Sponsorship in the Age of Zoom and the Pandemic
What is sponsorship? Alcoholics Anonymous began with sponsorship. When Bill W., only a few months sober, was stricken with a powerful urge to drink, the thought came to him. “You need another alcoholic just as much as he needs you.”
He found Dr. Bob, who had been trying desperately and unsuccessfully to stop drinking, and out of their common need A.A. was born. (Questions & Answers on Sponsorship)
Chapter 7 of the Big Book Working with Others starts out with “Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail.”
How to find an AA sponsor online or on Zoom:
- Set up a Sponsorship Chairperson and have new members talk to that person after the meeting.
- Make sure you ask for new people.
- Make sure you ask who in the Group is willing to sponsor to raise their hand.
- Let people know they can call the A.A. Office and we will try to help them find a sponsor.
Support can come from people other than a sponsor. If you cannot find a sponsor, the next best thing is to get the phone number of an A.A. member that you can get support from.
Staff
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the AA Cleveland District Office.
