The LifeRing meeting in Telford PA -- northwest of Philadelphia -- will be upgrading from twice a month to a weekly schedule, convenor John R. has announced.  In 2004, the meeting will convene every Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the Indian Valley Public Library in Telford.  -- JR 12/31/03

A new LifeRing brochure entitled "Welcome to LifeRing -- LifeRing in a Nutshell" is now available from LifeRing Press in Oakland.  The brochure explains the basics of the LifeRing meeting format, the "Empower Your Sober Self" process, the three basic points of the LifeRing philosophy, and the essentials of how LifeRing is organized -- all in a one-page standard size tri-fold handout. The new brochure answers the request from LifeRing convenors for an all-in-one piece that could be given to first-timers by way of an initial orientation.  The brochure is now available for downloading as a PDF file.  The PDF file contains a fill-in field where convenors can enter five lines of information about their meeting. Print copies of the brochure will be available from LifeRing Press in a few days.  -- MN 12/15/03

Two additional LifeRing meetings will open in Western Australia at the beginning of February 2004, convenor Jill T. has announced.  The new meetings will be on Tuesdays at 4 pm at the South Metro D.A.C. in Fremantle and on Fridays at 3:30 at the Next Step Clinic in East Perth.  For details, see the meetings page.  This brings the number of LifeRing meetings in Western Australia to five, including one unlisted meeting at a closed inpatient facility. -- 12/12/03

Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to present LifeRing to a group of about 20 social workers at the Community Alcohol & Drug Services (CADS) treatment centre here in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. I began my presentation by introducing myself and telling a little bit about my experience with AA. I did not go into detail about this, but did mention that it “just didn’t fit for me.” I told them that I had discovered LifeRing about three years ago and finally felt that I had discovered a group support style that was a perfect fit for me.

Throughout the discussion I advocated a multi lateral approach to addiction recovery and highlighted that LifeRing supports using group support as JUST ONE tool for recovery and does not require that LifeRing be the ONLY approach that one should implement. I conveyed to the group that an addict is free to use private therapy, church, AA, self help, friends and family, or any other supports in addition to LifeRing in which they find of assistance in keeping “The Sobriety Priority.”

The book Presenting LifeRing written by Marty N. was an invaluable resource. I used the section of FAQ’s to conduct much of the presentation. I elaborated on the “How was your week?” question by showing a method of implementing Solution Focused Brief Therapy (or a style of it) when members are cross talking. This would create a style of positive affirmation feedback. This also helps people to recognize how they managed to overcome triggers in an effort to reinforce positive choices under pressure. Brief Therapy typically focuses on what IS working, and tries to help the individual replicate the positive.

The group was very impressed with the presentation. The staff at CADS took some time to deliberate on whether or not they wished to refer their respective clientele to our organization. The answer was a resounding YES!!! They actually told me that there has long been a need for an alternative to AA here in this area of Southern Ontario.

There is currently a list of people who are waiting for a LifeRing meeting to begin here in Guelph. I have just returned from one of the churches downtown with approval for a meeting to be held at their parish. I am going to send out a few press releases and call on some additional community support through my current network of connections. It looks like ALL SYSTEMS GO for the birth of a new meeting here in Guelph as of January 04.               -- Jason Kelly, 12/10/03

P.S. Starting in the second week of January, there will be a meeting on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. at St. George's Anglican Church, 99 Woolwich Street; and another meeting on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. at Dublin Street United Church, 68 Suffolk Street West.  For details, see Meeting Schedule. 

The Board of Directors of LifeRing, in a meeting on Sunday Dec. 7, unanimously approved the grant of a LifeRing charter to LifeRing Australia Inc., a nonprofit corporation in the process of being organized with headquarters in Perth. Jill T., the founder of the first LifeRing meetings in Australia, will be the Chief Executive Officer of the new Australian entity.  The Board's action was taken subject to ratification by the 2004 LifeRing Congress, which will convene on March 26-28 2004 in Berkeley CA.  -- MN 12/8/03

Another in the series of monthly convenor workshops met on Saturday December 6 at the LifeRing Service Center in Oakland. After a brief support meeting, the session turned to the topic of the upcoming LifeRing Congress, including the social and entertainment side, the educational program, and the timeline and procedures for electing Delegates. In addition, the group reviewed and commented on a draft "LifeRing in a Nutshell" brochure, and reviewed methods for dealing with individuals who try to use LifeRing meetings as a platform for "bashing" other recovery approaches.  The group also heard announcements of LifeRing activities. At the conclusion, participants took away stacks of December brochures and other LifeRing Press publications to replenish their meeting's supplies.  Those present included Joe B. and Ted N., Walnut Creek; Laura H., Pleasanton; Katie F., Marty N. and Jacquie F., Oakland; Deanna H., Vallejo; and Sue T., Richmond.  The next workshop in the series will be on Saturday January 3 at 1 pm.  -- MN 12/10/03

A special issue of "LifeRing Convenor News" is now available by way of preparation for the 2004 LifeRing Congress this coming March 26-28.  The two-page bulletin outlines the purpose of the Congress and the main events of the program, and describes the Delegate election process. The sheet is designed to prepare LifeRing convenors to answer membership questions about the Congress and to conduct Delegate elections. The paper is available as a PDF download or on request to the LifeRing Service Center, Tel. 510-763-0779 or service@lifering.org.

LifeRing convenors Katie F. and Marty N. gave a presentation on LifeRing to an audience of about 50 patients in the early recovery group of the Kaiser Permanente Chemical Dependency Recovery Program in Oakland, CA, on Tuesday evening Nov. 11.  More than half the audience had already attended a LifeRing meeting.  The speakers presented for about half an hour and left half an hour for questions. Kaiser counselor Jeff Blair chaired the session. The hour ended with warm applause.

On Thursday evening Nov. 13, LifeRing convenors Gillian E. and Marty N. gave a presentation on LifeRing to a class of 20 graduate students in Prof. Randy Kolin's Psychology of Addictions course at New College in San Francisco.  Gillian outlined the "3S" philosophy and described the "How Was Your Week" meeting format.  Marty outlined the social psychology underlying the format. The speakers gave each student a packet containing the Presenting LifeRing book and the seven LifeRing brochures. The students were training to become Marriage and Family Therapists and were taking their first course in addictions.  There was a lively question period. The session went on for an hour and a half, and ended with warm applause all around.  -- MN 11/14/03

Registration is now open for the 2004 LifeRing Congress, the LifeRing Service Center has announced.  The Congress will take place on the weekend of March 26 - 28 2004 in Berkeley, CA.  There will be a reception Friday evening, workshops on Saturday morning, a keynote presentation by guest speaker William L. White on Saturday afternoon, a banquet with live entertainment at Hs. Lordships on Saturday evening, and the Delegates' Assembly (the business meeting or Congress proper) on Sunday morning.  The registration fee is $99 per person, which includes admission to the Friday and Saturday events and to the Saturday banquet. Registration is open online using Visa/MC or via regular mail.  Click here for details.   -- 11/10/03

