GardenMama

I am going to present at our Open Topic NarAnon meeting this Wednesday night about sponsoring. Our group is about 18 months old, but we have regular attendance of 15-25 people, with a few new people every week. Recently, some of the new members have been asking about whether we have sponsors. We are now feeling ready to broach the topic. Some of them come to us from AlAnon meetings where they have active sponsors and want to know if we have this as an option. Up until this point, we have just shared an extensive phone list to new members, but not raised hands to volunteer to sponsor someone.

My question for the NarAnon attendees here on the board: What have your groups done regarding sponsoring, and do you have resources you can share? Do you feel it is necessary for a sponsor to have worked all 12 Steps, or just have a willingness to support and offer hope and experiences with new members?

Thanks for any nuggets you can provide! I am grateful.

Ann

For me, I chose a sponsor who had worked the steps and who had something I wanted, a peace in her heart and a happy soul...even though her life included a schizophrenic/alcoholic ex husband who made her life difficult. She had worked the steps herself and that helped me a lot when I needed guidance in working the steps for myself.

Personally, I think it is best when the sponsor has more working recovery than the sponsee, but I don't think there are any hard rules about this, it's one codie helping another.

Whether with an experienced sponsor or working with someone who hasn't worked all the steps yet either...I think it is helpful to have a plan and a guideline. There are some excellent work studies for the 12 steps that may help to set the plan.

Here is an excellent Step Study (from the stickies here) written by Melody Beattie for Codependents. I use this at least once every year to freshen my program and discover areas where I still need work. Maybe print it out and see what your group thinks about using it as a helpful too. Good luck.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ependents.html

hopepraylove

There are very few naranon meetings where I live...I have to go to alanon, and have an alanon sponsor. Thank you for asking this question, I'm curious too!

Kindeyes

If you have not already read it, NarAnon has an excellent pamphlet on Sponsorship. It provides some great information on this topic.

I did not sponsor anyone until I had completed the 12 steps myself. I felt it would be difficult to do so without that prior experience. I joined a "Soup Group" with others to do an in depth study of the 12 steps. We met once a week for 1-1/2 years....and it was the toughest and best thing I ever did for myself. I kept all of my study material and use it with sponsees. But just like AA and NA, the sponsor is not responsible for doing the 12 steps withfor the sponsee......which is often what the sponsee expects. And for every sponsee that completes the steps there are several who merely want support and choose not to do them.....my sponsees have taught me to go with the flow. Lol

Some people have suggested the term "partners in recovery" until they have completed the 12 steps. Then they are moving through the process together. Just a thought if you are uncomfortable with using them term "sponsor" until the steps have been completed.

GardenMama

Thank you, Ann and Kindeyes! This is really helpful. I have seen the NarAnon sponsorship pamphlet and we will be getting some; I do think that right now the idea of "partners in recovery" may be a good way to offer outside-meeting support. There is a group within our group interested in doing serious study, so perhaps that is where we will begin. Thanks again--I can always count on you!