by Anonymous
I had been in Traditional OA for 11 years and always had a sponsor. At my first meeting a woman came up to me and said, “Do you need a sponsor?” I said yes, and she told me to call her in the morning and tell her what I was going to eat for that day. From that day forward, I have worked with many sponsors. In traditional OA they were “Step Sponsors” or “Food Sponsors,” but none of them had me call everyday—only a couple of times a week and at no set time. My program went fine for many years, and then I started feeling stuck.
I ran into someone I hadn’t seen for many months, and she looked different. I asked her what was new with her program, and she said she was working the HOW program. Curious, I went to a HOW meeting and found them to be filled with people with very strong recovery. But I was not willing to get a HOW sponsor and call every day. After three months of auditing HOW meetings, I decided to try working with a HOW sponsor.
The difference in my program was immediate. Talking to a sponsor every day for 15 minutes was amazing. I found myself growing more honest about my food and working the steps more actively. Because I do a reading and writing everyday and turn that over, I am studying the literature more. The writings help me look at what is bothering me daily. I find it very helpful to know that my sponsor is working the program the same way I am and that we work the tools and steps every day. I sponsor others in the same fashion that I am sponsored, and the intimacy I have with my spondees helps me to be honest and to practice letting go.
The daily calls to my sponsor and from my sponsees give my day structure and consistency. It grounds my program in discipline and routine and helps me stay focused. Many days I pick up the literature and write, not because I want to, but because I need to have something to read to my sponsor in the morning. Thus I am staying connected to program. By having both a sponsor and sponsee I am doing service and sharing my experience, strength, and hope.
