Sponsor Contact Log

One alcoholic to another

Alcoholics Anonymous began with one alcoholic talking to another. In May 1935, Bill Wilson, sober for a few months and alone on a business trip to Akron, Ohio, was tempted to drink and went looking for another alcoholic to talk to. Henrietta Seiberling, of the Akron Oxford Group, arranged for him to meet a local surgeon, Dr. Bob Smith, at the gate lodge of Stan Hywet, the Seiberling family's estate.

Smith agreed to fifteen minutes. As AA tells the story, they talked for hours. Smith's last drink, traditionally dated June 10, 1935, is taken as the day AA was founded, though some historians put it a week later.

A sponsor makes that arrangement last: a member with some time sober who helps a newer one through the steps, and who answers the phone.

How the module works

A small table on the weekly spread, with four columns: Date, Called, Spoke and Note. Tick Called when you reached out and Spoke when you actually talked, since the two are not always the same. Keep the note short: what you talked about, or what to bring up next time.

Many sponsors ask someone new to call every day. A week on one table shows whether that is happening.

A note

Memari is not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous or any twelve-step fellowship. This module is a page to write on, not a program. Your sponsor and your group are the people to work your recovery with.