Feb 17, 2010

What a Sponsor Is

Back in March of last year, I wrote a post about sponsorship within our Adult Child community  
and listed the many types of sponsorships available to us.

In the monthly newsletter I  post link above, I also mentioned what a sponsor is: a fellow member we can connect exlusively and personally with and how benefits of sponsoring represents the third element in The Solution.
"We progress from hurting to healing to helping."

An effective sponsor:
  • watches for willingness of sponsee to take action.
  • knows how to protect boundaries of both sponsor and sponsee.
  • learns and also works the 12 steps
  • has confronted own denial and surrendering
  • knows own story and can tell it with honesty and humility
  • has achieved an observable level of serenity.

2 comments:

  1. Hello,
    I enjoy this focus on Adult Children of Alcoholics sponsorship. ACA/ACoA is growing again. ACA World Services published the new ACA Fellowship Text in 2006. There is a new ACA workbook, too. The entire ACA big book emphasizes sponsorship and attending meetings. Chapter 11 outlines the ACA model of sponsorship. Here is a great quote from page 365.

    Fellow Traveler -- ACA Fellowship Text -- big book (p. 365)

    The relationship between a sponsor and sponsee represents a spiritual connection between two people helping each other
    find life beyond the effects of growing up in a dysfunctional family.

    As fellow travelers on the road of recovery, the sponsor and sponsee find empathy. This is the mutual understanding that puts action into our identification with another adult child. With true empathy, we recognize our similarities.

    We recognize the difference between love and pity. With empathy, we are ready to help another person and to accept help. We understand what it means to be a friend.

    Fellow Traveler

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnastaciaJune 18, 2010

    thanks for the information on this blog! I find it very interesting and entertaining! hopefully soon have updates that I love your post! I thank you too!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting!