What is a Sponsor in the Adult Children of Alcoholics Fellowship? Tips for Finding/Being a Sponsor

Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families, ACA , ACoA or ACAD, is a 12 Step Fellowship. Although it follows 12 Steps similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, AA, the role of a sponsor is very different. What is ACA sponsorship and how is having an ACA sponsor helpful in the recovery journey? Many people find ACA through AA, and understand the AA sponsor sponsee relationship. Fearing an authoritarian and Critical Parent as a guide, many new Adult Children members shy away from finding a sponsor. Start your journey towards becoming your own Loving Parent by finding a role model who can emulate that role while providing safety and nurturing guidance. Just because we might not have learned self kindness and self compassion while growing up, that doesn't mean we can't find somebody today to show us the way.  Find your ACA sponsor by attending ACA meetings. I'm Ken Francis, M.S., California licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and author of The Intimacy Gram and The Gratitude Snorkel and Other Bedtime Stories. I specialize in Alcohol Addiction treatment, Substance Use Disorder Treatment, trauma recovery, and group therapy. I believe in life balance and building community support. Please check out my other videos as they are a good resource for information on substance abuse, trauma, motivation, and gratitude.  With Covid-19 social distancing practices, I have had to stop teaching classes at my clinic. This video and others are my attempt to make my educational topics available to my patients. I have placed them on YouTube so others can benefit. Please like and subscribe to get more videos on recovery: Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Alanon, Adult Children of Alcoholics, Mindfulness, C-PTSD, good Mental Health and Self Care. Please feel free to share this ACoA podcast so that others can benefit! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:30 The Big Red Book and Sponsorship 01:08 The Fellow Traveler Model 01:45 The Difference Between an AA and an ACA Sponsor 03:42 Finding an ACA Sponsor with AA Experience 04:03 A Loving Parent 04:24 ACA 12 Step and the Yellow Book Study Groups 05:31 Having a Human Connection While Working the Steps 06:20 Finding a Loving Parent Role Model 07:00 Benefits of the Fellow Traveler Model 07:14 Role of an ACA Sponsor 08:29 Conclusion Website: https://www.TheIntimacyGram.com #adultchildren #positivity #positivethoughts #recoveryquotes #recoveryhappens #selfesteem #selfcompassion Kenneth Francis