Sponsor Doubt Recovery (SDRA)

Sponsor Doubt Recovery (SDRA)

12 steps

1. We admitted we were powerless over another person’s recovery — that their choices are not ours to control.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore our confidence as sponsors.

3. Made a decision to turn our doubts and fears over to the care of God as we understand God.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of our motives, expectations, and self-worth as sponsors.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another person the truth about our doubts and unrealistic expectations.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove the burden of thinking we are responsible for others' recovery.

7. Humbly asked God to help us guide with humility, not control.

8. Made a list of the unrealistic expectations we’ve held — of ourselves and our sponsees — and became willing to release them.

9. Made amends to ourselves and others for the self-blame and frustration we’ve carried, except when doing so would deepen doubt.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and, when we slipped into false responsibility, promptly reminded ourselves of the truth.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, seeking only the knowledge of how to guide with humility.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we carried this message to other sponsors and practiced these principles in all our affairs.

13th Step Safeguard

We remember that being a sponsor is not about control or outcome — it is about willingness, humility, and showing up. We are not responsible for another’s recovery, only for our efforts to guide and serve.

12 Traditions

1. Our common welfare as sponsors comes first; personal doubt depends on unity.

2. For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God — our trusted servant role is to guide, not control.

3. The only requirement for membership is the desire to be a healthy, humble sponsor.

4. Each group of sponsors should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups.

5. Our primary purpose is to carry the message and support sponsors recovering from self-doubt.

6. An SDRA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend its name to outside enterprises that promise control over others' outcomes.

7. Every SDRA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

8. SDRA should remain forever non-professional, though service may require experience.

9. SDRA ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

10. SDRA has no opinion on outside issues; our focus is on recovery from sponsor doubt.

11. Our public relations are based on attraction, not promotion; we simply share that sponsorship is guidance, not ownership.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, reminding us to guide with humility, not ego.

12 Promises

1. We will know peace, even when our sponsees stumble.

2. We will stop confusing their journey with our worth.

3. We will learn to love ourselves as sponsors — imperfect, yet willing.

4. We will understand that guidance offered is never wasted.

5. We will trust that readiness comes when the student is ready, not when we say so.

6. We will be able to guide without carrying their outcomes.

7. Fear of being a “bad sponsor” will leave us.

8. We will intuitively know how to respond to relapse, silence, or withdrawal with compassion, not ego.

9. We will realize our Higher Power does not measure us by others' choices.

10. We will lose the burden of trying to be responsible for another’s recovery.

11. We will gain confidence through humility.

12. We will find freedom in simply showing up.

Slogans

• “Doubt the doubt, not yourself.”

• “We show up, God does the rest.”

• “Guide with humility, not with fear.”

• “We’re responsible for the effort, not the outcome.”

• “Their relapse doesn’t erase your recovery.”

• “Let go. Trust God. Keep showing up.”

Acronyms

1. GOD — Guide. Offer. Detach.

2. SPONSOR — Showing Patience, Offering New Strength, Owning Reality.

3. LET GO — Love Every Time, Give Over.

 Serenity Prayer

🕊️(SDRA Version)

God, grant me the serenity to guide without control,The courage to keep showing up through doubt,And the wisdom to remember — I am not responsible for their choices.

🙏 PRAY — Prayer List

• God, help me release false responsibility.

• Relieve me of the burden of doubt.

• Grant me peace when my sponsee struggles or disappears.

• Let me trust that they, too, have a Higher Power.

• Strengthen my confidence through humility.

🗣️ What Needs to Be Talked About

• The lie of false responsibility.

• Accepting that relapse or silence isn’t proof of failure.

• Forgiving ourselves for human doubt.

• Leadership through humility, not ego.

• Recognizing our fear as the "invisible cheetah" — chasing us into self-blame.

• Seeing that our discomfort is not danger — just growing pains.

• Understanding that sponsorship is about showing up, not controlling outcomes.

💡 How This Program Can Help

SDRA reminds sponsors that showing up is success. It teaches us to separate our worth from others' choices. It builds confidence, relieves self-blame, and helps us keep sponsoring with love and humility. Daily, we can walk this path free from the burden of trying to be anyone’s Higher Power.

🗂️ Categorized

Primary: Recovery Support Programs

Also Fits:

• Self-Esteem Building

• Burnout Prevention for Sponsors

• Leadership Through Service

• Spiritual Detachment

  • Why: Because sponsor doubt is a hidden struggle that can lead to burnout, withdrawal, or even stepping away from recovery service. SDRA offers clarity, peace, and a path to keep showing up — guided by humility, supported by a Higher Power.