My Sponsor

TA sponsor in a 12-step group is similar to a mentor. He is someone who has been where you are and knows how to get further in sobriety than you. He is someone you will call regularly and talk to about recovery. He will be someone who will encourage you to do your step work and help hold you accountable to goals you have set for yourself in recovery.

In picking a sponsor, you probably want to listen to others in your support group who are really in recovery. This would probably be someone who isn't reporting his latest relapse story but rather is working his steps and it is best if they finish their fifth step before you may want them to be your sponsor. This eliminates them helping you through their own recovery issues. After the fifth step, there is a lot less shame and someone can be much healthier to help you.

Some sex addicts like to have someone for a sponsor who has at least six months in the program or has six months of sobriety from their bottom line behaviors. This would be ideal. The reality is that sex addict support groups in some areas are just starting, and most of the members wouldn't have that kind of sobriety.

Utilizing a sponsor relationship can help tremendously in not feeling alone in your recovery. This relationship hopefully will allow you to see that there is more in recovery for you in the future. To pick a sponsor, ask someone when he thinks would be a good time to talk to him about this, and if you mutually agree, this would be your sponsor.

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