December 1

“We recover as individuals but we do not recover alone. We recover together. We recover helping others and being helped by others.…And in this, the sponsor’s recovery is helped just as much as the sponsee’s.”

“Getting a Sponsor”

Sponsorship, for me, is an honor, a privilege, and an awesome responsibility—something not to be taken lightly. I currently sponsor a number of individuals in SAA, and have done so for years. I am always honored and humbled when someone asks me to be their sponsor. It may mean they see in me an integrity of commitment and a consistency in living the Steps, perhaps modeling the hope of recovery for them.

Sponsorship is also a privilege for me, as I get to foster an intimate partnership with another, and bear witness as we work together to peel off, layer-by-layer, the secrets, the deceptions, the hurts, the guilt, and the shame that keep this disease thriving in our lives. It’s the most intensive accountability there is! I am forever moved to see and help someone blossom into who they really are.

Finally, sponsorship is indeed a welcomed responsibility. Besides being available for another addict, I am held to a higher standard when I sponsor someone, revitalizing my own recovery with renewed honesty, accountability, and congruency. I am helped by being of help to others. What a gift!

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I receive the gift of recovery when I give it away.