The regular monthly San Francisco Bay Area LifeRing convenor's workshop met in the LifeRing Service Center in Oakland on Saturday Nov. 1.  Present were Gillian E. (San Francisco), Joe B. and Ted N. (Walnut Creek), Chet G. and Marty N. (Oakland), Craig O., Kim W. and Robert D. (Hayward / Union City), Susan S. (Pleasanton), and Sue T. (Richmond).  The first hour was a regular support meeting.  During the second hour, we discussed current convenor issues raised by the participants, including among others how to keep the flow of a meeting going, when a convenor has to intervene, how to handle money, how to handle it when a participant relapses, and delegate selection for the 2004 Congress. Announcements were made of current local events, and copies of the November meeting schedule were distributed. The next LifeRing convenor workshop will be on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m.  -- MN 11/10/03

Former LifeRing member Sean O'Neill passed away recently. His brother, Jay Brown, reports that Sean died in his home, most likely in his sleep of natural causes, around Oct 20, 2003. The body was cremated at Sean's request and a memorial service will be held in December in Virginia. Sean served our country in the Vietnam war as a Medic, worked as a psychotherapist and author, and was a Freemason. Please remember Sean this Veteran's Day.  -- Laura H. 11/2/03

LifeRing convenor Marty N. gave a presentation about LifeRing to a group of about 50 patients in the early recovery program of the Kaiser Chemical Dependency Recovery Program in Union City CA on Wednesday evening, Oct. 29.  Kaiser counselor Kara Levine hosted the session, which also featured speakers from Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. -- MN 11/10/03

The Tuesday noon meeting in San Francisco has moved to a new location and a new time, convenor Gillian E. has announced.  Formerly held at the Quaker office on 9th Street at noon, the meeting will now convene at 1 p.m. at the Kaiser Chemical Dependency Recovery Program at 1201 Fillmore Street (corner of Turk).  The meeting room will be posted in the facility.  You do not have to be a Kaiser member to attend. The change will take effect on the first Tuesday in November.        -- G.E. 10/28/03   

The LifeRing Media Committee had its first meeting on Saturday Oct. 18 at the LifeRing Service Center in Oakland, and the ball is rolling.  We focused on the objective of publicizing the upcoming 2004 LifeRing Congress while creating general public awareness of LifeRing. We plan to have a series of news releases, distributed electronically.  Committee members Joe B. and Chet G. are working on the list of media contacts, while committee member Katie F. will write the releases. Media Committee coordinator Laura H. invites other interested LifeRing participants to join the committee; please contact her via email.  The next committee meeting is on Saturday Nov. 15 at 1:30 p.m. at the Service Center.    -- L.H. 10/22/03

After an introduction by the Kaiser counselor, Marty set the ball rolling by talking about his own path to recovery, how he had spent many a day switching between the healthy, sober part of his personality which, in the mornings, urged him to give up drinking and the addict part which, at five o’clock demanded that he have the first drink. He asked how many of the patients had experienced this kind of arguing in their own heads: many hands went up. Marty then developed this idea into the ‘two heads’ scenario of reinforcing either one or the other of these two voices by ones actions, and explained how going to LifeRing meetings created a dynamic loop of communication which directly reinforced the sober voice. Eventually, he pointed out, the sober part, with the help of this support, will overpower the unhealthy addict part.

Gillian followed up by describing what actually happens at a LifeRing meeting: how everyone sits in a circle, how the discussion is centered on the current events in the members’ lives, how cross-talk fosters the ‘circuit of support’.

After the presentation the patients, who had all listened attentively, (there were in fact many looks and nods of absolute identification with many of the speakers’ comments) asked questions. All but one of them, a man who, quite wrongly, seemed to feel that the LifeRing approach was a direct assault on his religion, thanked Marty and Gillian profusely for being there to tell them about such a fresh – to them - approach to recovery.

-- Gillian E. 10/21/03
 

As part of their course in Addiction Counseling the students at UC Berkeley Extension in San Francisco were given a presentation by two LifeRing convenors, Gillian E and Marty N, on October 16th.

Marty started off by discussing with the students the theoretical basis for the LifeRing approach to helping people get into recovery and stay clean and sober. He walked them through the ‘Two Heads’ scenario, pointing out that a gradual growth in the sober or healthy part of the person, resulting from a constant reinforcement of that sober self, would eventually overpower the unhealthy addicted part. The addicted part would never actually totally disappear, but it could be kept locked away by giving the sober self plenty of stimulation and support.

Gillian talked about how the meeting format tried to maximize the cross-circulation of support by having the members sit in a circle and by encouraging cross-talk and positive feed-back.

There were many probing questions from the students. All said that they were impressed by the concepts as presented to them.

Marty wound up the presentation by emphasising to these potential counselors that they would never be able to make a person give up drinking or using drugs. Only if that person was actually willing to stop would there be any success. He emphasised that one way to help their future patients become motivated in their attempts to get clean and sober was to give them a choice of how they would do their recovery. He told the story of the Blood Bank, of the way in which the simple question “Which arm?” had transformed the process for the donors, and how the ability to choose one's own path in any endeavor, perhaps particularly in recovery, powered the engine of motivation and success.

-- Gillian E. 10/21/03

Agreement was reached today with the Fremantle Women's Health Service (FWHC) to start a Women's Only LifeRing meeting on their premises, LifeRing convenor Jill T. has announced.  The starting date will be 4th November 2003 and FWHC will incorporate the meeting into their regular Noticeboard ad with the Fremantle Herald. Here are the details:

Tuesdays, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Women Only.  At Fremantle Women's Health Centre, 114 South Street (corner Edmund Street), Fremantle, Western Australia.  Please use side gate entrance in Edmund Street.  Contact (08) 9331-4797.  First meeting 4th November 2003.   -- 10/17/03

When he arrived at this Pennsylvania state prison, there was only one secular support group, and he was its second member.  Staff had no understanding or respect for any approach but 12-step.  Undaunted, he ordered LifeRing publications, wrote letters, and began giving presentations within the walls.  Today there are six weekly LifeRing meetings in this institution, they are constantly being recommended by staff, and he looks forward to starting a LifeRing meeting when he is released on parole.  Read the details in this letter from Timothy M., prisoner in Pennsylvania.   -- 10/12/03  Top

A survey of all meetings listed on the unhooked.com meetings page is now underway.  Volunteer Katie F is conducting the survey on behalf of the LifeRing Service Center.  The purpose of the survey is to verify that the listings on unhooked.com are accurate and current.  If the contact person listed for the meeting does not respond to the survey, Katie will attempt to contact the listed meeting place.  If there is no confirmation that the meeting still exists, it will be removed from the meeting list by the end of October 2003. Meeting contact persons: if Katie calls, please give her your prompt cooperation.  --  Marty N. 10/8/03  Top

A LifeRing display booth at a treatment professionals' conference made LifeRing better known among referral sources and resulted in interesting contacts.  Read this report by Jill T., LifeRing convenor in Western Australia.  Full text.    Top

A regular monthly convenor workshop took place Saturday Oct. 4 at the Service Center in Oakland.  Attending were convenors Katie F. (Friday night Berkeley), Carol J. (Thursday afternoon San Anselmo) Andrew F. (Saturday morning San Francisco), Chet G. (Bonita House), Gillian E. (Thursday night San Francisco), Ted N. (Tuesday night Walnut Creek), Joe B. (Thursday night Walnut Creek), and Marty N. (Wednesday night Oakland).  We spent about the first hour checking in with one another in the usual support meeting format.  Participants then brought out convenor issues that we discussed during the second half of the agenda.  Read full report.   Top

The LifeRing Service Center now has the October 2003 SF Bay Area meeting schedule available in ready-made printed and folded format for convenors to pick up.  Contact the Service Center.  A PDF version for doing-it-yourself is also now posted online.  -- 10/5/03

Betty S. in the town of Albia, Iowa, about 80 miles south of Des Moines, is forming a new LifeRing meeting and is looking for others similarly inclined.  Please contact Betty at (641) 932-7248.    Top

LifeRing is mentioned twice in a story about addiction recovery that appeared in the Friday Sept. 26 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, the major regional daily.  Chronicle reporter Demian Bulwa interviewed patients at the New Beginnings inpatient recovery program at Doctors' Medical Center in San Pablo, in the East Bay.

