The GreySheet food plan comes with a sponsor. To get a copy of the food plan, you need to find a sponsor.
What is a qualified GreySheet Sponsor?
A qualified GreySheet sponsor is someone who has at least 90 days of back to back, uninterrupted GS abstinence. A sponsor explains how to weigh and measure without exception from the GreySheet food plan and provides a copy of the GreySheet.
- Someone with at least 90 days of continuous abstinence as defined above;
- Someone who is also committed to a qualified GreySheet sponsor.
How does sponsoring work?
The principle of sponsorship is “If you want what I have, do what I do.” This ties in with GSA's Eleventh Tradition, which states that “Our public relations policy is based on attraction, not promotion.” You want a sponsor who has time to listen to you and answer questions, but who is also able to set boundaries and model healthy relationships. And above all, you want a sponsor who is committed to staying abstinent and to helping you do the same. A sponsor who lets you work the program “your way” is not helping you, but enabling your disease.
Your sponsor will ask you to do certain things in order to support your recovery: to write down and commit your food for the day, to weigh and measure it, to ask them before you eat anything you aren't sure of, to make outreach phone calls, and to attend meetings. You may not want to do some of these things, but remember: sponsors only ask sponsees to do what they do themselves to stay abstinent.
How do I get a sponsor?
At a GSA Meeting
Even if you live in an area without in-person meetings, there are several meetings each day that take place on the telephone and through video conferencing. Most meetings ask qualified food sponsors to identify themselves and share their contact information. Make sure to write down that information so you can reach out to them.
Through an Area Contact
GSA members on the Area Contact List are all qualified sponsors who have committed to answering emails within 48 hours. Although these members may not be available to sponsor themselves, they can often introduce you to someone who is or provide a contact list for their meeting members.
From the GSA Phone List
There are more than 800 GreySheeters Anonymous members from around the world on the GSA Phone List—not all of them qualified or available to sponsor. The list is meant for those who are already working the GreySheet program. You have to join the list and share your own contact info before you can view it.
On the GreyNet Online Forum
The GreyNet is an online forum for members of GreySheeters Anonymous. It is designed to function like a 24 hours a day / 7 days a week meeting. Anything that is appropriate to share in a GSA meeting is appropriate to share on the GreyNet. After you sign up, you can post a message to say that you’re looking for a sponsor. Be sure to say what time zone you're in and include your own contact information so a sponsor can reach you to you. If you don’t hear from someone right away, read some of the other shares and reach out to someone who seems to have what you want by using the “Reply to Sender” feature.
Start-Up Sponsors
Start-Up Sponsors are for those who don’t know anyone in GreySheeters Anonymous, have never attended a Twelve Step meeting before, and want to get started immediately.
The Start Up Sponsor Team (SUS) is a group of qualified GSA sponsors who commit to helping newcomers to GSA get abstinent by explaining the GreySheet food plan and the GSA program, providing meeting access information, and helping the newcomer to find a permanent sponsor.
- Call the GreySheeters Anonymous voice mail line at 832-856-1058 or send an email to greysheet@greysheet.org and say you are looking for a sponsor. The Start-Up Sponsor coordinator will text you the first available Start Up Sponsor’s name and phone number.
- The Start-Up Sponsor will spend about an hour explaining basic GreySheet abstinence. If you are ready to go ahead, they will ask you to commit your first three meals and set a time for you to call back the next day.
- The Start-Up Sponsor will then email you a list of at least ten qualified sponsors of your own gender, who are in the same or the closest time zone, as well as information about meetings and the Phone Bridge and Zoom meeting passcodes.
- Call at least three of the qualified sponsors each day to find one who is available. This usually takes 3-4 days. In the meantime, commit your food to the Start-Up Sponsor.
- Your permanent sponsor will send you a printed copy of the GreySheet food plan.