Approaching my first birthday
 

Good Morning everyone,
Well December 7th will be my 1 year of sobriety. With the approaching day there has been issues from my horrid past finally creeping up on me. Financial issues being one, and the feeling of shame for putting my wife and I in them. I was in Hazelden treatment facility on my second grandchild's birth, my biological birthday, Christmas, and New Years Eve, and New Years Day. I have been attending AA once a week the whole time and only missed a handful, I have a sponsor but I am feeling I need a new sponsor with more years of experience and has worked the steps more than once I firmly believe in them whole heartedly but I have not worked them in order. There has also been steps I have not worked, like the fourth and fifth which I feel would be really beneficial to my ongoing daily recovery. I so many times feel the urge to do the right thing but I don't take that step to do it.

Well I suppose my babble is leading me to this question: Is the any experiences with changing sponsors? and did you get a new one before letting the other know you appreciated there being there for you but I am growing and I need someone who works the steps and will hold me more accountable?

MJ:abcm:

Congratulations on almost a year of sobriety cheebiechi,

I'm just now starting to feel confident that I have put my drinking days behind me. My one year will not happen until March.

I was fortunate enough to get, and remain sober, after over 43 years of failed attempts to quit.

I think whatever you do is OK, as long as you don't drink.

For me reading stories like yours on SR gives me strength to keep me sober. All your friends on SR are your sponsors.

congrats on your near year.

I'm not in AA myself but I'm sure you'll get a lot of feedback on your concerns :)

D

One year! That's amazing! Congratulations!
Today is 31 days for me, and I'm still doubting a lot. I hope I make it to where you are. I hope I even continue to WANT to make it. Sometimes I don't.

Congrats on almost having a year!

I'm coming up on 8 months sober in 10 days. I changed sponsors about 3.5 months into my recovery. My first sponsor just wasn't available for step work and canceled on my multiple times. I just said I wanted to go in a different direction and thanked him for his help.

I didn't have a new sponsor already lined up, but I had a short list and asked someone new within a week.

The truth is, sponsors just want to see you doing well and sober. They will not take personally. This isn't a romantic relationship. The number one goal is to help another alcoholic stay sober. If moving on to someone else will keep you sober, no one will give you a hard time. I still see my old sponsor at meetings sometimes and we chat. No hard feelings at all. He's just happy I'm working hard and making progress.

Good luck!