Do I have to call first?
No.
Normally you can just show up at the meeting place without calling first.
The information in the meeting schedule is believed current.
Considerable effort goes into keeping it up to
date. In case of doubt, or if there is a problem, please telephone
or email the contact
person if one is listed, or
telephone the LifeRing Service Center in Oakland CA at 1-800-811-4142, or
send an email to service@lifering.org.
A current
print-format
schedule for the Northern California Area
is available as a PDF
file. Current issue:
November 19, 2009 -- click to download.
(Please note that this is now formatted
for legal size paper as the number of
meetings has outgrown letter size paper.) To get
a printed copy or copies, contact the LifeRing Service Center in
Oakland CA at 1-800-811-4142, or send an email to
service@lifering.org
with your snail mail address. If you would like to
be on the mailing list to receive new copies whenever the schedule is
mailed out, contact the LifeRing Service Center in Oakland CA at
1-800-811-4142, or send an email with your snail mail address to
service@lifering.org.
Does it
cost
anything to attend the meetings? No. A basket will be passed but contributions
are voluntary.
Do I have to be
a member of the HMO or church or other program where the meetings
are held? No. The facility only provides the room; there is no
organizational affiliation. A few facilities require you to sign in
at a security desk but you do not have to be a member of the facility that
hosts the meetings. In a few cases, the meeting is behind closed
doors, available only to residents of the institution. This will be
noted in the listing. Unless noted otherwise, all meetings are open
to any interested member of the public.
I need
directions to the meeting place.
Each listing has a map link.
Click on it for an online map that shows the meeting location. The map
page has buttons for getting directions to the meeting place from wherever
you are.
What if I
can't
find a face-to-face meeting in my area?
You can get support
24/7/365 with your choice of LifeRing email lists, forums, or online chat
meetings. We have unmoderated lists, moderated lists, heavy traffic
lists, light traffic lists, special interest lists, a bulletin board, a
social network, and
chats seven days a week. Click for a
list of lists. Click for the
chat room schedule.
I want to start
a LifeRing meeting in my area.
Excellent! Click for the
Meeting Starter
Page.
What happens at
LifeRing meetings? Formats vary, but at most meetings the
discussion begins with the words "How Was Your Week?" We go around
the room and each person talks about what has been happening in their
lives in the past week, and what they anticipate for next week. The
atmosphere is informal, supportive, conversational. For more details, read the
Welcome
to LifeRing brochure and/or check the
FAQ page. For an extended discussion, read
Ch. 3 of
How Was Your
Week or Ch. 3 of
Empowering
Your Sober Self. For the theory behind why this works, read
How Our Meetings Work.
Who's in charge at a
LifeRing meeting?
One member of the
group acts as facilitator; we call them the "convenor" (con-VEE-nur).
Convenors are ordinary persons in recovery with a
minimum of six months clean and sober. You yourself could become the
next convenor as soon as you have the time. There is a handbook
How Was Your Week?
where you can find out more about what the convenor role entails.
Do I have to
be clean and sober to attend the
meeting? Most
meetings have the rule that if you're under
the influence at the time of the meeting,
you may listen quietly but not participate
otherwise. It is very rare for a
person under the influence to attend.
I'm a
family member or friend
of a person who
drinks/uses -- can I attend? Yes,
you're welcome to participate, provided
you're not yourself under the influence at
the time of the meeting.
I'm a treatment professional or a student
-- can I attend?
Yes, you're welcome, but please let the
meeting convenor know your status before the
meeting begins. There may be sessions
where participants prefer not to have
observers present.
To find out more about LifeRing, read
the brochures, look at
the FAQ page, read the
books, browse the
rest of this web site, and above all, talk to
people who participate.