"The 22-year-old New Beginnings program has 14 beds, where patients stay as long as necessary -- usually five to nine days. All are given a complete medical workup, and most need detoxification. If necessary, they meet with a psychiatrist. During the day, they gather in groups centered on the 12-step program or, as a secular alternative, the LifeRing abstinence program."

"Patients are given a complete workup. Most need medical detoxification, and all spend a great deal of time in group therapy (the 12-step and secular LifeRing programs are available). If necessary, patients meet with a psychiatrist on staff."

In May of this year, LifeRing convenor Teresa B. founded a Tuesday evening LifeRing meeting at this treatment facility.  See previous Bulletin Board story. LifeRing convenor Syl S. spotted the story in the Chronicle.  This is the first known mention of LifeRing in a major metropolitan daily.  -- 9/30/03  Top

The next in a series of monthly convenor's workshops and support meetings will take place on Saturday Oct. 4 from 1 - 3 p.m. at the LifeRing Service Center in Oakland.  The first part of the event will be a support meeting. Bring your convenor issues and concerns for discussion in the second part of the workshop. The workshops are open to all current LifeRing convenors and those who are considering becoming convenors.

The Service Center gratefully acknowledges receipt of a donation of five folding chairs given by Vallejo convenor Deanna H.   Top

After a lively 'questions' session, the presentation ended with Gillian recounting the 'Blood Donor' story, in which the ability to make one's own choice about what happens is so important and empowering. She pointed out that this was the case with recovery: making one's own choices really did empower one's sober self.      -- Gillian E., 9/28/03

LifeRing Picnic Saturday Sept. 27
At Baker Beach in San Francisco

The San Francisco LifeRing groups invite everyone to their second beach picnic of the season.  The event will take place on Saturday afternoon September 27 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. The site is again Baker Beach, venue of the successful June picnic.  Beverages will be provided. Food is on a potluck basis.  Click for flyer with map to Baker Beach.  -- 9/2/03     Top

A new LifeRing meeting has opened on Monday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Mandana Community Recovery Center at 3989 Howe Street in Oakland, convenor Brian M. has announced.  The entrance is through the grey building on 40th St. Way.  The new group meets in Room B downstairs.  This is the second LifeRing meeting at Mandana House, joining the Thursday evening meeting that has been there for many years and meets upstairs in The Den.       --  9/22/03.  Top

The Board of Directors of LifeRing Secular Recovery met on Sunday Sept. 14 and, among other business, elected Chet G. as new Chief Financial Officer, replacing outgoing CFO Marjorie J.  The board expressed its appreciation for Marjorie's four years of service in the position.  Chet is a veteran computer systems designer and programmer with years of experience in accounting applications.  He was elected to the Board of Directors at the 2003 LifeRing Congress. 

In other business, the Board discussed preparations for the upcoming 2004 LifeRing Congress, and heard an initial report on a proposal to establish a LifeRing corporation in Australia.  The next Board meeting is set for Sunday, October 12. A detailed meeting notice will be posted on the lsrcon, convenors, and lsronlineconvenors mailing lists.  --9/21/03   Top

The Friday afternoon LifeRing meeting at the Kaiser Chemical Dependency Program in Union City CA has moved its starting time to 6:00 p.m., new convenor Robert D. announced.  The meeting was founded by convenor Kim W. and was originally at 1:30 p.m.  Top

The new Tuesday evening Workbook Study Meeting has moved its start time to 6:35 p.m., convenor Marty N. announced.  The new time allows more people to get there after work or after classes at the nearby Kaiser Oakland CDRP.  There is still room in the group.  Call 510-763-0779 for information.  -- 9/21/03   Top

Jay Stahl, a board member of the Recovery Resource Center in Cincinnati, offers the following remarks in honor of Recovery Month (September) in a presentation at Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati on Sept. 12:

Read the complete text of the Jay Stahl remarks here.  -- 9/11/03     Top

A new LifeRing meeting will start in Walnut Creek CA on Thursday Sept. 18, convenor Joe B. has announced.  This new Thursday evening meeting joins the long-established Tuesday night meeting in Walnut Creek.  The Thursday group will meet in the same venue as Tuesday, namely the Mt. Diablo Unitarian Church, at 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek.  The Thursday group will meet from 7:30 - 8:30 in the Poppy Room of the church.     Top

A new LifeRing meeting will start on Thursday afternoons beginning Oct. 2 at Linda Reed Day Services, a chemical dependency treatment program located at 1000 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in San Anselmo, CA.  The meeting hour is from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.  It will be open to the public as well as to clients/patients of the Linda Reed program.  This is the second LifeRing meeting in Marin County, which is located on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.  Contact Carol J. at 415-238-1673 or jenkins277@aol.com.  -- 9/2/03    Top

LifeRing convenors Carol J. of Marin County and Marty N. of Berkeley gave a presentation about LifeRing to a meeting of 15 staff members of the Linda Reed Day Services treatment facility in San Anselmo CA in the morning of Sept. 2.  The presentation was well received.  One staff member is already using the Recovery by Choice workbook in her relapse prevention group. Staff showed an active interest in the LifeRing approach and asked good questions.  The facility is operated by the nonprofit Buckelew Agency and serves a diverse client base.  -- 9/2/03   Top

A new LifeRing meeting centering on study of the Recovery by Choice workbook will start Tuesday Sept. 9 at 6:00 6.35 p.m. at the LifeRing Service Center in Oakland. Marty N., author of the workbook, will lead the meeting. Because of limited seating, participation is limited to about twelve people. Please phone the Service Center at 510-763-0779 if you intend to participate.  The session will last approximately one hour and continue every Tuesday. Click for a flyer about the event [PDF]. -- 08/25/03  Note: Time changed to 6:35 p.m. as of Sept. 19.    Top

Chet G. and I gave a LifeRing presentation to Opportunity House on Friday evening the 22nd. Opportunity House is a non-profit house in Vacaville, CA which provides for needy folks and their families. They can support 8 or 10 families, adults and children. A good portion of the those folks also have drug and/or alcohol problems. I was conducting the Vacaville LifeRing meeting there until recently. They have legal restraints for an open meeting. Since I moved the meeting three weeks ago there have been no attendees from Opportunity House. There is, or will shortly be a Poem about it that I wrote when I opened the meeting there. I was asked by one of the counselors, Rhonda Champaco, to do a presentation at their house meeting. Chet brought along his trusty guitar. It was a good presentation. One of the attendees said she thought it would be boring but enjoyed it very much instead. There were some insightful questions and comments. They really understood the sobriety priority and the worth of the self-help method. One of the ladies at the presentation liked the concept of having ownership of her recovery and was very interested in the workbook. We passed out some of the flyers, including the new one about Food for the Sober Mind and the one concerning Resources for Convenors. Chet and I played some songs which were warmly received. It's my conclusion that the awareness level of Solano County in general and Vacaville in particular, regarding alternatives to the traditional program, has been substantially raised. -- Bill Somers 8/26/03   Top

Last Friday (Aug. 22), Bill S. and I gave a presentation to a small but interested group at Opportunity House, a halfway house for people down on their luck in Vacaville. It seemed to be a happy, safe place for people and families who needed a boost to help them get on with their lives. Since substance abuse is also addressed at this facility, they were happy for us to give a presentation of the LifeRing approach.

We covered the three S's, hit some of the highlights of the LifeRing approach and sang a few songs for the group. 3/5 of the audience said that they would be attending Bill's Saturday Vacaville meeting the next day. Even though it was a small group, the satisfaction we got from demonstrating that sobriety can be fun was well as life affirming was worth the trip.

-----------------------------------

On July 22nd, I gave a presentation to the clients of the Kaiser Chemical Dependency program in Oakland. We give these presentations once every 8 weeks as part of Kaiser's Early Recovery Program. We get equal time with AA since the good folks at Kaiser believe that one should have long term sobriety support but that folks should have choice as to what that support will be.

What was most interesting to me was the fact that I gave the presentation alone for the first time. I was given a 5 minute introduction by the Kaiser facilitator. This gave me a chance to formulate something to say. I gave the group about 15 minutes of overview of the three-S, a little about my story - since I sat in the same seats a little over 4 years ago, and was overjoyed to see most of the hands go up when I asked whether anyone had ever attended a LifeRing Meeting. I then threw the floor open for questions. This was the easy part as many of the questions were answered by some of the participants who had attended LifeRing meetings.

People were curious whether we had sponsors, how did people call each other, what was our "program" since we don't use the "12 STEPS". It's funny, but as I'm writing this, I'm reminded that even though I don't feel the need for 12 steps (too complicated), some of the folks who've only experienced AA may not be able to conceive of a program that could work without them. That may be something to remember when giving presentations or meetings with a lot of folks who don't know how LifeRing works.

As usual, I left the presentation feeling 100% better than I did when I entered the room. Re-affirming my determination to continue to live this better life does that for me. Lots of Endorphins running around in the old brain pan.

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On August 2nd, we had another Convenor's workshop at the Service Center in Oakland. The bad news was that we had enough chairs, the good news was that since we had a nice cozy group of 7 convenors, we could cover a lot of territory in an informal, conversational manner. We talked about convening issues such as drunk attendees, how to handle the money, how to park in downtown Oakland <g>, and how to take care of oneself as one convenes. We also had a lot of good laughs. To paraphrase Mother Jones, "If I can't laugh I don't wanna be part of your revolution".

The next convenor workshop will be on Sept. 6th at 1PM sharp and last until 3PM. For those of you who wish to attend, there is a free parking garage just 2 blocks away on Clay Street between 14th and 16th (There is no 15th St on Clay).  -- Chet G., 8/25/03    Top
 

The 2004 LifeRing Congress will take place on the last weekend in March 2004, in Berkeley CA, LifeRing CEO Marty N. announced. The dates are Friday evening March 26, all day Saturday March 27, and Sunday morning March 28.  The location for the main events is the Maffly Conference Center at Herrick Hospital, 2001 Dwight Way, Berkeley California.

Like other Congresses, the 2004 Congress will have three main activities:  socializing, education, and self-government.  A reception Friday evening, the banquet Saturday evening, and free time between events are available for socializing. All day Saturday will be devoted to education, with speakers and workshops.  Keynote guest speaker on Saturday will be William L. White, author of Slaying the Dragon and Toward a New Recovery Movement among other works.  Other program events remain to be set.  The Congress proper -- the Delegates' Assembly or business meeting -- will take place Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Volunteers are wanted for all aspects of Congress planning. The program committee, entertainment committee, event committee, and publicity committee are being formed and are looking for volunteers. 

For more 2004 Congress information, click to the Congress page.  -- 8/24/03    Top

LifeRing Press now offers "We Come Recommended," a new brochure that features letters of recommendation for LifeRing from well-known treatment centers.  The previously published "Resources for Convenors" brochure also has been reissued in a completely updated edition.  The "LifeRing Online" brochure, also previously published, has had a facelift for a cleaner, simpler layout. Also, LifeRing Press has published its first catalog as a brochure entitled "Food for the Sober Mind."  All are available from LifeRing Press as standard trifold brochures, or can be downloaded as PDF files.  A free sampler set of each brochure is included with every book or T-shirt order from LifeRing Press.  -- 8-23-03.   Top

LifeRing convenors Marty N. of Berkeley and Gillian E. of San Francisco presented LifeRing to a classroom of 23 students in a course on "Continuing Care and Case Management" at the University of California Extension campus in San Francisco Wednesday night Aug. 20.  Prof. Paul Bell-Tull, a counselor at the Kaiser Permanente Chemical Dependency Recovery program in San Francisco, and instructor of the course, hosted the hour.  Marty presented a brief outline of "How It Works" and both presenters responded to a lively and supportive series of questions from the students, most of whom plan to enter the drug counseling career.  Each student got a packet of LifeRing materials, including copies of the Presenting LifeRing booklet and a set of current brochures. -- 8/23/03    Top

The first LifeRing meeting in Santa Rosa CA began this week with five participants meeting in a temporary location just outside the front doors of the Kaiser Permanente Chemical Dependency facility in Santa Rosa.  As of Tuesday Aug. 26, the group will have a regular meeting place at Sutter Medical Group, 3324 Chanate, Santa Rosa.  Jack London Room, Administration Building.  The meeting day is every Tuesday; the time is 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.  For further information contact the convenor, Bob J.  -- 8/23/03    Top

A new LifeRing meeting has begun on Fridays from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Group Room 6A of the Kaiser Permanente Chemical Dependency Recovery Program in Union City, CA, convenor Kim W. announced.  The meeting is in the same place as the other two meetings at that facility on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings.  The facility is located in a separate building at the north end of the Kaiser complex at the intersection of Whipple Road and Hesperian Boulevard. -- MN 8/7/03   Top

The next in a series of monthly convenor's workshops and support meetings will take place on Saturday Sept. 6 from 1 - 3 p.m. at the LifeRing Service Center in Oakland.  The first part of the event will be a support meeting. Bring your convenor issues and concerns for discussion in the second part of the workshop. The workshops are open to all current LifeRing convenors and those who are considering becoming convenors. Because space is limited, an RSVP to the Service Center at 510-763-0779 is appreciated.   Top

A new LifeRing meeting will start on Saturday Aug. 2 2003 in Vacaville, CA.  The meeting time is from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.  The location is the Curry Temple CME Church at 740 Marshall Road in Vacaville.  The convenor and contact person is Bill S., BStobor@aol.com.  For a map, see the meeting schedule.  Vacaville is located about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento.  -- 7/10/03   Top

How Was Your Week?
Handbook Now In Print

The long-awaited LifeRing convenor's handbook, How Was Your Week, is now available for purchase from LifeRing Press.  Based on the author's experience in more than a thousand LifeRing meetings, How Was Your Week is the best tool available for people who want to start, lead, and support LifeRing groups.  The book is also a useful introduction for people who have no present intention of becoming convenors, but are interested in the LifeRing approach generally.  More than two years in preparation, How Was Your Week replaces "Handbook of Secular Recovery" (1999) and the original "Sobriety Handbook" (1997). For a limited time, the full text of How Was Your Week will be available online as a PDF download.  You can order the printed and bound edition online from LifeRing Press, 250 pp. $15 & s/h, Visa/MC.  7/8/03   Top

The second in a monthly series of LifeRing convenor workshops will take place at the Service Center in Oakland on Saturday July 12 beginning at 1 p.m. and ending about 3. The agenda mainly depends on the concerns that convenors bring to the gathering, but one likely topic will be "When a convenor talks too much -- and too little." All current convenors and those who would like to become convenors are invited.  A part of the meeting will be a convenor support group. Seating is limited, RSVP is appreciated: 510-763-0779.    Top

The second issue of LifeLines, a print-format newsletter, is now available for downloading and printing.  Click here.  See earlier story.   Top
 

-- Laura H. 6/30/03  Top

A new LifeRing meeting will start Thursday evening July 3 in Deer Park in central Long Island, N.Y.  Deer Park is near Central Islip, about halfway between Levittown to the West and Patchogue to the East.  The meeting location is at 280F Suburban Avenue, between Skidmore Road and Brooke Avenue.  The location is an office building.  Look for the LifeRing sign.  The meeting will convene every Thursday evening at 7:30.  For further information please contact Drew at 631-242-2498 or George the-engineer@futureware.com. 
-- MN 6/27/03       Top

Had our first meeting tonight at Serenity Lodge in Rockingham Western Australia. It is a residential rehab facility for 40 residents. Meeting started at 1930 with 23 participants. Yes that is not a typo. TWENTY THREE plus Jill and myself. A few people left during the meeting and we ended the evening with 17 participants.

To say the meeting was successful is an understatement. We watched the PowerPoint presentation on LifeRing 101 with Marty's audio that Jill had successfully copied to CD-Rom. That took about 45 minutes and then we had a further 45 minutes of question time.

This will now become a regular meeting at 1930 each Thursday evening. Tonight was restricted to Serenity residents only, but it will become an open group from next week and we are allowed to advertise it as such. Some of those tonight may just have been lookers. But I think we will have a reasonable amount attend regularly if the feedback is any indication.

All credit to Jill for putting in the legwork to make this meeting an actuality. -- Fiona, 6/12/03    Top
 

Second LifeRing Meeting
In Western Australia

What a wonderful 5 month's sober present I just got :-)

A call from Bridget at Serenity Lodge which is a residential rehab in Rockingham, a beach town about 40 minutes south of Perth. I dropped a heap of LifeRing literature there a few weeks ago.

We had some guys from the Lodge come to a meeting 2 weeks ago. Had another one of the residents ring me this arvo (Australian for afternoon – Ed.) and we talked for ages. He was very interested, especially in the workbook.

And the big news is - TA-DA - they want us to do a regular LifeRing meeting there, 7.30 - 8.30 each Thursday evening.

*And* they want to start this Thursday!

I've promised to give them all a chance to check out the workbook on Thursday night.  Bridget has asked me to get there a bit early so that we can have a chat and she can look at the Workbook.

I'm totally buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzed :-)

I think the clincher was me sending an email copy of the More Choices = More Recoveries document (Created by Jill from Marty’s LifeRing 101 slide show – Ed.) to the guy who rang me this afternoon.  He seemed a bit doubting about the idea of Serenity giving the go-ahead for it, because they have very close ties with AA (not surprising, given the name of the place). Wouldn't be surprised if it was the Bill W. & George Vaillant slides that did the trick, LOL! 

Assuming they ask us back again after Thursday night (fingers crossed!), here are the details of the meeting:

Thursdays:  7.30 pm at Serenity Lodge 106 Lewington Street Rockingham  Western Australia Phone:  (08) 9527 9999

I reckon I'm going to take *ages* to wind down enough to sleep tonight :-)

Cheers Jill  6/11/03   Top

LifeRing Picnic Sunday June 29
At Baker Beach in San Francisco

The San Francisco LifeRing meetings invite all interested persons to a LifeRing Summer Picnic on Sunday June 29 between noon and 3 pm at Baker Beach in the Presidio of San Francisco.

Organizers will supply sandwiches and soft drinks.  Suggested things to bring: munchies, sunhats, swimsuits, towels, beach balls, footballs, sunscreen, flip-flops, binoculars, blankets, good jokes. 

You can park in the day use lot at the end of Battery Chamberlin Rd. or take bus No. 29 or the 25 shuttle.  Click for a flyer about the event, with maps.  The location has spectacular views of the Presidio, the Marin Headlands, and the Golden Gate bridge.  - 6/11/03     Top

The first in a series of monthly LifeRing Convenors' meetings got off to a good start Saturday afternoon at the Service Center in Oakland with a near-capacity group of eleven participating. 

Participants spent the first hour and a half discussing issues that had come up in their meetings.  Among topics brought to the agenda were

• How to explain LifeRing to newcomers -- elements of a short presentation for situations where the Opening Statement is too short. 
• LifeRing books and literature -- what materials are available, what's in them, who they are aimed at, and how to present them.
• Doing publicity for LifeRing -- what our experience has been, how to contact local newspapers with our announcements. 
• How to handle problem situations -- what if a person shows up under the influence and won't be quiet, or if someone wants to proselytize for their religion

During the last half hour we had a regular support meeting, based on the feeling that convenors need support too. 

Participating were Joe B. (Walnut Creek), John O. (Oakland), Carol J. (Marin Co.), Chet G. (Oakland), Deanna H. (Benicia), Dennis M. (Oakland), Joe B. (Marin Co.), Chuck W. (Vallejo), Chick R. (Vallejo), Gillian E. (San Francisco), Marty N. (Oakland). 

The meeting was also an opportunity for convenors to pick up materials and supplies and to drop off basket envelopes and book money.

The convenor's meeting is planned for the first Saturday of every month.  But the first Saturday of July falls on July 5 -- the three-day weekend -- and the group elected therefore to postpone the July meeting to Saturday July 12, again at 1:00 p.m. at the LifeRing Service Center.   - MN 6/8/03  Top

Three LifeRing Convenors
Present at Oakland Kaiser

This evening, Marty N, Tom C and I made another of our every 8 week presentation to a group of people in the Kaiser Chemical Dependency Recovery program in Oakland, CA.

