COSA Diversity Statement

• COSA Diversity is consistent with the Third Tradition of COSA, which states that the only requirement for COSA membership is that our lives have been affected by compulsive sexual behavior.
• The COSA Fellowship welcomes all genders, all varieties of relationship to the addict, all religious and spiritual preferences, all employment statuses, all marital statuses, all ethnicities, cultures, and languages. COSA does not discriminate on the basis of class, financial status, sexual orientation or gender identification, physical or mental challenges, race, or national origins.
• In COSA, we find hope whether or not there is a sexually addicted person currently in our lives.
• COSA Diversity is consistent with the First Tradition of COSA, which states that our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon COSA unity.

Welcome

Welcome to the COSA Zoom Room Sponsorship meeting. My name is _________and I am doing service for this meeting. Before we begin, please unmute your audio to join in saying the Long Version of the Serenity Prayer:

We welcome you to this Sponsor focused meeting and the Zoom COSA fellowship, extending to you our support and friendship.

Everything that is said in this meeting and between members must be held in confidence. This promotes open and honest sharing of our experience, strength, and hope, creating a trust level that many of us have never before experienced. By working the Twelve Steps in COSA, we gain a new perspective on ourselves and our lives.

When you are not speaking and for the safety of the group, please:

• Stay attentive, avoid cellphone use/texting, and minimize distracting movements.
• Mute your microphone so that any background noise will not disturb the speaker.
• Keep your video on. If you must step away or temporarily stop your video, please inform the group in the chat.

In a face-to-face meeting it is appropriate to thank each speaker after their share. In the Zoom Room, we borrow the applause sign from American Sign Language (show the hand wave) as an alternate way of expressing our gratitude.

In this meeting our hope is to both share and gain experience, strength, and hope. Our desire is that both those who are seeking a sponsor and those who are willing to sponsor will have a space to learn more about what healthy sponsorship is like and form relationships with other COSAs. To that end, if you are comfortable, we recommend that you put your email address in the chat so those connections can be made. The most effective way to find a sponsor is to attend as many meetings as possible, watch for someone who has the kind of recovery that you would like to have, and ask them to be your sponsor. It is important to remember that if they say “no”, it’s not about you, but more likely about their time availability or other commitments at the moment. Keep asking, because your Higher Power has just the right person at the right time chosen for you.

If a fitting sponsor in the traditional sense is not available, this is an opportunity for creativity and open-mindedness. There are several possible solutions. Some people choose a temporary sponsor. Some define this as a COSA member asking someone to serve as a temporary sponsor until a more permanent sponsor or co-sponsor can be found. Others see temporary sponsorship as a “trial run” to determine if this is a good match for both parties for a more long-term commitment.

A cosponsor is someone who is also working the Steps and, like a study partner, works the Steps with us. Sometimes the co-sponsor arrangement is satisfying to both people and is a lasting solution. Other times it is temporary and allows a COSA member to proceed with Step work while continuing to search for a permanent sponsor.

Another possibility for some is a Step study group. These groups are typically closed. Three or more people get together, either face-to face or by phone, e-mail or zoom, to work the Steps and share their Step work with each other. The opportunity to present Step work to several people and receive feedback is invaluable.

There is another way to find a sponsor should you be unable to do so fairly quickly. There is one person who is the Sponsorship Coordinator who may be reached at SponsorshipHelp@cosa-recovery.org. She is a wealth of information.

(Copy/paste the email in the chat for everyone.)

Sponsorship can be one of the most unique and beneficial relationships that a COSA can participate in. Sponsors and sponsees alike can learn how to have meaningful, healthy relationships, sometimes for the first time in their lives. A sponsor serves as a guide in working the Steps of the COSA program; shares his or her experience, strength, and hope (ESH); and offers encouragement and support on a regular basis.

This is a perfect time for any questions or concerns you may have. How can we/I help you?

Resources

The official COSA website is the COSA-recovery website. https://cosa-recovery.org/

Meetings:

• Hover of the word “Meetings”
• The schedule for Local, Online and Phone meetings for all of COSA can be found here.
• When searching for a meeting, look carefully for the time zone, as that can be tricky.

