Harry01854

Early in sobriety people were talking about getting a sponsor enough that I thought it might be a good idea if I got one. At an Open Discussion meeting that I went to daily, I just raised my hand and mentioned I need a sponsor. But I had to leave early today so if anybody was interested please be free to talk with me about it tomorrow. I really did this. Well next day an old timer came up to me and suggested, "listen for a little while to people sharing. If you can identify and relate to someone and you think he has something you want, after the meeting go up and ask him to be your sponsor." I took the suggestion. So I listened for days and there was this one guy who I could relate to some and I also thought he had something I wanted. He was 18 months sober, and he became my sponsor. I called him every morning, the majority of time just to say good morning. Just something I needed to do for my own sobriety. And when we did get together because I was having a hard time, he would share with me what was working for him. The one thing he shared the most was what he was doing to make changes within himself. Reminding me that it was the inside that needed to be worked on, not the outside. He had already told me he did not have any experience with the 12 Steps.

After a year with him as my sponsor I met him and explained to him that I was thinking of working the Steps. He just said that it was a good idea and reminded me he had not been through the process and didn't know what to do. I let him know I was going to ask someone else to be my sponsor to help me through the process.

The guy I asked said okay he would help me. At the time, I didn't know or realize that he actually hadn't been through the process. The one most important thing he shared a lot with me though was his experience with God in his life. But I did do a halfhearted 4th Step with him and went to see a priest for my 5th Step. This particular priest had heard many 5th Steps prior to my own. When finished with a 5th Step that really wasn't prepared properly, the only two things the priest said to me was, 1. you are now a new man. and 2. two guys just started a Big Book Step Study Meeting at this church and if I was interested, maybe I would like to look into it.

Walking back home, I really didn't feel like a new man but I did leave with a different feeling and knowledge of something new that I could look into. Five months later, I was already two years sober at this time, I went to my first Big Book Step Study Meeting. The first thing I learned, if you haven't been through this process of the 12 Steps, then you had nothing to share and would you please refrain from sharing. I continued going to this meeting every Monday night and later found out there was another meeting on Thursday nights and I started going to that one also.

I remembered the suggestion from the old timer, nearly two years gone, about listening and if I found someone that I could identify with and relate to and this person had something I liked, to ask him to be my sponsor. Three months later, my knees shaking and trying to hold back tears, I got up the courage to ask this gentleman to be my sponsor. To my surprise, he said yes.
This was a person that God put into my life when I needed someones direction for what I consider, a very important step in my life.

With the help of God and this man, I learned about a "New Design For Living," as promised, in the Big Book. One thing he made clear was that this process was between me and the God of my understanding, he was just an instrument of God. He shared with me his own experiences with each step and with God.
He let me know that this process wasn't to be done in time he expected but it was to be done in God's time and my own. I remember asking him one time why he thought it took me so long to get to where I was and knowing I needed something more than just sobriety. All he told me was that maybe God didn't think I was ready then. But he was sure I was ready now.

The one Step I will always remember the most was when we got on our knees and said the 3rd Step prayer. I felt something very special and powerful in that room that day, something I'll never forget.

I was truly blessed in my first two years of sobriety and my first year in recovery. God had watched over me in such a wonderful way and gave me direction and what I needed when He knew I needed it. He is still by my side today and still puts people, places and things in my life when I need them, not when I want them.

This is the program of AA but it is God given.

Harry

Tommyh

thank you Harry for the inspiration in your post and sharing your esh.I really like those big book step study groups.I have attended one group on different occasions before and I too asked one of those men to sponsor me and we got busy doing the work.Today he is a close friend and I really love that guy.I can relate to your post a lot
have a good day!

shaun00

My early experience..=

Know it alls.........normally older than god.
Always have some annoying grin on their faces.

wont listen to my poor me stories and tend to have an uncanny knack of knowing when im bull shitting......

and when i want to tell them how bad my day has been........the line goes dead and i hear the dialling tone.

how dare he.....lol

looking back..=........i asked my sponsor a couple of years ago why he ever put up with my early anger and hissy fits.....and bs..
his answer was simple........."because lad.......your a drunk like me".

No doubt about it......1000%.. that guy was put in my path....no fancy methods or ******.......just a book....an ear.....and a drunk like me.

i love that guy to death......now i go out.....i try to do what he did for me.
and you know what.......ive turned into everything i didnt like about sponsors in those first few weeks...lol.

Tommyh

and you know what.......ive turned into everything i didnt like about sponsors in those first few weeks...lol.

I love it trucker...lol