"In seeking a sponsor, most members look for someone they feel they can learn to trust,

someone who seems compassionate"

IP No. 11, Sponsorship, Revised

The idea of sponsorship may be new to us.  We have spent many years without direction, relying only on self-interest, suspecting everyone, trusting no one.  Now that we're learning to live in recovery, we find we need help.  We can't do it alone anymore; we must take the risk of trusting another human being.  Often, the first person we take that risk with is our sponsor--someone we respect, someone we identify with, someone we have reason to trust.

As we open up to our sponsor, a bond develops between us.  We disclose our secrets and develop confidence in our sponsors discretion.  We share our concerns and learn to value our sponsor's experience.  We share our pain and are met with empathy.  We get to know one another, respect one another, love one another.  The more we trust our sponsor, the more we learn to trust ourselves.

Trust helps us move away from a life of fear, confusion, suspicion, and indirection.  In the beginning, it feels risky to trust another addict.  But that trust is the same principle we apply in our relationship with a Higher Power--risky or not, our experience tells us we cant do without it.  And the more we take the risk of trusting our sponsor, the more open we will feel about our lives.

Just for today:  I want to grow and change.  I will risk trusting my sponsor and find the rewards of sharing.