S.F. Bay Times
Covers LifeRing

"Hardly anybody knows about that program, but those guys totally saved my ass."  So begins an article about LifeRing by columnist Tom Moon, MFT, in the San Francisco Bay Times, issue of August 23 2007. 

Moon introduces LifeRing through the eyes of Brad, a man in his thirties recovering from alcohol and methamphetamine, who tried valiantly to fit himself into the mold of 12-step programs but felt totally alienated and couldn't stay sober.  Then a friend told him about LifeRing. 

"For the first time I felt relaxed in a recovery meeting.  There were no 'drunkalogues,' no 12 steps, and - yay! - no God talk.  The focus was on what's happening in our lives now.  We just went around the room and checked in about how our week had gone.  You could talk about any drug you were trying to quit, not just alcohol. And 'cross talk' was fine.  We were allowed to ask questions and make comments on what each other said.  At the end of the meeting, we gave ourselves a round of applause for staying clean and sober.  That was all there was to it.  I loved it." 

Brad recently celebrated one year clean and sober, the most sober time he's put together since he was 14. 

"Can such a simple approach actually help addicts recover?" asks columnist Moon.  "Judging by how it has grown, many people are apparently finding it helpful, and [LifeRing] meetings are increasingly accepted in treatment facilities as alternatives to 12-step meetings, a sign of its growing respect among treatment professionals." 

The complete article is online here.  For a printer-ready PDF copy click here.

LifeRing convenors Craig O., David F., Gillian E. and Marty N. staffed the LifeRing booth in the exhibit hall of the annual convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in San Francisco Aug. 17-19.  More than 14,000 psychologists and students from all over the U.S. and many other countries attended the event. Hundreds stopped at the LifeRing booth, chatted, asked questions, and took LifeRing literature.  For a detailed narrative of the event with photographs, go to the LifeRing convenor blog, http://liferingconvenor.blogspot.com.

LifeRing literature now has its own dedicated display rack at the Kaiser Permanente Chemical Dependency Recovery Program in Hayward / Union City CA (photo). 

LifeRing Board member Craig O. negotiated permissions for the display, and LifeRing participant Wilbur W. from Richmond CA designed and printed the sign. 

Kaiser facilities professionals installed the sign above the literature rack, located in the waiting room of the CDRP facility. 

The Thursday evening LifeRing in San Francisco will move its location from the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic to the LGBT Center at 1800 Market Street beginning July 26, 2007, Steve G., its convenor, has announced. The group will meet in Room Q13 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.  This is the same room used by the Saturday LifeRing, on the ground floor of the Center. The group will meet in the same room each week; an initial problem with having to move to a different space on the third Thursday has been successfully resolved. For further information please phone Steve G. at (415) 934-9618.  [7/19/07, 8/16/07]

A new LifeRing meeting has started in the metropolitan Denver area.  The new group meets Sunday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Exempla West Pines Treatment Center, in the Sun Room in the gymnasium building.  The address is 3400 Lutheran Parkway, Wheat Ridge CO 80233.  The convenors of the new group are Dennis C and Lois D.; contact them at 303 757 3864.  -- KG 6/9/08

Participants in three upcoming professional conferences will see a LifeRing booth among the other exhibits this summer and fall. 

LifeRing will have a booth at the national convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in San Francisco Aug. 17-20.  The annual event is expected to attract more than 12,000 attendees, many of them solo practitioners with clients who have chemical dependency issues. 

For the second year in a row, LifeRing will exhibit and participate in the annual convention of the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC), being held this year in conjunction with the Tennessee counselors' chapter (TAADAC) and the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Addiction Professionals (NALGAP).  The event will take place in Nashville Sept. 5-8.  LifeRing participated in the 2006 edition of the conference in Burbank, CA.  Marty Nicolaus, LifeRing CEO, has been invited to present his paper on mirror neurons at the Nashville event.

A month later, LifeRing will mount an exhibit booth at the annual conference of the California addiction professionals' association (CAADAC) in Rancho Cordova near Sacramento. 

The LifeRing Board of Directors authorized the necessary funds for participation in these conferences at a recent meeting.  The current LifeRing booth backdrop display consists of posters and banners hung on a home-made frame of PVC pipe (see photo, right). Donations toward the cost of a commercial-quality display will be cheerfully accepted at the LifeRing Service Center. 

