I was sponsoring a man that has relapsed after 6 months. He said he was going to take LSD on Saturday (last weekend) because he felt it’s the best way to relieve him of his alcoholism. He mentioned that he had done it before we started working the step and it got him 6 months of sobriety. He told me that he needs to step away from the program for awhile.
How I responded to this situation is with love and tolerance. I can’t get you drunk nor can I get you sober. But what I can do is take you through the steps. This man had taken all the steps except step 12 with me. Also, not working steps 10 and 11 daily to the best of his ability. If he had done these two steps he would have seen that he has fear around sponsoring others. If we are going to be in a program we must give ourselves completely to the program. As soon as we take back our will we fall short. This disease is real. It takes over our thinking process which then leads to obsession of the mind, outward validation and finally the drink or substance abuse which then triggers the allergy which then causes the spirit to fade.
This is why sponsoring others or helping others or being of service is very important in our alcoholism. Because I was being of service I didn’t drink. Because I continue to take personal inventory and pray and meditate I’m still sober. We must take an honest look at ourselves. Make the decision to turn our will over to a power greater then ourselves. What exactly is our will? I was taught that my will is how I think. It’s my thinking process. So I turn my thinking over to God or HP (higher power) I can begin to change my mind. My mind begins to change and life becomes more joyous and fun. I don’t want to die anymore. As I continue to do this work I find purpose in life. I’m become a useful human. I give and take in harmony. My thinking is now centered around being kind, loving, patient and tolerant towards all.
I’ll continue to pray for my sponsee to come back and stay. The power of prayer.
