How does sponsorship differ from Twelfth Step calls?
A Twelfth Step call – visiting an alcoholic who has asked for help and talking about the A.A. program with him or her – may become the beginning of sponsorship, but by itself it is not necessarily sponsorship. Sponsorship, with its continuing interest in another alcoholic, often develops when the second person is willing to be helped, admits having a drinking problem, and decides to seek a way out of the trap. Sponsorship is Twelfth Stepping work, but it is also continuing responsibility for helping a new- comer adjust to a way of fife without alcohol. How does sponsorship help the newcomer? It assures the newcomer that there is at least one person who understands the situation fully and cares – one person to turn to without em- embarrassment when doubts, questions, or problems linked to alcoholism arise. Sponsorship gives the newcomer an understanding, sympathetic friend when one is needed most. Sponsor- ship also provides the bridge enabling the new person to meet other alcoholics –
