Al-Anon literature suggests that we do not do for others what they can do for themselves. How does this apply in sponsorship? I do not give people answers they can come up with themselves. My job, rather, is to start at the point that the individual can go no further based on their own resources and knowledge and then help them onwards. Once someone has been given the AA programme and has worked systematically through the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous', the job of the sponsor becomes to spot where there are gaps and where something has been missed or where there is further insight or experience that can be shared. To do this effectively and efficiently, the sponsor has to know how far the individual can go solving a problem before stepping in. To do more is to spoon-feed and infantilise the individual. Instead of instantly shooting out an answer, the job is to say: 'What does Chapter X say about this?' 'What does Step X say about this?' 'Are you aware of any AA tools that can be applied in this situation?'