Clancy would say that there is no such thing as a dictator-type sponsor, because, as soon as you're fed up with your sponsor, you can say 'screw you' to them, and the dictatorship is over. Some dictatorship!
The same goes for groups. Whether or not it's in their best interests, a person will often just leave a group and never come back. There are no dogs or secret police. They're free to go, and we wish them well!
But the single most important moments in my recovery were these:
I had a trusted sponsor or old-timer advisor, who I trusted because of their comportment, demeanour, and character, as shown by their interactions with me and others and the success of their lives.
I presented a situation.
They strongly advised me to take particular action.
That action went completely against my 'instinct' in the situation.
Yet I followed their advice.
These were the pivotal points where I likely would have fallen irretrievably into the 'pit'.
Without one or more relationships like this, it's likely that, at precisely the point where blind wilfulness will kill me, no klaxon will sound, and I will careen over the brink into the abyss, unaware of what is happening until it is too late.