How to Be a Sponsor to Women in AA

Alcoholism is a serious condition characterized by your body's reliance on alcohol. You also may have a lesser dependence on alcohol known as alcohol abuse. Both of these conditions require treatment in order to allow your body to recover from the dependence. Aside from the physical treatment of the condition, you also will require counseling and support to treat the underlying psychological issues. An institution that is renowned for the support that it offers to alcoholics is Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA. It is important for an alcoholic to feel comfortable with his AA sponsor.

Instructions

• 1

  Understand how the sponsored person defines her own growth and productivity. One of the first qualities of sponsorship is "I will help you to grow, to become more productive, by your definition." You and the person you are sponsoring should sit down and create a list of definitions of productivity and growth as they pertain to her life. For example, she may view donating her time to a charitable organization as a signal of growth and finding a job as a signal of productivity.

• 2

  Stay away from pity. Pitying the person you sponsor will not have a rehabilitating effect. It will make her more susceptible to your view of her weakness. Your job is to provide strength and support, not to allow her to make decisions out of weakness.

• 3

  Remember, it is essential that the person you are sponsoring wants to grow. You cannot do that for her. If she chooses to remain in her current situation because she is afraid of life without alcohol, you cannot change that. If that is the case, you may have to make the decision to rescind your sponsorship at some point. Before you decide to do that, let her know that you believe she has the potential for growth, but that she really needs to want it before you can help her.