I looked out at that audience and I saw a great bunch of people working to improve their lives. It was a warm and fulfilling experience. I almost feel like a cheater to allegedly be helping others and always ending up leaving the meetings feeling a hundred times better than when I arrived.  -- Chet 5/27/03             Top

Kim W., new convenor of the Tuesday night LifeRing meeting at the Kaiser Chemical Dependency Recovery Program (CDRP) in Union City CA, has been asked by the facility's program director to start a second LifeRing meeting on the premises.  The new meeting will open Wednesday May 28 at 10:30 in Group Room 6 of the facility at 3551 Whipple Road.  Kim succeeds founding convenor LouAnthony G., who started the first Union City LifeRing meeting in the fall of 2002.  The Tuesday evening meeting grew quickly and in recent weeks has been "Standing Room Only."  The new Wednesday morning meeting will primarily draw patients who are in the Early Recovery program at the facility (Days 1 - 14).  -- MN 5/25/03       Top

Convenors need support, too!  Being a convenor is a tremendous tool for maintaining personal sobriety, but it also brings its own stresses and concerns.  New convenors, and members who want to become convenors, can learn a lot from the experienced convenors.  To meet the need for special support and training of convenors, and in response to popular request, the first in a series of monthly convenor meetings/workshops will take place at the LifeRing Service Center at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday June 7, 2003, and on the first Saturday of each month thereafter. Sessions are planned for one hour but may go longer if need be. All current convenors and persons interested in becoming convenors are invited.  No need to rsvp, just show up.  -- Marty N.  5/25/03   Top

LifeRing Press Offers Trial Run of LifeRing T-Shirts

When LifeRing convenor Gillian E. surprised Dennis T. with a custom-made LifeRing t-shirt on his third sobriety anniversary at his meeting last week, there was wide acclaim from all present, and a chorus of "I want one, where can I get one?" went up.  In response, Gillian is launching a trial run of LifeRing t-shirts.  The shirts will be available initially in three models.  Model "A" features the official LifeRing life ring about five inches in diameter in the center of the front of the shirt.  Model "B" contains the same graphic with a numeral inside to indicate the wearer's years of sobriety.  Model "C" contains the small LifeRing logo found on the printed brochures and meeting schedules, including the "Empower Your Sober Self" motto in small print.  All designs are on white 100% cotton shirts, in sizes S-M-L-XL.  Prices: $12 for the Model A, $14 for the Model B, $10 for the Model C.  Please allow two weeks for delivery.  See details, place an order. -- MN 5/25/03   Top

LifeRing Celebrates Fourth Birthday With Open House at New Office

Red and white balloons waved in the corridor outside the door to the new office of The LifeRing Service Center and Press on the evening of Friday May 23rd, 2003. This was a party! Inside the space was filled to bursting point with enthusiastic LifeRing members eating pizza, drinking bubbling apple juice, and generally making a lot of noise. Wow, what a tremendous feelings of energy and optimism were swirling around. People had come from all over the San Francisco Bay Area to be there and to share in the red-letter event. A double red-letter day, in fact, since not only is this the first independent office occupied by LifeRing, but it was the fourth birthday of the founding of LifeRing as a separate organization. A cake with four candles was cut as the guests sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and wished for ‘many more’ for LifeRing. A raffle (with prizes including Workbooks, LifeRing T-shirts, and a beautiful Ansel Adams poster) raised over $50 for the kitty. And volunteers started to sign up for ‘office duty’ – being there to answer the phone, sell books to visitors, etc. This is a huge step forward for the organization. Congratulations to all those who made this possible. Let’s keep the momentum going. -- Gillian Ellenby 5/24/03

Hi Folks, Thanks to all who put on this huge/joyous event! The office is cheery, functional & houses what seemed like tons-of-boxes of workbooks & other materials--all very-well organized. I was the keeper-of-the-ice chest; it made a stool upon which to elevate my leg & walking 'boot'. I thoroughly enjoyed LSR/Open House in Oakland yesterday-- yummy pizza, sparkling cider, sodas, and our 4th Anniversary Cake. We sang a Happy Birthday to ourselves & gave ourselves a round of applause. It was wonderful to meet new people who came from as far away as San Francisco, Walnut Creek & Union City & renew old friendships. The office is so accessible by BART on that very corner (rapid-transit/subway) & busses. There was a signup board for office-volunteers; hope we can get it staffed for convenors to pick up their materials, etc. Please consider spending some time at the office--they need your help. I bought some raffle tickets (t-shirts, books, even a lovely framed photo) & left before the winners were announced on my crutches; luckily a parking space wonderfully opened up on busy Broadway curbside from the building. -- Syl Scherzer  5/24/03   Top

Related Story:  LifeRing Moves Into New Office

Congratulations to the convenors and, if you're in the area, please do drop in and support these new meetings.  -- Marty N. 5/22/03   Top

LifeRing led off the presentations at Self-Help Support Group Education Night on Wednesday May 21 at the Union City CA Kaiser Chemical Dependency Recovery Program.  The facility stages the event every three months or so to introduce its early recovery patients to speakers from a variety of recovery support groups.  This evening I had to do the presentation myself because the other regular members of the speaker team were out of action.  Susanne S. was in the hospital and LouAnthony G. was stuck on the freeway until late.  There was good audience response.  Speakers from Al-Anon and AA followed.  -- Marty N. 5/21/03   Top

The first LifeRing literature mailing to be produced at the new LifeRing Service Center office went out on Monday May 19 to 105 members of the Marin County Psychological Association.  The association consists of doctoral-level professionals, most of them in private practice.  

The mailing was made in support of the Marin County Friday night LifeRing meeting in San Rafael, and in anticipation of possible additional LifeRing meetings forming in that area. 

The mailing consisted of a cover letter (click for PDF image), a copy of the Presenting LifeRing Secular Recovery booklet, a copy of the LifeRing brochures, and a copy of a recent letter of recommendation from a well-known local treatment program.   Carol J., a regular at the San Rafael meeting, and Marty N. did the printing, copying, folding, addressing, stuffing, and sealing, and hauled the whole production to the Post Office.  The cost of renting the mailing list and of the postage and materials came from the LifeRing general fund. The San Rafael meeting regularly contributes its basket proceeds to the Service Center.  -- Marty N. 5/19/03   Top

LifeRing Press has sent the Recovery by Choice workbook to the printer for a second press run, and has put Keepers: Voices of Secular Recovery on sale at half price, LifeRing Press announced. 

The Recovery by Choice workbook has practically sold out its first printing. The second printing will be identical in content to the original, but the binding will be upgraded from a wire or plastic spiral to a lay-flat "Otabind" paper binding, similar to a cookbook or technical manual.  The new binding gives the book a more professional appearance, is easier on the hands of people writing in the book, has the same stay-flat utility, is easier to pack and ship, and is more likely to be adopted by bookstores and bookstore distributors. Workbooks with the upgraded bindings are expected to ship in June.

The price of Keepers: Voices of Secular Recovery (1999) was cut from $12 to $6 in an effort to make more shelf space for the workbooks.  -- MN 5/15/03   Top

Family and friends of Richard M(arley) held a memorial service for him yesterday evening at historic Sweet's Ballroom in downtown Oakland. There were more than a hundred people in attendance, testifying to Richard's active, engaged life and his wide circle of friends.

