So, I'm having a burger with my sponsor discussing my sponsees' statii and he tells me "Your Grandsponsor wants me to tell you "thanks." and I asked "What for?"
My sponsor tells me that sponsorship isn't just about the Service & Recovery elements of the triangle, but also Unity on a very large scale. He cited a few members, old timers, who don't sponsor anybody but bitch about non-old-timers screwing up THEIR AA by talking about cross-addiction, sharing non-AA readings, letting paper-carriers get chips and so-on. So my sponsor tells me, "Sponsorship is like voting; if you're not willing to do it you're forfeiting your right to complain about the direction your organization is headed."
So, my sponsor is bringing me up the way he was brought up and that's how I'm doing it, too. If my sponsees are ready and willing, someday they'll be asked and then they'll bring someone up, too.
Interesting---never thought about the unity aspect. I recently removed myself from a difficult sponsorship situation that was simply beyond my ability and really had to work to get myself grounded back into the basics of what sponsoring and being sponsored is all about. The concept of unity on a large scale just makes sense to me right now--thanks!
The post got me thinking about a sponcee of mine who has about 90 days. A couple days ago before a meeting he mentioned that he heard someone identify himself as, "My name is XYZ and I'm a Real Alcoholic", and he asked me to explain this.
I told him that there is a paragraph is the book that used the term "Real Alcoholic" to differentiate between the true alcoholic and someone who has had some foolish episodes and done some heavy drinking but has not crossed the line.
I went on to explain what was shared to me and I believe to be the best policy when addressing yourself at a meeting. Just identify yourself a "Alcoholic" like everyone else. Don't use grateful/recovered/recovering/addict/cross/ etc,etc.
We might be all the things above, but the adjectives can be a distraction. One of the things we must free ourselves from is the idea the we are terminally unique, the quicker we can see that we are just garden variety alcoholics the quicker we can recover.
I can't remeber ever going into this with another sponcee, but I can't ever remember one identify themselves s anything other that "alcoholic". Like they say a lot of the things we learn ar just "monkey see monkey do".
__________________
Rob
"There ain't no Coupe DeVille hiding in the bottom of a Cracker Jack Box."
That's awesome Rob, thanks for sharing. I'm not sponsoring anyone yet, but I'm looking forward to it when the time comes and someone asks. I intend to pass on exactly what was passed on to me, just like what your sponsor has done with you and what you are doing.