• • Local – when you hover over the word, a drop-down list appears. Click on the
    area you want information about.
  • Online – online meetings require that you contact someone to get the password
    before attending. This is for the safety of the group.
    • If the meeting number is 457 778 6313, which is the meeting you’re in
      right now, it’s being held in the Cosa Zoom Room.
    • If the meeting number if 566 056 0930, it’s being held in the Healthy
      Intimate Relationships room, which is also a part of the CZR Intergroup.
    • Phone – The same principle applies to the phone meetings.

Literature:  Booklets 

• Go to – http://cosa-recovery.org/
• Click on SHOP
• Booklets, including the steps and MP3s of previous conventions are all available here

Literature: Kindle

• Go to – http://cosa-recovery.org/
• Hover over SHOP and choose KINDLE LITERATURE
•  Click on the link for US or UK literature and it will show you every booklet that’s available on Kindle. Only the most popular booklets are here.

Convention

• Go to – http://cosa-recovery.org/
• Hover over Conventions
• The most recent or the next upcoming convention information will be there. Conventions in the past have been held annually over Memorial Day weekend – usually the last full weekend of May. As of summer 2022 a survey of the COSA fellowship is being conducted to determine the best option for us.
• Hover of Other Recovery Events to learn about any upcoming local or virtual events that are planned

Balance & COSAs In the Know – http://cosarecovery.org/

• At the bottom of every page is a sign up for the Balance and CITK. The Balance is a bi-monthly (usually) publication that focuses on a specific topic (usually), current news or upcoming events, and the Step and Tradition of the month.
• Balance issues for the past 20+ years can be found by hovering over
  • Literature – then
  • Balance Newsletter
  • Then choose the date.
  • OR you may search for a topic, which may or may not bring up a Balance Newsletter.

Resources

• Hover over Resources
• Choose General Resources
  • • Newcomer’s Packet – contains 7 pages of vital information that can be downloaded
    • Arizona Step Study – an excellent resource for working the steps with both the audio and the PDF downloads needed
    • How to Start a Meeting
    • Sponsorship –
      • Workshop
      • Sponsorship help email
    • Choose Contact Us – contains the addresses of almost every COSA committeeHover over Resources

The Cosa Zoom Room (CZR) Intergroup website is CosaZoomRoom.org. There is similar information, but not exactly the same.

Meeting Schedule

Resources

Readings and Tools

• Go to https://cosazoomroom.org/
• Hover over Readings & Tools
• Scroll down to SLOGANS
• There are lots of helpful things on this page you may want to explore.

Speaker Series

• The speaker series includes topics that were shared in the zoom room during meetings
  several years ago. New topics are being added to add to the resource.

Donations

• Go to https://cosazoomroom.org/
• The donations link/button is found at the bottom of this page.
•  OR Click on Resources
• Click on Topic Meeting Script
• Scroll down to the orange heading “The Seventh Tradition”. Just to the left of that is a blue instruction

Sharing time for the needs/gifts by group attendees

Closing

Would someone be willing to read “The Gifts of the COSA Program”?

With the Twelve suggested Steps of recovery, and the wisdom, experience, and support of the
COSA group, we discover the faith and acceptance to let go of the situations we were once
desperate to control, and the courage and strength to grow in matters we once avoided or
denied. Gradually, the gifts multiply. As our awareness increases, so does our personal power
and self-esteem. In our relationships, we learn detachment and become more fully present. In
continued recovery, we live our lives in deeper joy, serenity, and fulfillment, one day at a time.

The Seventh Tradition

Now is the time for our Seventh Tradition.

(Please screen share from the https://cosazoomroom.org/#seventh website.)

Please unmute your audio and join me in saying “I Put My Hand in Yours”:

I put my hand in yours, and together we can do what we could never do alone. No longer is
there a sense of hopelessness, no longer must we each depend upon our own unsteady
willpower. We are all together now, reaching out our hands for power and strength greater
than ours, and as we join hands, we find love and understanding beyond our wildest dreams. –

Rozanne S. From I Put My Hand in Yours. Copyright 1968 by Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.

The meeting is complete and now is the time for asking questions and fellowship.