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How to Find a Sponsor

How people in NA and AA actually find a sponsor: meetings, a direct ask, and what a sponsor is not.

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A sponsor is a person in the program who helps you work the Steps. An app cannot be that person. InnerAscent will say so. Official program information is on na.org and the Steps used in AA are on aa.org.

If you are in immediate danger, contact local emergency services. A sponsor is not emergency care and not a clinician. See the terms.

Where sponsors are found

Sponsors are found in meetings, not in an app store. Go more than once. Listen for someone whose clean time and honesty you trust. What happens at an NA meeting describes the room. Finding meetings near you describes listings.

Then ask directly: “Would you be willing to sponsor me?” A no is allowed. Ask someone else. Many people suggest choosing a sponsor who is not a new romantic interest and who has a sponsor of their own.

What you might talk about

  • What Step you are actually on. Start with Step 1 if you have not said that admission out loud.
  • What you wrote, not a perfect essay. Recovery journal prompts are private starters you can bring to that conversation.
  • Cravings, plans for the day, and the meeting you will attend next.
  • Amends only when you are on that Step with them, not on the first call.

You do not owe anyone your whole history in the first week.

What InnerAscent does with a sponsor

If you both use the app, a sponsor connects with an invite code. Sharing is off until you turn it on. A progress summary of clean time, Step status, and journal activity is also off until you enable it. A sponsor sees a note only after you share that note. “I need help now” can notify a linked sponsor when they have a notification token. It does not call emergency services.

There is no public feed. How anonymity is protected explains that choice. The privacy policy is the data rule.

Continue with a person, and use the app as the notebook

The clean time calculator and recovery journal prompts stay on this site if you want a number or a writing starter before you ask. The 12 Steps explained is the map. The sponsor is the person you tell the truth to. Android is on Google Play. The iPhone app is coming soon — ask for the alert. There is no web app.