Sponsorship is a mutual and confidential sharing between two Al-Anon members. Experience shows that having a Sponsor is a valuable aid to personal understanding and use of the Al-Anon program of recovery.
There are no requirements for Al-Anon sponsorship. However, it helps to choose someone who is committed to using the program in his or her own life, and who can share experience, strength, and hope as a result of practicing the Twelve Steps. Having close, personal support between meetings can help newer members apply tools of the program to their lives. It is up to both members to establish the relationship.
The choice of a Sponsor is a personal one. The act of asking someone to be a Sponsor is part of one’s personal recovery, and most members ask someone they relate to, who “has what they want,” to be their Sponsor. Many members share that they listen to members share at meetings for a period of time before asking someone for help. Al-Anon is a program of “attraction rather than promotion.” As an alternative, some meetings offer announcements of members willing to be temporary Sponsors. There are no geographic restrictions or time constraints to a sponsorship relationship.