Addicts and alcoholics usually come to TPJ certain of one thing only: They want the pain to stop.
Newcomers may not be ready to embrace recovery and embark on a new journey, but they’re ready to do something different. The pain of remaining the same has become greater than their fear of change, and so despite the trepidation they often have over what life will look like clean and sober, they steel themselves to make that change.
Recovery, to use one analogy, is like an Olympic-sized swimming pool. For some, the only way is to dive into the deep end without hesitation, and this method has worked for many. However, people enter the water via the steps (or “Steps,” if you will). We hold their hand and take it slow, allowing them time to acclimate to the information and tools we give them to make the most of their recovery.
One of those tools is sponsorship. If recovery is the pool, then a sponsor can be the lifeguard, the man or woman who sits atop a stand by the side of the water and keeps a watchful eye on us to ensure we don’t flounder and drown. A sponsor is the individual in our recovery journey who will throw us a life ring or toss us a line when we’re in over our heads and begin to panic or tire. They can pull us to safety, and they can teach us how to do more than tread water in one place.
TPJ does not provide sponsor match making services. Part of recovery is accepting personal responsibility, accountability, & follow through. No one else can do this for you.
Having a sponsor does NOT keep you from picking up that first sucker drink. To drink is to die; we don't drink no matter what.