LifeRing participation in these conferences spreads the word about the LifeRing approach to treatment professionals, who play key roles in referring people in early recovery to support group meetings.   [MN 6/15/07]

LifeRing has been awarded a $1000 community service grant from the Safeway Foundation in Pleasanton CA.  The Foundation is funded by voluntary contributions from Safeway employees, and donates funds "to charitable organizations that improve the quality of life in the communities where Safeway employees work and live." In a transmittal letter, Espe Greenwood, Public Affairs Manager for the Northern California division of the Foundation, wrote "We would like to commend you for your work, and we wish you continued success in making a difference." [6/15/07]

Meeting in Denver CO over the May 4-6 weekend, the LifeRing Congress elected three new members to the LifeRing Board of Directors.  They are Kathleen Gargan of Denver, Andy Ross of Wichita KS, and Craig Oxenford of Fremont CA.  Kathleen is a long-time LifeRing convenor in Denver and was the principal organizer of this year's LifeRing Congress.  Andy is convenor of an online meeting in the LifeRing chat room and is a head counselor in a detox unit.  Craig has been the convenor of several LifeRing meetings in Union City CA and is a frequent speaker about LifeRing to recovery audiences. 

In other action, the LifeRing Board of Directors adopted a resolution honoring Deanna Hall, a board member and outstanding convenor who died on April 6. The LifeRing Congress voted to set up regional and citywide convenor roles so as to broaden leadership opportunities and clarify lines of responsibility.   The Board also held a budget discussion and voted to hire a half-time employee at the LifeRing Service Center in Oakland. 

On Saturday, during the public session, Congress attendees and members of the public heard Lloyd Burton, coordinator of the Insight Meditation Community of Colorado in Denver, speak on Meditation as a Recovery Tool.  This was followed by a LifeRing convenor workshop led by LifeRing directors Katie Frohmberg and Chet Gardiner, with presentations by Kirk D. of Denver and LifeRing director Robert Bradley of West Virginia.  After lunch, the group heard the keynote presentation by guest speaker Steve Bentley, coordinator of the Substance Abuse program at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a certified trainer in Motivational Interviewing.  Bentley's outline of the basics of MI held the audience's attention for two hours.  The afternoon closed with a short presentation on "Mirror Neurons and their Relevance to Addiction Recovery"  by LifeRing author Marty N.  A dinner at Le Central restaurant, ending with a chocolate cake with an edible LifeRing logo, climaxed the day. 

More details, copies of handouts, and photographs will follow.  -- MN 5/7/07

California lawyers concerned about their use of alcohol and/or other drugs now have a choice of peer support groups recognized by the State Bar's Lawyers Assistance Program (LAP).  The State Bar and LifeRing have entered into a Peer Support Contract, under which LifeRing will organize a network of meetings, a toll-free telephone line and a web site specifically for California lawyers.  The State Bar has for several years supported a similar peer support effort with a 12-Step orientation operating under the name The Other Bar.  The beginnings of the Lawyer's LifeRing web site can be seen at http://lawyerslifering.org and the new toll-free number is 1-866-390-3490.  California lawyers interested in becoming part of the Lawyer's LifeRing volunteer team please contact us.  -- Marty N. 4/25/07

Deanna Hall, founder and convenor of the Vallejo CA LifeRing meeting, and mentor to numerous LifeRing members in the North Bay area, died at her home in Benicia on April 6 after suffering a series of strokes.  She was 66. 

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, April 29, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. at the Benicia Historical Museum at the Camel Barn, 2060 Camel Rd., Benicia, CA 94510.  The Vallejo LifeRing meeting continues. 

Stephen Bentley, Coordinator of Substance Abuse Services at the University of Colorado, Boulder, will be a guest speaker at the LifeRing Congress on Saturday May 5 2007.  His topic will be "Introduction to Motivational Interviewing."  Bentley was one of the original group of trainers trained by the founders of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and has presented MI workshops on a regular basis.  MI is a philosophy and practice of counseling that emphasizes respect for client choice and skill at enhancing client motivation to get well.  A review from a LifeRing perspective of a work by one of the founders of MI is here. 

"Niche Version of MySpace: Next Big Thing on the Internet" says the newspaper headline, announcing the launch of Ning.com -- an online social networking server where anyone can create a social network with its own boundaries.  That same day saw the launch of LifeRing on Ning, http://lifering.ning.com. LifeRing on Ning offers a rich feature set that combines text messaging, blogging, photos, video, and personal web pages.  It's a supplement to the traditional chat, email, and forum platforms of LifeRing online. For a generation raised on MySpace, LifeRing on Ning may become the channel of choice for sobriety support.  Maybe this Ning thing can also help more people come together and form local meetings. -- Marty N. 3/12/07.

The LifeRing meeting in Green Bay WI has moved from the Unitarian Church to Grace Lutheran Church at 321 S. Madison Street, its convenor Tom K. has announced. The day and time (Thursdays 7 pm) remain the same.  Please use the covered entryway for access.  Map. 

