SuZir
Well-Known Member
I do know some of you go to different 'x' Anonymous groups and some have mentioned they do have a Sponsor and many more have kids who go to Anonymous meetings and have Sponsors. My understanding on how that is supposed to work is very limited if not non-existent. And I didn't found their website too enlightening in this topic either.
My kid is coerced to attend to Gamblers Anonymous meetings. He is required by his contract to go certain minimum, but his team's GM strongly prods him to go extra. And difficult child's agent strongly prods him to play nice at least until he has gained a strong footing sport wise. difficult child considers meetings to be slightly entertaining freak shows and plays along to please the GM.
I'm bit baffled of things difficult child tells me. Okay, do remember that these are non-verified difficult child versions, but still.
When he first went, he was very shortly after appointed a Sponsor (he didn't ask the guy as I have kind of understood is the normal practise, but the guy leading the meetings just appointed the Sponsor to difficult child.) difficult child found it bit odd that he was told he needs a Sponsor because first 90 days of being clean are often so tough. However difficult child had already been two years clean, when his first Sponsor was still active gambler and not even trying to stop. Of course people in the meeting don't consider that difficult child was clean before he started going to the meetings, because somehow being clean without meetings is not being really clean or something. Well, that of course doesn't really matter. difficult child has not been counting days before and is not interested to start now, so he could care less, what others think about when he began his recovery.
Anyway, when difficult child had had this Sponsor a week, the Sponsor asked difficult child to loan him some money. difficult child told he has none to loan, which has made the sponsor angry and accusing difficult child of lying (difficult child may appear living much larger than his actual means. He has a nice leasing/sponsorship car and it somehow happened that this summer difficult child was being such a good boy and there was a good sale in outlet with nicer brands and they also had lots of stuff in extra long and somehow difficult child ended up shopping with mommy's dime there...) A bit later they were out at the coffee shop after the meeting and difficult child left for the rest room and left his phone to the table. Next day he noticed, that cash he keeps in his phone case had gone missing. He of course can't be sure that the sponsor took those, but other than that, only his flat mate and one team mate that was visiting them later that evening could have had an access, and difficult child really don't believe they would have taken his money. Also difficult child's phone's gambling blocking program had registered a warning about someone trying to access web casino from his phone. This sponsor's girlfriend had also later told to sponsor's sponsor that the sponsor has been gambling again at least a month. difficult child has not seen his first sponsor after that.
Now the meeting leader (or dictator if you ask difficult child), has appointed himself to be difficult child's new Sponsor. difficult child thinks guy is total whack job but plans to play along. This new Sponsor demands difficult child also come with him to AA meetings even though difficult child has never had a drinking problem and is rather moderate drinker for his age. But according to him difficult child should stop drinking because with some drinking causes relapses to gambling (though difficult child has never gambled and drank same time) and because difficult child has addictive personality, also his drinking has to be a problem. difficult child is not enthusiastic to be seen in AA meetings, at least not anywhere near there he lives (of course his town doesn't even have AA meetings in English or any other language difficult child would speak, so meetings always require some driving.) difficult child's agent also thinks that difficult child needs rumours of drinking problem like an extra hole to his head so difficult child is trying to say no, but this new Sponsor is very persistent.
To me all that sounds quite off and not how it is supposed to work at all. Of course we have to keep in mind, that as I said, this is all difficult child's words and I have no way to actually verify.
My kid is coerced to attend to Gamblers Anonymous meetings. He is required by his contract to go certain minimum, but his team's GM strongly prods him to go extra. And difficult child's agent strongly prods him to play nice at least until he has gained a strong footing sport wise. difficult child considers meetings to be slightly entertaining freak shows and plays along to please the GM.
I'm bit baffled of things difficult child tells me. Okay, do remember that these are non-verified difficult child versions, but still.
When he first went, he was very shortly after appointed a Sponsor (he didn't ask the guy as I have kind of understood is the normal practise, but the guy leading the meetings just appointed the Sponsor to difficult child.) difficult child found it bit odd that he was told he needs a Sponsor because first 90 days of being clean are often so tough. However difficult child had already been two years clean, when his first Sponsor was still active gambler and not even trying to stop. Of course people in the meeting don't consider that difficult child was clean before he started going to the meetings, because somehow being clean without meetings is not being really clean or something. Well, that of course doesn't really matter. difficult child has not been counting days before and is not interested to start now, so he could care less, what others think about when he began his recovery.
Anyway, when difficult child had had this Sponsor a week, the Sponsor asked difficult child to loan him some money. difficult child told he has none to loan, which has made the sponsor angry and accusing difficult child of lying (difficult child may appear living much larger than his actual means. He has a nice leasing/sponsorship car and it somehow happened that this summer difficult child was being such a good boy and there was a good sale in outlet with nicer brands and they also had lots of stuff in extra long and somehow difficult child ended up shopping with mommy's dime there...) A bit later they were out at the coffee shop after the meeting and difficult child left for the rest room and left his phone to the table. Next day he noticed, that cash he keeps in his phone case had gone missing. He of course can't be sure that the sponsor took those, but other than that, only his flat mate and one team mate that was visiting them later that evening could have had an access, and difficult child really don't believe they would have taken his money. Also difficult child's phone's gambling blocking program had registered a warning about someone trying to access web casino from his phone. This sponsor's girlfriend had also later told to sponsor's sponsor that the sponsor has been gambling again at least a month. difficult child has not seen his first sponsor after that.
Now the meeting leader (or dictator if you ask difficult child), has appointed himself to be difficult child's new Sponsor. difficult child thinks guy is total whack job but plans to play along. This new Sponsor demands difficult child also come with him to AA meetings even though difficult child has never had a drinking problem and is rather moderate drinker for his age. But according to him difficult child should stop drinking because with some drinking causes relapses to gambling (though difficult child has never gambled and drank same time) and because difficult child has addictive personality, also his drinking has to be a problem. difficult child is not enthusiastic to be seen in AA meetings, at least not anywhere near there he lives (of course his town doesn't even have AA meetings in English or any other language difficult child would speak, so meetings always require some driving.) difficult child's agent also thinks that difficult child needs rumours of drinking problem like an extra hole to his head so difficult child is trying to say no, but this new Sponsor is very persistent.
To me all that sounds quite off and not how it is supposed to work at all. Of course we have to keep in mind, that as I said, this is all difficult child's words and I have no way to actually verify.