The one element of #AA I do appreciate: The sponsor
The sponsor is the person you call when you are feeling weak. S/he talks you down from the moment when you might take another drink.
My friend Roy* is a former student. He's also a good friend. He quit drinking six years ago. It was the right thing for him to do. He didn't join AA he just quit; like Dad, but I digress.
Roy's hit a tough patch in life. Work issues, marital issues, social media issues... it easy to see how it could lead a man who has chosen sobriety to go back to drinking.
Because he's not in AA I've become his de facto sponsor; which is weird because I know I am an #alcoholic by the AA definition and I don't care. I am happy to be Roy's phone call when he is feeling the need to take a drink. I know it's his goal to not take that drink so I think I'm equipped with the skills to talk him back from doing something he'd regret.
My favorite radio show is #ThisAmericanLife had an amazing story that made her famous. The problem? She was not an alcoholic. Here is the link... skip to Act 3: The Wisdom to know the difference or check her page.
I support Roy. He's a good man. I chose Roy as the psuedonym for my friend because I admire the Roy Kent character in Ted Lasso.
*Name changed to protect his identity... given his recent issues on social media there is no way I'd use even his first name.
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