on our experianced strength and hope.

[Gmoney]

I just read some intresting IDEAS on what the steps and sponsorship mean but they do NOT MATCH UP WITH WHAT OUR BASIC TEXT SAYS AT ALL( FYI- NA CAME FROM AA SO IT SHOULD MATCH UP ALSO)

Just because NA was "adapted" from AA doesn't mean NA should be identical. And since they aren't exactly the same, their steps and corresponding step work should reflect the differences in their primary purpose. NA's methods for recovery do not have to match AA's to be effective, and the results prove it.

"We follow the same path with a single exception: our identification as addicts is all-inclusive with respect to any mood-changing, mind-altering substance. Alcoholism is too limited a term for us; our problem is not a specific substance, it is a disease called addiction." ~ Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, page xv

[Gmoney]

The steps are laid out to be worked quickly-...

I was just re-reading some of the entries on this thread, and this remark caught my eye. I know everyone has an opinion about this, but my question is "how quick is quickly?" In Narcotics Anonymous there are numerous "schools ot thought" relating to the above assertion, and I cannot speak for anyone else...nor would I. I know in recent threads we've discussed the "step-a-year" belief and we've debated "speed stepping" (or as they say in my area "microwave stepwork"). IMO, the steps are a program of recovery that are written in a way that an addict can follow them in their daily lives - whether that be fast, medium or slow. I'm sure we've all heard stories, or knew of people who raced through the steps and (apparently) still forgot the pain of active addiction and used again. On that same angle, there are those who have stayed clean for many, many years that never "completed" step work. Mind you...I'm not advocating that anyone avoid working the steps to prove anything, nor am I saying that those who rush through the steps are doing something wrong. What I am saying is that, because we differ in degree of sickness and rate of recovery, there are many factors that come into play when discussing an individual's ability to stay clean and recover.

If someone asks me to sponsor them i do not have the right to say no-

Not saying this is the case, but the above mentioned view may be responsible for so many addicts having sponsors that aren't qualified or available for them. I hear newcomers complaining all the time about how their sponsors never call them back, or they don't keep appointments and promises. IMO, sponsorship is a serious obligation and one I should never take lightly. I must always remember that I'm a recovering addict myself, and I have to look out for my own recovery first and foremost. IMO, taking on too many sponsees is an indication of unmanageability and imbalance in my life. We may not be able to keep what we have without giving it away, but when I give too much I may not have what I need for my own serenity and well-being.

A sponsors job is to get you connected to a power greater than yourself that will solve your problem(the steps) and then hold you accountable on relying on the power from then on.. NOT RELYING ON MEETINGS OR THE FELLOWSHIP TO STAY SOBER

Wow...I'm so glad NA doesn't teach us that we're to held "accountable" for anything other than our own recovery. My job as a sponsor is to (primarily) be a guide through the 12 steps of NA. It isn't my job to hold anyone accountable to anything. I'd like to see where it says that in ANY literature.

G

[Gmoney]

A sponsors job is to get you connected to a power greater than yourself that will solve your problem(the steps) and then hold you accountable on relying on the power from then on.. NOT RELYING ON MEETINGS OR THE FELLOWSHIP TO STAY SOBER

a Higher Power?:

"We can call it the group, the program, or we can call it God." - Basic Text, page 24

So...for some, the group (i.e., the fellowship/meetings) is a power greater than themselves that is relied on to help them to solve their problems - including staying clean.

[tomvlll]

whoops