Sponsorship
in AWNA

A sponsor is, in plain language, an experienced member of the fellowship who walks you through the Twelve Steps and is available between meetings when you need them. The relationship is the single most important practical structure in 12-step recovery beyond attending meetings. This page explains it without jargon.

What a sponsor is

• A fellow member. Not a professional. Not paid. Not credentialed. Another person in recovery from the same things, who has worked the steps and is now helping someone else work them.
• Available between meetings. A phone call, a text, a video call — usually whatever channel works for both of you. Available particularly during difficult moments: a craving, a slip, a hard share you're about to make, a step you're stuck on.
• A guide through the Steps. The Twelve Steps are not designed to be worked alone. A sponsor walks you through them — usually one at a time, at your pace, using the Big Book or the Twelve and Twelve as the shared text.
• Someone whose recovery sounds like one you would want. The first practical criterion when choosing. If you listen to someone share and find yourself thinking I want what they have, that is the signal.
• Generally same-gender, in traditional 12-step practice. Many fellowships recommend this to keep sponsorship relationships from sliding into something else. It is a guideline, not a rule, and members navigate it according to their own situation.

What a sponsor isn't

• Not a therapist. A sponsor does not provide clinical treatment, diagnose conditions, or replace mental-health care. If you need therapy, get therapy in parallel.
• Not a parent. A sponsor does not have authority over you. They are a peer with more time in the program.
• Not always available. Sponsors have lives. They will not always pick up. Most sponsors are clear about when they can be reached, and members are expected to respect that.
• Not a guarantor. Having a sponsor does not prevent slipping. The work is yours; the sponsor walks beside it.
• Not a friend, exactly. The relationship is purpose-built. Many become genuine friendships over years, but the original frame is more specific: this is the person helping you work the program.

How to find a sponsor in AWNA

The traditional method, which still works:

1. Attend meetings. Three, five, ten. Listen.
2. Notice whose shares sound like a recovery you would want. Whose tone is calm. Whose specifics feel honest. Whose program seems to be working in a way you can imagine working for you.
3. Reach out, simply. A message after the meeting, or in the AWNA WhatsApp group: "Hi, I'm new and I appreciated what you shared today. Would you be willing to talk about sponsorship?"
4. Have a first conversation. Most members say yes; some are at capacity. If the first person can't, ask another. There is no shame in this.
5. Try it for a few weeks. If the fit isn't right, you can change sponsors. The fellowship expects this; it is normal and not a failure.

AWNA does not have a sponsor-matching service. There is no algorithm. The matching is done in the way it has always been done in 12-step fellowships: through attendance, observation, and direct ask.

What sponsorship looks like in practice

The day-to-day shape varies, but most member relationships include:

• A weekly check-in — phone or video, usually 30–45 minutes. About what's working, what's hard, where you are in the Steps.
• Step work between calls — reading assignments from the Big Book or Twelve and Twelve, written work (the fourth-step inventory is a common one), conversations about what each step is actually asking.
• Availability for cravings or slips — a text or a call when something is wrong. Most sponsors do not expect to be called daily; they do expect to be called before something becomes a crisis.
• Honest feedback — sometimes including things you don't want to hear. Most members eventually describe being told something uncomfortable by their sponsor and then, weeks later, recognising it as the most useful thing they were told.

The relationship typically lasts months to years. Some last decades. Some end after a year as members move into sponsoring others. The shape is flexible; the underlying commitment — that two people are walking through the work together — is consistent.

When to consider sponsoring someone else

Most members are encouraged to begin sponsoring others after they have worked through the Twelve Steps with their own sponsor at least once and have some sustained time in the program — usually a year, though there is no fixed rule. Sponsoring is part of the twelfth step: having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others. The first sponsorship someone takes on is often the moment their own recovery deepens in a way they did not expect.

If you are early in AWNA and feel you are not yet ready to sponsor, that is normal. The work moves at its own pace.

Frequently asked, briefly

Can my sponsor be in a different fellowship? Many AWNA members have sponsors from AA, NA, or OA, particularly if they came to AWNA from one of those fellowships and have a long-standing sponsor there. The Steps are largely the same; the cross-fellowship sponsorship works.

Can I have more than one sponsor? Some members do — a primary sponsor and a temporary sponsor for a specific step. Practices vary.

What if my sponsor slips? The relationship continues, often deepens. Sponsors are not above the program; their slips do not invalidate yours, nor the work between you.

Is sponsorship required? Not formally. You can attend AWNA without a sponsor and many members do, particularly in early days. The Steps are difficult to work alone, however, and most members eventually find that having a sponsor unlocks the program in a way that meetings alone do not.

Do sponsors charge anything? No. The Seventh Tradition — being self-supporting through voluntary member contributions — applies to all of the work. Sponsorship is free.