Bipolar Sponsor

One of the reasons that 12 step programs are so successful is the idea of a sponsor, someone further along in the program who shares their "experience, strength, and hope" with you and helps you to get further along in the program as well.

They befriend you, they are a source of inspiration for you, of education, of strength, of encouragement, someone to go to when you need help or just someone to talk to, someone who can understand what you're going through because they've been there themselves.

Wouldn't it be great to have a bipolar sponsor? Someone who could be all those things for you?

I know I've talked before about how important it is to have a good bipolar support system, one made up of family, friends, etc. But only someone else with bipolar disorder can truly understand what you go through trying to deal with the disorder. Only they can understand the ups and downs, the mood swings, the problems with medications and side effects, the stigma, how you can feel "different," or "alone," etc.

Your supporters do care about you and truly want to understand - that's why they're your supporters. But as much as they care and want to understand, that can only go so far. If they don't have bipolar disorder, they can't understand you in that way - not like someone with the disorder can.

It would be great to have a bipolar sponsor, like someone in a 12 step program does. Someone who you can call on when you need someone to talk to on a bad bipolar day, who would know how you feel. Someone who can maybe give you advice, or tell you what worked for them in a similar situation.

Someone who could pass on tips and tricks and other things that got them to the degree of stability where they are today.

Maybe there is someone in your bipolar support group that you can approach with this idea?

Or maybe you are the one with stability and there is someone in your own support group who you see struggling with their bipolar, and you can offer your support and help and guidance. You could be their bipolar sponsor. Share your own "experience, strength, and hope" with them.

More than anything else, you could share your hope for recovery with them. They could look at you and seeing your stability, have hope for it themselves. And that could be as important for them as the medication that they take!

Wishing you peace and stability,

Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele