12 Days of Sponsorship
Based on a OA pamphlet, “Where Do I Start”, a new person calls a temporary sponsor for 12 days to talk about the basics of Overeaters Anonymous. (A ‘sponsee’ is someone who has a sponsor.) Then the newcomer can decide if OA is right for them. Also, perfectionists who want to find the ‘perfect’ sponsor can get out of the perfectionism procrastination trap. Action feels good!
Get free pamphlet on Amazon for Kindle. Get pamplet mailed to you: literature@seattleoa.org
This is the guide for 12-Day-Sponsorship, but remember, “ism” stands for “I Sponsor Myself!” Let someone take you through it.
Ask Someone
Ask someone to be your sponsor. It is important that that person has worked the steps and that they are abstinent. It’s nice to find a sponsor at a meeting you both attend. If you ask someone and they say, “no” – then gather up your courage and ask someone else.
What if I don’t like to bother people?
Most of us don’t like to ask for help, but we have to get over that. A good sponsor has boundaries and will let you know if they are available for a chat or a Zoom meetup. You may hear: “This helps me more than it helps you.” Step 12 says that “we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters” and helping another person is refreshing.
What will my sponsor ask me to do?
Ask. Each sponsor is different. A sponsor is not the boss of you.
What is sponsorship?
A sponsor is an individual who helps guide a less-experienced member through the Twelve-Step program. In the pamphlet, A Commitment to Abstinence, it says, “A sponsor’s primary function is to share her or his experience, strength and hope with you, answer your questions, listen as you discuss your feelings and guide you in understanding the Steps.”
Some members may want extra support with the physical aspect of recovery. They often find it helpful to commit their daily food plan to their sponsor or another OA member. But as the pamphlet explains, “Calling in your food plan is by no means a ‘must.’” Some OAers discuss their program of recovery, including food, with their sponsor.
There are no specific qualifications for sponsorship in OA. Naturally, it is more beneficial to work with a sponsor who is committed to abstinence and to working the Steps. When looking for a sponsor, the pamphlet Tools of Recovery suggest members keep in mind that “sponsors share their program up to the level of their own experience . . .find a sponsor who has what you want and ask how it was achieved.
How can we prepare to be a sponsor?
It is important to realize that there is in no one, perfect way to sponsor. A sponsor is simply one OA member working with another to better understand and live the Twelve-Step program. There are as many different methods of sponsoring as there are OA members. The key to being a sponsor is to share one’s experience, strength and hope as it relates to OA’s Twelve-Step program.
If there are individuals in your group who have maintained any length of abstinence and are working the Twelve Steps, they have something to share. There is no graduation date when members magically become ready to sponsor. As we learn in OA, all progress is worth sharing.
Source, Lifeline Ask-It Basket Questions and Answers
copyright Overeaters Anonymous, Inc., used by permission
Interested in Virtual Sponsorship – by Email, Telephone, Zoom, Online?
Region One offers an online Sponsor or Sponsee application form you can fill out and submit.
http://www.oaregion1.org/current-member-services.html
Podcast on Sponsorship