A good friend of mine who is an addictions counselor helped me develop this set of questions:
I walk up to them and say
"I am looking for a sponsor and I have some questions I'd like to ask you"
1. Have you worked the 12 steps?
2. How long did it take you?
3. How much recovery time do you have?
4. How many people have you sponsored in the past?
(how many of those made it successfully through all the steps?)
5. What would it take for you to drop a sponsee?
6. What is your perception of sponsorship?
7. Do you have a sponsor
8. Would you be available 24/7?
You can do what ever you like with the answers.
I asked these questions for reasons that may not be obvious to everyone, and that's ok. After using this interview approach I got a sponsor who I've had a great relationship with for almost 3 years now.
Sincerely,
Missy