I think it goes something like this:

1. Do you believe you're powerless over alcohol and that your life has become unmanagable?

2. Do you believe that a power greater than yourself can restore you back to sanity?

3. Are you ready to turn your will and your life over to the care of God as you understand him?

Here is this also on page 60 of the BB:

Our discription of the alcoholic, the chapter the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after make clear pertinent ideas;

(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.

After that then they are to take action. Which brings them to step 4, but there is more to the above as there is a prayer that is said that is found on page 63, 2nd paragraph of the BB.

If I've gotten this wrong, someone will come along and fix it. lol. I've not sponsored anyone yet myself, so I'm not quite in gear yet to know if this is where to begin. Been a while sense I was at this beginning point.

Best wishes. Take God as your speaker, and let it come from experience and from your heart! Can't go wrong like that.

One Question...(o;

Do you have a sponsor? Have you talked with her/him about these questions?

Ok, that was two questions...lol

Yes, I have a sponsor, but she didn't ask me the questions, not that the answers weren't "yes" anyways.

Oh ok. Yeah, I'm sure my sponsor and I went over these questions actually. For sure we want to know where our potential sponsees are at. If doing recovery the AA way, then these 'ideas' do have to be in place, I believe.

I always ask people who are potential sponsees:

1. Why do you think you are an alocholic - for me is important that right from the get go they know their truth. If they do not know then I share what makes me an alcoholic and that is "when I put alcohol in me I can not control how much I drink".

2. Do you want to stop drinking or do you just want to moderate. If they are only wanting to moderate then I wish them well and advise them I can not help them to moderate but I am prepared to help them STOP.

3. And this is the biggest one for me "WHAT LENGTHS ARE YOU WILLING TO GO TO, TO GET SOBER". Once they answer any then I say OK we are ready to begin.

Hope this helps, and was what my sponsor asked me.

G8

I think there's a pamphlet among the AA literature which is called "Questions on Sponsorship", or something like that. Probably worth having a read!

Hey, as far as I'm concerned, there are no hard fast rules. In AA, we are asked to be led into how we can be of maximum service to ourselves and others. Cloudy message I don't think so, myself...just go with the flow and see where the conversation goes, .read working with others in the Big Book ....lots of info there and ask for help (H/P)
Billy

You could break it down into 1.

Are you ready to go to any lengths to get sober. Look in theirs eyes as they answer.

Here are 3 qualifying questions found int the Big Book:

1. Page 90 - "Wait for the end of the spree, or at least for a lucid interval. Then let his family or a friend ASK HIM IF HE WANTS TO QUIT FOR GOOD AND IF HE WOULD GO TO ANY EXTREME TO DO SO. If he says yes, then his attention should be drawn to you as a person who has recovered. You should be described to him as one of a fellowship who, as part of their own recovery, try to help others and who will be glad to talk to him if he cares to see you."
WAS
2. Page 93 - "If the man be agnostic or atheist, make it emphatic that he does not have to agree with your conception of God. He can choose any conception he likes, provided it makes sense to him. The main thing is that HE BE WILLING TO BELIEVE IN A POWER GREATER THAN HIMSELF and that he live by spiritual principles."

3. Page76 - ". We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we haven't the will to do this, we ask until it comes. Remember it was agreed at the beginning we WOULD GO TO ANY LENGTHS FOR VICTORY OVER ALCOHOL."

I ask them to write a brief account of WHY they believe that they are alcoholic(this step can usually be skipped if I 12 stepped them.)
I ask them to buy a hardcover version of the Big Book and then we begin. I explain what I require of people that I sponsor:

1 Arrive on time for all appointments with me
2 Attend my home group as one of their meetings each week where at all possible
3 Do not lie to me.

Then we begin looking at the three fold illness by reading through and discussing Dr's Opinion, Bill's Story, There is a solution, More about alcoholism and We Agnostics. (Not all in one day you understand)

It is vital to establish a clear understanding of the nature of the problem before any solution can or will be applied.

As far as I am concerned my job as a sponsor begins way before Step 3.

I find just one question helps. It is "Are you willing to do anything to get and to continue sober and clean? If there is any pause before they answer, they do not have a good chance.

Sometimes, when I want to stress the point and they have answered yes to the question, I add. Good. We can hit a couple of more meetings today and I'll pick you up tomorrow morning and we can hits some more three or four more. If they say OK to that, I give them a hug, say I was kidding and give them my phone number. They just might make it.

Start working with someone on the steps - you will soon find out if they are ready. If they put in the action they are ready, if they don't they are not. I have asked people in the past if they are ready and they have given me an emphatic yes and then proceeded to do absolutely nothing to confirm that is the case. I have also asked people and they have said they dont know, they are confused, frightened, ill etc - they have then gone on to do everything that has been asked of them. Who can tell whether the answer to a question is truly reflective of what people will end up doing (especially given that alcoholics are not known for their honesty)? For example, lots of people answer questions about wiilingness as "yes" because they are aware that is the "right" answer not because they are really sure they are willing. Or they answer "no" because they are terrified and have no idea what something like any lengths really means.

Two of the motivators for people - are 1) the hope they get from being exposed to the solution to their problem, 2) a clear idea of the exact nature of alcoholism and the true hopelessness of their condition. People are exposed to these things as a result of attending meetings but perhaps mostly from the work with a sponsor on the Drs opinion, There is a solution and More About Alcoholism. How can I expect people to answer questions about what they will do before they understand the problem that they have and the solution to it?

In the past when people were more often effectively 12 stepped a sponsor could reasonably expect that when people were asking for sponsorship they would already have been introduced to the problem and the solution and would be sufficiently in touch with the hopelessness of their situation to clearly see the need to go to any lengths to engage with the solution. However that is not always the case these days and therefore a sponsor may be asking a question about willingness to someone who pretty much doesn't have a clue as to what is going on.

Page 30....We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. This is the FIRST STEP in recovery....so question one is...Are you ready to concede that you are an alcoholic?

Page 58....If you have decided you want what we have.....Question two....ready for what we have?

Page 58..... are willing to go to any lenght to get it--then you are ready for certain steps....Do you want what we have and are you willing to do anything for it without question or reservation?

At that point you start working with him on Step One starting from page 1 in the Big Book and continue onward from there.

Good luck with a sponsee.

happy2 - how can people answer questions relating to page 30 and 58 before they have started working from page 1 in the book?

How can someone concede that they are an alcoholic if they have not yet looked at the chapters which help us to understand what an alcoholic is?

How can they know if they want what we have until they have looked at There is a Solution and started to see what it is we have?

I am confused???

Ask do they find that when they start drinking can they control the amount they will take and when they want to stop for good can they then do that. Then take through the Big Book 1 - 64 and te drs opinion. Dont know where you've got the three questions from I've never heard of them, Prob made up in some rehab somewhere. I dont agree with writing out the first step either, its pointless and a waste of trees, If you talk with someone you can point out their powerlessness. Writing is for sponsors who haven't done the steps or dont understand them themselves, you need to do the steps quickly not write an autobiography!but thats just my opinion, good luck with your sponsee.