Lionrock Phase 4 Homework: 15 Characteristics for People in my Sober Support System

Phase 4 Homework: Developing and Utilizing a Sober Support System 4.1 List 15 personal characteristics that an individual would need in order to be an effective part of your sober support system. 1. Honest: An individual in my sober support system should be honest. They should be able to deal with me honestly, telling the truth no matter how uncomfortable it may be. 2. Good listener I’m not the best at communicating, so a person in my support system should be good at listening and interpreting what I communicate. Listening skills must extend to both verbal and non-verbal communication. 3. Caring An individual in my support system must be caring. They must be a caring person in general- focused on people other than themselves as part of their normal life and caring about my well-being specifically. 4. Nurturing The person must be nurturing, wanting to use a coaching/coaxing approach when appropriate to help me move toward success and sobriety. 5. Straightforward While a person in my support system should be nurturing when needed, they must always be straightforward, someone who tells it like it is. This is honesty, but also honesty with an edge when needed- someone who doesn’t have to couch a difficult message in niceties. 6. Accessible A person in my support system needs to be physically, emotionally, and mentally accessible to help me deal with whatever issue may be present. 7. Sense of urgency In addition to being accessible, an individual in my support system must have an appropriate sense of urgency to help me deal with issues quickly and decisively whenever possible. 8. Open to inputs The person must be open to inputs they receive both from myself and from others. I’m an unusual person in many senses and an individual in my support system must be open to unconventional and unusual inputs. 9. Flexible Just as and individual must be open to inputs, the person must be flexible in dealing with issues and finding solutions. 10. Resourceful Capable of helping to find solutions and additional help when the first line of options may not be available. 11. Creative Open and able to suggest unconventional solutions and improvement ideas that may go beyond known means. 12. Disciplined An individual in my sobriety support system should be reasonably disciplined in their own lives so that they can help me deal with issues without undue distraction. It is unreasonable to expect a person undisciplined in their own life to help me restore order to mine. 13. Familiar with me An individual in my support system should be reasonably familiar with me and my situation. 14. Knowledgeable An individual in my support system should be knowledgeable about alcoholism, others in my support system, and the first line of defense options for my condition. 15. Sober Any individual in my support system must be consistently sober, with established periods of sobriety.