A particular thrill for me was during the Open Mike session when people got up and said a few words in remembrance of Richard. Someone got up that I didn't know at all, Pablo, and shared how he met Richard at a LifeRing meeting and how they connected in sobriety. From talking to Richard I know that LifeRing meant a lot to him and I think he would have got a kick out of his LifeRing friends testifying at his memorial service. I followed at the mike and said a few words about how Richard never expressed any self-pity, never pointed the finger at other people, and never even seemed depressed, even though he knew pretty clearly that his chance of beating his illness were slim and that his days were numbered. He was a class act, and I regret not getting to know him much sooner.

There were at least three LifeRing members at the memorial. Besides Pablo and me, it was good to see Jenifer, who was looking great.

I hate going to these damn things. Richard is the second clean and sober Lifering participant that I've said good-bye to on account of a vital organ being too far damaged already when they finally got clean and sober. I can't underline enough how important it is to quit drinking/drugging early, BEFORE you "hit bottom," because by that time it may be too late.

Richard was no relation to Bob Marley but he was musical in his own right. The family passed out a CD of Richard singing; if anyone wants a copy please contact me. -- Marty N. 5/12/03   Top

LifeLines, the first print-format LifeRing newsletter, has published its first issue in the form of a 12-page PDF document suitable for downloading and printing.  Click to view.

A four-member editorial team headed by Kathy in WA, and including Angela N. (Montana), Denise B. (San Diego), and Steve S. (Dallas), produced the inaugural issue.

The issue features reflections on the meaning and benefits of sobriety, on the different formats of chat meetings, personal experiences with getting sober, profiles of LifeRing members, poetry, sobriety anniversaries, and much more. 

LifeLines will be published quarterly.  The PDF format is suitable for members to download and print out. 

The LifeLines newsletter reflects the views of its editors and contributors and is not an official organ of LifeRing Secular Recovery.  Submissions are now sought for the second issue, scheduled for publication this summer.   Top

Dennis M., new convenor of the Wednesday noon Lunchtime LifeRing at the Kaiser Chemical Dependency Recovery Program in Oakland, has drafted an improved Opening Statement.  A new version of the statement, including also additions and revisions by Marjorie J. of Oakland and by Bill M. of San Rafael, can be downloaded and printed as a PDF file.  Click here.  Opening Statements are commonly read at the beginning of face-to-face meetings.  A considerable variety of Opening Statements is currently in use.  -- Marty N.  4/25/03   Top

This will be fairly brief as I didn't get much sleep last night and the earlier part of the meeting was a bit nerve wracking - esp. since Fiona & I were sitting there by ourselves at 6pm. A few very nervous minutes while we waited ... But shortly afterwards, 2 women showed up and about 5 minutes after, a woman and man turned up. So our cast of characters for the first meeting was 6.

We stayed way past the appointed hour just chatting. Two people left around 7.30, but two others stayed till about 8, when Fiona & I finally pulled up stumps. The cross-talk felt so good to all of us, I think, after the AA sharing ritual that is all we'd ever known.

Fiona & I both agreed we could count the meeting as a success :) On the down side, neither of the people who rang me turned up. Then again, today was the first real touch of winter in Perth - cold, windy, torrential rain, etc., so not too surprising that some people didn't want to venture out. So fingers crossed next week we'll get some more. Not so sure whether having one on Good Friday is too wise - but then again, it fits in with the secular focus and even if it's just me & Fiona, I'm sure we'll keep ourselves amused.  -- Jill, 4/11/03    Top

I'm very excited about our efforts here in PA, and I'd like to post what we've been up to so far.

Our approach to getting LSR meetings here might be a unique one, so let me document a little about it before this time period is history. On a side note, our meetings are not very well attended at the moment, but this could change very quickly. In January, with the Service Center's help, we got materials to many of the centers here, and we are just now receiving some referrals after a few months. We will continue to contact these people to notify them of our quaint meeting in the Philly suburb of Telford, PA.

In February, Denise and I have affiliated with a group called Pro-ACT, a grassroots advocacy initiative founded to promote the rights of -- and ensure opportunities for -- those still suffering from the disease of addiction, members of the recovery community, and their family members who wish to advocate in southeastern Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties.) They courted us to be board members immediately, maybe due to the 'anonymity controversy' in AA, which we don't personally subscribe to.

In six short weeks I have had the opportunity to discuss with these people the need for LSR, and I have taken over their dormant and graphically-challenged website http://www.proact.org  and revamped it into a more professional portal of info pertaining to the cause of recovery and the stigma attached.

Okay, it's not instant clout, but the next time I contact the rehab centers I feel better knowing that we're actively working with the local counties and intimately involved with the alcohol council here in Bucks County. They are responsible for recommendations from the courts (DUI), the crisis center hotline, and their contacts with public and private centers is vast.

I'm lucky to have the time to devote to this, and I would urge anyone who hosts a meeting to look into a similar route to spreading the word this way. Let me say that I also mention SMART as an alternative support group, and that CHOICE is a powerful thing for people in recovery. -- JR (John PA) 4/9/03   Top

This past Wednesday (4/2/03) I got a phone call at the Service Center shortly after 11:30 a.m. from Dr. Barbara Hart, the head of the program committee for staff meetings at the Kaiser Chemical Dependency Recovery Program in Vallejo, about 28 miles north of Oakland. She said, "I do hope you'll be here at 1 p.m. for your presentation to staff." I was shocked to say the least as she had last emailed me a month ago to set the presentation for May 5, and I had got no word of a change of schedule.

Luckily I had decent clothes on (sometimes I come to the office in grubby jeans) and I had my car. Luckily also Marjorie J. had just arrived and was able to substitute for me as convenor in my Wednesday lunchtime LifeRing meeting at Kaiser Oakland a few blocks down the street. So after hurriedly printing and folding 30 meeting schedules and packing a bunch of brochures and books in a bag, I hopped in my car and got to Vallejo with ten minutes to spare.

Dr. Hart apologized for the scheduling mix-up and seemed impressed that someone was there at all on this short notice. Soon the large meeting room at this regional facility filled up with the staff members; there were nearly 30 of them when everyone arrived.

The director gave me a brief introduction, and off I went. I spoke for a solid half hour, beginning with the "two heads" sketches on the whiteboard, and covering the essentials of format and philosophy; then I answered questions. It was terrific to have Marylou B. present; employed as an intern at this facility, she is very knowledgeable about LifeRing and was very helpful during the question and answer session. When the hour was over, there was strong applause, and I had quite a lot of counselors come up to me and ask for additional literature such as the Presenting book. Several counselors gathered around me to chat, saying they wished LifeRing had been around when they did their recovery, and how happy they were that there was another place they could send their clients, and so forth. The expressions on people's faces and the buzz in the room told me that this had been a successful presentation, and I felt elated to have had this opportunity and to have done OK with it.