The first LifeRing meeting in New Mexico opened Thursday Feb. 22 in Albuquerque, its founding convenor Mary S. announced.  The meeting will convene every Thursday evening from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at 3007 Central Ave N.E. in the office building between the Buffalo Exchange and Zinc's.  Map.  For more information, contact Mary at 505-294-7774 or email her at shortellm@comcast.net.  (2/25/07)

If any of you have any questions please e-mail or contact me at (415) 934-9618. Hope to see regulars and any newcomers on Thursday night.  -- Steve G.  [1/31/07]

The original Saturday morning LifeRing meeting in Austin (Cedar Park) TX has been joined by a second group at the same location on Wednesday evenings.  That location is the Live Oak UU Church at 3315 El Salido Parkway.  Map. The group meets at 7:30 p.m. For further information contact Don S., 512 692 7132, email coachdonsul@yahoo.com . [1/25/07]

A new LifeRing meeting will start on Wednesday January 17 at the John Howard Society in Brampton, Ontario, its founding convenor John G. has announced.  The meeting place is located at 100 Queen Street W, and the time is from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.  Please contact John via email or at 416.578.6868 for further information. 

"On a day millions of Americans wish they had less to drink the night before, John Ralston will be doing his best to help recovering addicts continue to stay sober.

"Ralston's group usually meets on Mondays, which means they will get together on New Year's Day, usually one of the best-attended meetings of the year.

"But it isn't an area chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. It's a local group of a California-based organization called LifeRing Secular Recovery, which became a national organization in 2001.... "

So begins a Dec. 31 story in The Intelligencer of Philadelphia, featuring the LifeRing meeting in suburban Telford. Read the whole article here, or download a PDF version here. 

The 2007 LifeRing Congress program is taking shape.  Our guest speaker is a distinguished author and trainer and expert in Motivational Interviewing, one of the premier non-Step approaches in modern chemical dependency and mental health treatment.  She is Michele Packard, Ph.D. (right), Executive Director of Sage Institute in Boulder, CO.  Website.  Dr. Packard is a licensed psychologist and certified addictions counselor with over 20 years in the mental health field. She is co-author of a chapter titled Innovations in the Treatment of Dual Disorders in the 2nd edition of Motivational Interviewing, as well as author of a number of other articles.  More detail.  The LifeRing Service Center is asking for LifeRing members' suggestions for additional program offerings. 

A feature article about LifeRing appeared in the Nanaimo (British Columbia, Canada) Daily News Nov. 8, thanks to B.C. LifeRing convenor Jack McNeil's effort to publicize the Nanaimo LifeRing meeting's new time and meeting place (see below).  The article showed a photo of Jack, who has 54 years clean and sober, under the headline, "Addictions can be overcome without guilt, says group."  The article quotes LifeRing participant "Jane" as saying "traditional 12-step programs place too much guilt on people trying to recover from addictions."  It also quotes LifeRing participant "Wayne" saying that "I didn't want that notion of powerlessness dragging me down any more."  Jack is quoted as saying that the secret of LifeRing's success is its secular nature.  "It isn't a spiritual group and it doesn't have religious aspects to it.  It's empowering when you take responsibility for yourself and do something about your problem."  A scan of the article is here.

The Tuesday LifeRing in Nanaimo, B.C. (Canada) is moving its location from the Harbourside Hotel to the Mental Health and Addictions Center, 3151 Barons Road, in the Birch Room.  The starting time of the meeting is also moving from the evening to 3:00 in the afternoon.  The new time and place will take effect on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. For more information, contact Jack McNeil, B.C. convenor, at 877.752.1058 or jr.mcneil@shaw.ca [11/2/06]

A new LifeRing Meeting is starting in the Austin/Cedar Park, Texas area.  The Meetings will be from 9 - 10 am every Saturday beginning on Sat. Oct 21, 2006.  We will be meeting in room 103 of the Live Oak UU Church bldg.  My name is Don and I have been sober for twenty years. I will be the convenor for the meetings until we can get a volunteer that can take over those duties. The address is Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church, 3315 El Salido Parkway, Cedar Park, TX 78613.  Please contact me if you need any other information. -- Don Sullivan, 512 692 7132 or email coachdonsul@yahoo.com .  [10/17/06]

Three short interviews with LifeRing members broadcast on XM Satellite Radio are now posted and available for online listening on unhooked.com. John G., a Lifering participant in the San Francisco Bay Area, speaks about his participation in LifeRing online. Gillian E., former Secretary and Member of the Board of Directors of LifeRing, speaks about building personal recovery programs.  LifeRing author and current CEO Marty N. speaks about getting sober in LifeRing.  Christopher Springmann, producer of the Life, Love and Health radio series, conducts the interviews.  The Ellenby Trust provided underwriting.  The interviews were broadcast during the summer.  Thanks to Christopher for making the audio files available for posting here.  -- MN 10/11/06