About Me

My photo
I have recovered from the disease of Alcoholism. I believe there is only one person really,.. everybody. And that peace of mind is everything. -So treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself, because your neighbor IS yourself. I think most of recovery is what I would call common sense, but that learning to be ordinary is a true gift very few people acquire. My ambition is to accept everything unflinchingly, with compassion, and therefore be intrinsically comfortable in my own skin, no matter what. I am comfortable being uncomfortable and am willing to go to any lengths to improve my life. I believe the Big Book was divinely inspired, and is extraordinarily powerful. Unfortunately AA's best kept secret a lot of the time. (In my opinion). I just try to do what works, no matter what it is.

Monday, July 16, 2007

What I DO aim to do as 'standard' when I Sponsor

Some sponsors have a very unstructured approach with sponsoring. Fair enough. It's up to them. Each to their own, but I thought I'd just share a bit about how I approach it. Its the ONLY way for me to do it without getting very resentful!
Basically I find you have to be VERY organized to be a sponsor, otherwise you end up HATING it and resenting the demands on your time. Unless oyu are a lady of leisure! And have a TON of free time..

Anyway here are some 'structures' I have in place when I sponsor. I am flexible, but this is the general structure.

What I DO aim to do as 'standard'
5-10 min calls Mon to Friday preferably in the morning. (7.30-8.30am type thing)
2hr weekend bookings either for:
2hr evening bookings Mon-Thurs either for:
Reading out step one or two written work
Reading out step four as part of step5
'Out of hours' calls if it is an emergency or it cannot wait.
Mobile text queries at any time, but whether I answer them or not is at my discretion. But if you send me too many I will ask you not to.
Email. Anytime. Same as text really. Answers are at my discretion, and if you send too many I will ask you not to.
I will make exceptions if the circumstances are such that you cannot do the stuff I mentioned above, but I do NOT like to make a habit of it.

Coffee after meeting. Once a week. With other Sponsees.
See them at a meeting once a week. Ie make an effort to be at one meeting as a definite arrangement once a week. Otherwise meetings are 'off the cuff'.

4 comments:

johno said...

Thank you. Last few weeks, I really starting to understand why it says working WITH others not for others. And how manipulating people can bee. And how I am not in charge, but there does needs to be some structure or it just gets flakey.

Suicidal_ Exasperation said...

That is most deffinitely structure. My sponsor and I have a little less structure, but it still works for us, which is good. Have a beautiful day...

Shadow said...

you sound so organised, know exactly what you want and how to get it. one day.....

Syd said...

I like your organization. I tend to talk to my sponsor in a more flexible manner. We do set up appointments for the steps. I appreciate all that my sponsor and all you sponsors do. It is something that is important.