Oh, here I go again--winning friends and influencing people. Yes Judith, go ahead and stick your big fat foot in your big fat mouth; it won't be the first time, and unless I should die in my sleep tonight, it sure as hell won't be the last.
I first came across the concept of Recovery Coaches a couple of years ago. I even considered doing it myself for a little while and checked into what was required as far as classes, licensing, etc., until... I realized that there was one major problem: in recovery, the person who is meant to guide us through the steps is a sponsor.
Ever since the first recovery program was founded, and on through all that have followed, having a sponsor and eventually becoming one has been a bedrock concept. Sponsorship is NOT a paid position. A lot of what I'd read in the literature and heard at meetings started knocking on the door of my mind. "We keep what we have only by giving it away." "We give away what was so freely given to us." "Sponsorship is a two-way relationship between the sponsor and the sponsee."
The time I've spent with my sponsor (and, I hope, the time she's spent with me) has been something that could never have a price tag put upon it because of what it is: priceless.
