Sponsorship
Shared recovery experience, one person to another
A sponsor is an A.A. member who has made progress in recovery and shares that experience individually and continuously with another alcoholic seeking or maintaining sobriety.
“Sponsor and sponsored meet as equals.”Questions and Answers on Sponsorship, p. 6
The relationship
Experience and support—not authority
Sponsorship is an informal, voluntary relationship rooted in shared A.A. recovery experience.
Experience
A sponsor shares what helped in getting and staying sober through A.A.
Conversation
The relationship provides one person to contact, ask questions, and talk with between meetings.
Connection
A sponsor can help another member understand meetings, literature, recovery principles, people, and groups.
Role boundaries
What a sponsor does—and does not do
A sponsor does
- Share personal A.A. recovery experience
- Help explain meetings, literature, and recovery principles
- Offer individual contact between meetings
- Help connect a member with other people and groups
A sponsor does not
- Approve or guarantee A.A. membership
- Govern another member or issue A.A. rules
- Replace medical, legal, counseling, or social-work professionals
- Take ownership of another person’s sobriety or decisions
Related sections and tools
Continue with membership or meeting information
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Sponsorship guides
Choose the next sponsorship topic
Each complete card opens one focused guide.
Official reference
Read the Conference-approved sponsorship guide
The complete source opens directly as the official PDF.
Source record: The Conference-approved sponsorship guide was reviewed August 13, 2026.