4 Times the Love

“I could never sponsor!” I exclaimed. “Wait till you’re asked, dear,” he replied. This conversation rolls around in my head way more than I’d like it to. My first sponsor was my little brother. Yes, against all the advice. But he and I are still sober more than 20 years later. He did try to steer me toward a female sponsor, but I balked for the first 10 months. I didn’t like women. But he did teach me the most important ingredients of staying sober: Don’t drink, go to meetings—and watch people.