1_day@_a_time

Lots of very good suggestions already posted.........

I suggest you start talking to numerous people before & after the meetings & get a feel for who they are, and most importantly if the really live a spiritual program of recovery, in application.

There will be some who talk a "great program" & you may find they do not have what you want, as there is really no application, only talk.

When you find a person intruiging, they are living a good life in active recovery, who also has a sponsor, you'll know. You will pick up on it quickly. Start collecting phone numbers of these people and make the calls. Speak with them several times over a period of a couple of weeks.

As you reach out and engage in different conversations with the various people, you will start to hear a variety of messages, some more appealing than others.

I also found patterns of those I liked & it turned out those I liked in many cases where sponsered by the same person. Then I sought out the sponsor & got to know him too.

This may sound a bit time consuming, but you will meet lots of people, make plenty of friends and be on your way to finding a good sponsor.

I still speak with my 1st sponsor of nearly 7 years & I still consider him my sponsor and have a great deal of respect for him. He's a great friend.

When my recovery grew to the point I wanted to find a new sponsor & take a new direction, this is how I did it & it worked very well.

It might also be worth noting, have an open conversation of what the potential sponsor expects of you, as well as what you will expect from him.

BTW, picking a "soft, easy" sponsor is not what I'm in recovery for. I'm in this process to build a whole new life, a completely new character. I want a man who will push (not necessarily in a hard mean way tho) me to grow.

I want someone who I trust, can laugh with, cry with and grow with, becoming the man I always wanted to be.

As mentioned, you can always ask someone to be a temporary sponsor, not a thing wrong with that, in fact, it's a great idea.

For me, I don't "hire or fire" a sponsor, if I ever need to move along, I'll do so. Kindly, with respect.

One last note, strongly suggest you be willing to take direction and listen to the advice given. The willingness to be willing. I can't even remember the last time I didn't take his direction, even when I really don't like it. I speak with nearly every day, at 1 PM.

Hope this helps.........and that you will post more & let us know of your journey!!!!

Thomas