The Vallejo CDRP serves the northern ex-urbs of the San Francisco Bay Area including the wine country. It is known as a very strongly 12-step facility, much more steeped in 12-step than the Oakland and San Francisco Kaiser CDRP facilities where we have long had LifeRing meetings. Vallejo has been much more resistant to LifeRing, and we only just got the first meeting going there a couple of months ago, thanks to convenors Deanna H. and Chuck W., who participate in the Vallejo CDRP's seniors' recovery group. That's why I was particularly gratified by the strongly positive reception from staff this past Wednesday. A positive attitude from treatment professionals tends to translate into a steady stream of newcomer referrals.

My only regret was that due to the short notice I wasn't able to recruit other LifeRing convenors to share the presentation chores with me, the way we usually do it. However, Marylou being there and helping to answer questions was almost the same thing. I am also indebted to Marjorie for dropping her bookkeeping projects on a moment's notice and convening the Wednesday lunchtime LifeRing in my place. My guess is that the word LifeRing will get mentioned around that Vallejo treatment center a lot more often and a lot more positively from now on. -- Marty N. 4/7/03   Top

The first LifeRing meeting in Asia opened on April 5, 2003, in the city of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido in Japan.  C.A., a delegate at each of the LifeRing congresses, is the founding convenor.  The meeting is on Sundays, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.  Sapporo Organization for Addiction Recovery, 201 Park Avenue MS, 1-11, Minami 14-jo, Nishi 5-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo.  Contact tel: 011-531-6307 or SOARmates@hotmail.com -- CA, 4/4/03   Top

Thanks!  --  Kirk 4/3/03   Top

The first LifeRing meeting in Seattle will take place this coming Friday March 21 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Good Shepherd Center in the Wallingford district of Seattle.

A three-person convenor team is pooling its forces to get the meeting started. The new convenors are Paul C., Sarah P. and Gail L.

The organizing meeting took place Saturday March 15 at the Women's Recovery Center (A Positive Alternative) in the Good Shepherd Center. Catherine Trestrail, founder and director of A Positive Alternative, and Abby Smith, a counselor there, put the organizing meeting together. Kathy P., editor of the forthcoming LifeRing newsletter, and a client of A Positive Alternative, had previously made a presentation about LifeRing there, and was present at the organizing meeting.
Fourteen people attended the organizing meeting. Nearly all were past or current clients of A Positive Alternative. Catherine T. opened the meeting by stating that the purpose of the meeting was to launch a LifeRing meeting. She said that her treatment center was willing to underwrite the reasonable cost of room rent for the meeting as long as required.

I gave my usual "how it works" presentation (the two heads with the arrows) and talked briefly about meeting format and answered a string of questions. Toward the end of the hour Catherine T. took charge again and called for volunteers to be convenors. The three named above came forward. About eight people at the organizing meeting said they planned to attend.

Catherine started this treatment center in 1990 under the name "Women's Recovery Center." A men's branch opened in 1997. Both now go under the name "A Positive Alternative." The center is explicitly not AA. The brochure says "An Alternative to AA and 12-Step Oriented Treatment Programs."

Catherine told me and the group that in her view LifeRing has absolutely the best chance of becoming a credible nationwide alternative to AA. She felt very strongly that LifeRing is what her clients needed by way of an ongoing support group.

It was a very pleasant stay and I even got a few hours free to walk around and take in the sights of Seattle.    -- Marty N. 3/12/03   Top
 

In a letter to LifeRing convenor Robert Bradley of Morgantown WV, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) acknowledges the value of support groups, including alternatives to Alcoholic Anonymous, in assisting recoveries.  "Self-help groups, including alternative recovery programs, can complement and extend the effects of professional treatment," writes Glen R. Hanson, Acting Director of the federal agency.  Click for full text of letter as PDF image.  -- MN 3/4/03   Top

Click for more details and extensive '03 Congress coverage including photos

Postscript 4/22/03:  In response to popular demand, convenor J. Syrette has now opened this meeting to all ages.  -- MN   Top
 

Two LifeRing convenors presented the LifeRing approach to a group of about 35 patients in the Early Recovery segment of the Kaiser Permanente Chemical Dependency Recovery Program (CDRP) in Union City CA on Feb. 26.

The usual format for this educational meeting is to have speakers from a variety of groups. AA, NA, and Al-Anon speakers have shared the hour with LifeRing in the past. This evening, only the LifeRing speakers showed up so we had the audience to ourselves.

Susan S., current convenor of the Saturday morning LifeRing meeting in Pleasanton, told the story of her struggle to get free of marijuana. She tried a variety of other meetings but did not really feel comfortable until she attended the Tuesday night Union City LifeRing meeting founded by LouAnthony G. This made her feel much better about her recovery. She then began to attend the Pleasanton LifeRing founded by Chet G. and became its convenor after she had six months clean and sober. She was very happy with her sobriety and recommended that people try the LifeRing meetings on for size.

Marty N. took advantage of the time available to give a chalk talk about the LifeRing sober self-empowerment approach, featuring the "two heads" and "S-to-S reinforcement." (A short slide show version of this chalk talk is on www.unhooked.com; click on "Empower Your Sober Self.") Marty convenes the Wednesday noon and Wednesday 8 p.m. meetings in Oakland and is a frequent presenter.

There were a few questions from the audience, all friendly and supportive, and a nice round of applause. Susan and I got quite a few supportive comments and thanks and handshakes on the way out.

The Tuesday night Union City LifeRing hardly needed the additional boost of the Feb. 26 presentation. The room has been full for months. On the second Tuesday in March, there were 32 people at the meeting. There is serious discussion now underway to start a second and possibly a third LifeRing meeting in this area. Union City is a suburb on the east side of San Francisco Bay, about midway between Oakland and San Jose. -- Marty N.  2/26/03   Top

The LifeRing Service Center sent a mailing in mid-January to 37 licensed chemical dependency treatment programs in the Bucks / Montgomery County area of Pennsylvania, in support of the new meeting being started there by John R. and Denise S.  The list of 37 programs came from the federal SAMHSA database.  The mailing contained a cover letter, a flyer advertising the meeting, a flyer advertising the Recovery By Choice Workbook, a copy of the three main LifeRing brochures, and a copy of the Presenting LifeRing Secular Recovery booklet. 

The mailing was similar to other mailings to treatment providers sent by the Service Center to support new or ongoing LifeRing meetings.  Treatment providers are important referral sources and the mailings serve to keep them informed of the availability of a secular alternative for their patients/clients.  Click for a list of the facilities. -- MN 1/20/03   Top
 

The LifeRing Service Center in mid-January mailed a copy of the current San Francisco Bay Area LifeRing meeting schedule together with a copy of the Sobriety Is Our Priority brochure and a flyer advertising the Recovery By Choice workbook to a list of 265 licensed chemical dependency treatment providers in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties. 

There are LifeRing meetings in each of the counties. The Service Center periodically mails the current LifeRing meeting schedule to the treatment providers to inform them of the current availability of a secular option.  The list of providers comes from the federal SAMHSA database.  Click to see a copy of the list for this mailing.  A follow-up mailing to a list of 60 additional providers who had previously contacted the Service Center went out at the same time.  Syl S., Carol J., Marjorie J. and Marty N. helped with the mailing.  -- MN 1/20/03   Top