A person who sponsors an addict is essentially there for them when they encounter problems in their recovery. When an addict is in rehab for their addiction, they are protected from their addiction around the clock. The walls of the rehab as well as the rehab staff make the environment controlled and safe from objects of addiction. However, when an addict re-enters the world and they encounter triggers that put them in danger of relapsing, they are in critical need of a support system to turn to for encouragement. Those who volunteer as sponsors to recovering addicts make themselves selflessly available to the addict in moments of need around a predetermined schedule.

A majority of the time a sponsor gives to the recovering addict is over the phone. A recovering addict can encounter a trigger anytime day or night. If they relapse, they are putting themselves in danger. Not every relapse is a crisis. Some people pick up and start again on their recovery the following day. However, some people binge to an extreme and put their health, or even their life, in jeopardy. A sponsor being available to them to encourage them to follow the lessons of their recovery can make all the difference. Sometimes, it can even mean the difference between life and death.

At other times, a meeting between a recovering addict and a sponsor may take place in person. These meetings are usually scheduled in advance and are a planned part of the recovering addict’s ongoing aftercare treatment. Some organizations that provide sponsors have the sponsor keep a log of the recovering addict’s progress, which is often collected at these in person meetings. And lastly, written communication is another means of recovering addicts and their sponsors keeping in touch. E-mails and written letters are sometimes exchanged in non-critical situations, or when a recovering addict is growing in independence in their recovery. Sponsors cannot save a recovering addict from relapsing. Ultimately that responsibility is on the recovering addict themselves. They can, however, fill a critical role in the recovering addict’s lives as their support system and encourager.

An addict’s sponsor plays an important role in their addiction recovery. A sponsor will serve as a lifeline to the addict when they feel like they are sinking. The most important thing a sponsor offers to an addict is support and relationship. Because recovering addicts are often in need of a stable support system to help them through the difficult moments in recovery, they can benefit greatly from a designated person to reach out to for this purpose. Sponsors who are assigned through an addiction treatment service undergo an evaluation, but there is no rigorous criteria involved in becoming an addict’s sponsor. It is a volunteer task open to people who are mentally healthy and who can empathize with the plight of a recovering addict.

The function of a sponsor is to be available to the recovering addict, both in moments of reflection and moments of desperation. There are, of course, boundaries set to protect the sponsor, but simply by making themselves available to the addict when they are in need is what makes all the difference. Many addicts have largely lost their personal relationships to the strain the addiction created. Others are enabled by their former support systems and are in need of new ones. It is very common for addicts to have few people to turn to when they are just beginning their recovery.

The ways a sponsor is available to an addict is by phone primarily, but sometimes in person or in written communication as well. The most important thing a sponsor does is offer the recovering addict support in times of crisis and struggle. Recovering addicts will encounter opportunities to relapse and will find it very difficult to stay strong, especially when they are new to recovery. In these moments, the voice of an encourager is invaluable. Most people who struggle with addiction do so largely because they have had a volatile life, which means that they are still susceptible to moments of mental crisis and breakdown. The sponsor is also to be available to them in these moments, and know when to refer them to a professional counselor.