My sponsors job and my job...

[Dallas]

My sponsor's job is not to be a God-guide. His job is to show me how to implement the program of action into all areas of my life -- so I could learn to be comfortable and at peace, while sober. And, to help me in measuring, monitoring and inspecting my progress w/ the program of action.

It's my job to implement the program of action into my life (to do the work), and to be comfortable and at peace while sober -- and to help others to do the same. It's my job to learn and to do better today, than I did yesterday. It my job to grow, in understanding and effectiveness. It's my job to act like a sane, normal and productively good person -- and to do productive and good deeds, for myself, and for those around me. It's my job to inspect, measure and monitor my progress and my growth -- and to check-in w/ my sponsor for them to monitor and measure and inspect my progress.

That's about as simple as I can get it!

Dallas

[TexasMark]

Thanks Dallas,

My Sponsor's birthday celebration is tomorrow night, and I was trying to think of something to say in his honor. I think you pretty much summed it up for me.

I know that he will never admit to it, much less ever take credit for it, but he saved my life.

I always hear such great things when I come here. Thank you.

Mark

[TexasMark]

Dallas maybe you can help me with this. Or anyone else for that matter.

I am looking for a quote that my sponsor always tells me, when I am talking to a newcomer.

it goes something like this

There is nothing I can say right if the newcomer is not ready to stop drinking, and there is nothing I can say wrong if the new comer is ready to stop (as long as I stay in the BB)

Have you seen that quote anywhere?

Mark

[Dallas]

I'm unfamiliar with the quote. I've heard people say something similar -- but I probably didn't latch on to it because I wasn't sure about it. Perhaps you can find a line or two in the BB that goes along w/ the idea that would make it an even better quote.

I would hope that there is something we can say that will help encourage them towards "ready."

As I look back on the events to my own "getting readiness" I can remember some specific things that I heard that encouraged me. One was a nice and friendly commercial (I don't remember the exact words) from a large cemetery and funeral home out in Los Angeles -- that became a personal invitation to stop by and get to know them over coffee if I was out drinking while driving -- with the suggestion being that it would be good for us to get to know each other now, since we would probably be meeting each other soon, anyway. I seemed to hear the commercial every time I turned on the radio!

Also, I can remember during holiday seasons -- when I'd be up for my morning drink, ironing a fresh white shirt to go out an conquer the day -- I'd have the TV on and listening to one of those morning news-talk shows. And, for about a week or so, they were having celebrities and musicians that I knew -- that I had partied with, on the shows, talking about how they found some anonymous outfit that helped them to stop drinking and drugging. It got my attention first, because when I heard it, my thoughts were "Heck! That guy can't be an alcoholic! I've drank w/ him and I drank way more than he did! He was a lightweight at drinking! Why would he want to quit?"

I guess those are like little seeds that get planted in our brain from one source, then another source comes along and puts a little water on it, someone else dumps some fertilizer on it -- and before long, a new little sprout of an idea pops up in our heads.

I remember someone saying something like "there's nothing I can say to make them get sober if they are not ready and nothing I can say to make them drink" -- but, I'm not sure of the validity of it. And, when I have questions about quotes I'll usually just take a pass on them.

[Camel]

Good stuff! Nobody could say anything to me that would have stopped me from drinking. In my case, it had to come from within. I had to want to want to stop. Bill Wilson said, "if a mere code or morals or better philosophy of life were sufficient to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago. But we found that such codes and philosofies did not save us, no matter how much we tried." In my case, by God's Grace, when the student was ready, the teacher appeared. I'm very grateful to be sober today. I'm very grateful to not be sick today. I'm very grateful to be reasonably sane and healthy today, all things considered. I'm grateful for my Sponsor, and to be a Sponsor.

Hub

[Toast]

I think philosophy and a lot of poetry just gets us ready for the grave. Time enough for that when it happens. Today is all about living!