The Sponsorship Profile

Many factors have been isolated to determine their correlation with the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous. Some of these include religious beliefs, level of attendance, and completion of the 12 steps. However, another significant component is sponsorship. Previous studies have shown an association between members with sponsors and lower alcohol consumption (Young, 2012).  There is minimal evidence on the characteristics of the individuals who seek out sponsorship, or those who are a sponsor. With this being said, Young (2012) was interested in determining the profile of those who have sponsors and those who fulfill the role as sponsors. To do this, a survey was conducted that measured demographics such as age, sex, and ethnicity. In addition, a second survey was given that measured the individual’s experience of substance use. Both surveys were distributed to two independent groups, one comparing members with sponsors to those without sponsors. And another compared sponsors to non-sponsors. The research found that only three of the numerous variables were significant: age, marital status, and religious beliefs. Those who had sponsors were usually a younger, without children. They also were more likely to hold spiritual beliefs. One the other hand, the group that looked at those who took the role of a sponsor found that individuals were significantly older, married with a family, and hold spiritual beliefs as well. The research did not find any significance in the experience of substance of abuse per user, or any of the demographics.

There were a couple limitations to this study. First, there was a bias in the selection of participants. For AA meetings, it is difficult to recruit participants due to the “anonymous” part. The sample size did not generalize to the whole population of AA groups. In addition, the study looked at current sponsorship relationships. It did not take into consideration past sponsorships, showing that sponsorship is temporary. The study allowed researchers to understand what AA members look for when looking for a sponsor, and what the profile of a sponsor looks like.

Young, L. B. (2012) Alcoholics anonymous sponsorship: Characteristics of sponsored and sponsoring members. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 30(1), 52-66.

Abstract