Purpose:  Often a sponsee will have a problem that does not readily yield to the sponsor’s efforts or is outside his or her knowledge or recovery experience or ability to deal with it.  In such cases, there can be great wisdom and breakthrough by bringing the issue to a select group of trusted members.  

Who attends:  Sponsee’s sponsor and generally 2 or three other sober members.  Sponsee arranges the meeting after consulting with their sponsor. 

Duration:  Generally no more than one hour.  This should be agreed upon before meeting begins. 

Format: 

a.     Open meeting with a prayer.

b.     Sponsee describes problem and what they have been doing to resolve it.  Preferably they 
  have written this beforehand. This should take no more than 5 to 10 minutes.

c.     Members give feedback based on their own experience, strength, and hope.

d.     Group develops a mutually agreeable plan, which is recorded by the sponsee.

e.     Sponsee reads plan to group for concurrence.

f.      Sponsee sets up follow-up check meeting to review progress.

g.     Meeting is closed with a prayer. 

Process:  The following questions should be asked as part of the feedback process: 

Do you want sobriety?

Are you willing to go to any lengths to stay sober?

If the answer is yes to both of these questions, a plan should be developed from the action checklist list. If the answer is no, terminate the meeting.

Action Checklist:  

1.     No alcohol.

2.     No drugs unless prescribed and taken as directed by a qualified physician.

3.     Attend 90 meetings in 90 days.

4.     Call sponsor every day at the specified time.

a.      Limit call to 30 minutes.

b.     Review progress/problems of previous day to include sobriety inventory and renewal (see
  Daily Sobriety Renewal).

c.     Review your plan for the current day.

d.     Work the steps - Read a paragraph in the 12&12, Big Book and discuss.

e.     Conclude call with a prayer.

5.     Make an additional 3 program calls each day.

6.     Do morning and evening readings from 12 &12, Big Book, or other program literature.  This 
 should include 3^rd Step Prayer, 7^th Step Prayer, pages 86-88 from the Big Book, paragraph on
 acceptance from the Big Book, 11^th Step Prayer, and the Twelve Promises.

7.     Do morning and night prayers and meditation.

8.     Do nightly inventory of the day’s events, positive and negative.

9.     If necessary, schedule weekly or bi-weekly meetings with your therapist.  Discuss medication and 
  seriously consider it as part of your recovery.

10.   Develop a daily, weekly, and monthly plan for your recovery and review with your sponsor.

11.   Do a First Step on your major problem(s) in staying sober.

12.   Do your Fourth Step Moral Inventory as soon as possible.