What is Sponsorship?
In S-Anon, a sponsor is simply a person in the program who can help us work the Twelve Steps by sharing how they have worked or are working the Steps in their own lives. No one is required to have a sponsor. It is a suggestion based on the experience of members who find it is helpful to have one person in S-Anon who knows them well. To find a sponsor, we ask someone who has the recovery we want to be our sponsor. If they are unavailable, we simply ask someone else. We let Higher Power guide the timing and the process.
Below are suggestions about where one may look for a sponsor:
Some have found temporary sponsorship to be helpful. Entering sponsorship on a trial basis and revisiting it after 90 days allows either party to leave the relationship if things are not working out. Changing sponsors allows us to benefit from more than one perspective on working the S-Anon program. Learn more about finding a sponsor and being a sponsor in “Working the S-Anon Program,” pp. 9-11 and 103-104 (second edition); or by ordering the pamphlet “Sponsorship in S-Anon,” available from the World Service Office literature store.
Below are suggestions about where one may look for a sponsor:
- Home group (e.g., the meeting you attend regularly and at which you feel the most comfortable)
- Other group meetings
- Open meetings
- Marathons
- Retreats
- International Conventions
- Intergroup meetings
- Step study groups
- Best of all: Pray for a sponsor and trust your Higher Power to provide one
Some have found temporary sponsorship to be helpful. Entering sponsorship on a trial basis and revisiting it after 90 days allows either party to leave the relationship if things are not working out. Changing sponsors allows us to benefit from more than one perspective on working the S-Anon program. Learn more about finding a sponsor and being a sponsor in “Working the S-Anon Program,” pp. 9-11 and 103-104 (second edition); or by ordering the pamphlet “Sponsorship in S-Anon,” available from the World Service Office literature store.