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[Caper]

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kuya... please know how much good you ARE doing with that attitude... sometimes people do need a smack up side of the head more than coddling.... Oneredshoe... Yes, no doubt... the 311 group is great.... but how about if one of you broke off to keep track of just one other... I'm thinking that this is what I need..

[Catbuddy]

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I'm up for volunteering. I'll be six months in a few days. I left the nest as I couldn't do mentoring justice there, but could be a support on a more intimate scale. That's my personality anyway - I'm the one at the party in a corner talking one person's ear off!

Cat

[kuya]

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Perhaps we should start a new thread canvassing for volunteers and feedback about the idea in general.

I know when I joined I was VERY shy about PMing anyone and really only chatted to other new folk which can sometimes result in the blind leading the blind drunk ! :H

It was quite a while before I had the nerve to talk to 'the big kids'....... A support person would have made it easier maybe

[JackieClaire]

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It's a splendid idea Caper, but I do have my reservations.
While I was in AA I asked someone to be my sponsor. I was devastated when she said no. I came home and cried and cried thinking WTF was wrong with me.

Luckily after the next meeting we went for coffee and she explained even though she had 10 years sobriety at this time she felt she couldn't be anyone's sponsor let alone me. She had her own problems to work through with her own sponsor.

In AA, NA, counselling even in Slimming World a sponsor/counsellor/consultant has someone above then they can go to in times of difficulty. At work where I deal with differing clients with different addictions or problems I have a go to person.

I have to say the first time I saw my little message box flashing I nearly died. Me being me thought I'd done something wrong. But no, it was just a nice hello from someone I'm still friendly with after nearly 4 years.

I suppose what I'm asking who would sponsor the sponsor?

Now that being said. I would be delighted if anyone PMed me. I love flapping me gums about addiction. So don't be shy, I very rarely bite.

[jenniech]

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it almost requires perhaps contacting the administrator of this website to help organize it. maybe start off trying it on our own but I can see that if it does take off, it will need a more formal navigation on this website.

i am like catbuddy in that I am the person in the corner at the party only I am not talking to a person, I am simply watching everyone else and taking it all in. Only after getting comfortable with how the people behave will I start talking to one person.....takes me a while.
I think that is one of my character defects that leads me to drink....I simply don't trust easily...
anyway, I digress.
I think it is a wonderful idea and I would love to have both a sponsor and a sponsee. I only have 58 days under my belt but in past 8 months, I have been sober more than 6 months. I feel I could help a really really newbie.

[Nelz]

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Well, if I qualify as an "older member" to be a sponsor, where do I sign up?

Why dont we get a "pool" of people willing to be such sponsors, get a sticky post stating what and who the sponors are(and have it closed after the initial post to avoid clutter) and assign sponsors to new members like that.

The above would take some action from an Admin, but Im sure it could get done, if not the initial post could be written as normal, I just think it would serve a better purpose if it was a closed sticky.

We could match up people in time zones if need be.

I personally think a sponsor could handle more than one new member


What a great idea, nice thread

[Caper]

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Thanks for all who responded and especially those of you who have offered to be sponsors or to organize, manage, or otherwise facilitate this idea. I agree that it probably would take some action from an admin. type, Nelz, and I am not familiar enough with this site to know how that happens. I also proved yours and Kuya's point about matching up people from their own time zones - by the time the last few entries came in, I'd already gone to bed! Some sponsor I'd make! Anyway, it was just an idea but if you folks think it's a good one, I'm very pleased!

[K9Lover]

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Caper;1483025 wrote: I do appreciate all the responses from the "oldsters" here but sometimes, and I hope they won't get mad at me for saying this, it seems that I'm seeing the same old answers to the same old questions, over and over.

:H No offense taken here...believe me, as an "oldster" sometimes I get tired of saying the same thing over and over...but you never know when the tried and true sayings will hit a Newbie...it has happned many times, sometimes without anyone else realizing it.

That being said...sign me up! LOL

[Miley]

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I think it's a great idea. I'm new here and feel lost in the Newbies Nest. It's hard to keep up with everyone. Hopefully when I get my shit together I can be a sponsor....right now, I could use one.

[Nelz]

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K9Lover;1483300 wrote: :H No offense taken here...believe me, as an "oldster" sometimes I get tired of saying the same thing over and over...but you never know when the tried and true sayings will hit a Newbie...it has happned many times, sometimes without anyone else realizing it.

That being said...sign me up! LOL

I have to agree with "Niner" here. I know that I have posted the same thing over and over as well. But she is right, on a board such as this with members in all different stages of recovery, there is bound to be some duplicate information.

Some will have already seen it, but there is bound to be a handful that have not seen it. I remember the first day I came on board, it was all new to me. But after a while, I had indeed seen the same ol info over and over

[Siren136]

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I think that the 'mentees' should choose their 'mentors'. I think anyone willing to be a mentor should post their story and then newbs can choose whose story or style most matches their own. But we also need to make sure no one who truly needs and wants help falls through the cracks. Is that possible?

I know that, when I was a newb, if someone tried to come out of the woodwork and claim me, I would have run and not come back. It should be up to the mentee to choose if they want the service.

Here is the triathlete mentor 2013 Q1 forum, for information: BeginnerTriathlete.com - 2013 Beginner Triathlete Mentor Program - FULL

I don't think we should ever say "FULL" by the way. That's what they do.

[K9Lover]

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Miley;1483308 wrote: I think it's a great idea. I'm new here and feel lost in the Newbies Nest. It's hard to keep up with everyone. Hopefully when I get my shit together I can be a sponsor....right now, I could use one.

Hi Miley,
That is an admirable goal...but for now, focus on YOU ok? I will help you in any way that I can!
K9

[Nelz]

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Siren136;1483322 wrote: I think that the 'mentees' should choose their 'mentors'. I think anyone willing to be a mentor should post their story and then newbs can choose whose story or style most matches their own. But we also need to make sure no one who truly needs and wants help falls through the cracks. Is that possible?

I know that, when I was a newb, if someone tried to come out of the woodwork and claim me, I would have run and not come back. It should be up to the mentee to choose if they want the service.

Here is the triathlete mentor 2013 Q1 forum, for information: BeginnerTriathlete.com - 2013 Beginner Triathlete Mentor Program - FULL

I don't think we should ever say "FULL" by the way. That's what they do.

Maybe the "Mentors/sponsors" could have some sort of generic line in their signature saying they are willing to provide such a service, and a link to the hopefully stickied thread.

[thelaststraw]

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[QUOTE=Siren136;1483322]I think that the 'mentees' should choose their 'mentors'. I think anyone willing to be a mentor should post their story and then newbs can choose whose story or style most matches their own. But we also need to make sure no one who truly needs and wants help falls through the cracks. Is that possible?

I know that, when I was a newb, if someone tried to come out of the woodwork and claim me, I would have run and not come back. It should be up to the mentee to choose if they want the service.

What Siren said.
-S-

[kuya]

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Here is a concern.....a newbie chooses a mentor BUT I think one to one mentoring, in the context of an online site, should be for a limited initial period, while the newbie gets settled.

That takes the pressure off the sponsor to be available ad infinitum for folks who might take YEARS to get sober. This also means a newbie is never 'rejected' as such. There is a time limit to the arrangement after which time any newbie should have found their feet.