LifeRing is a network of support groups for people who want to be free of alcohol and addictive drugs.

No. We cooperate with many treatment programs but our group leaders as a rule are ordinary persons in recovery.  Most groups meet about an hour each week.

No.  A basket is usually passed for voluntary contributions to defray expenses, but there is no charge to participate.

No.  The proportion of churchgoers and others in LifeRing is about the same as in the general population.  Since the LifeRing recovery process does not rely on a "higher power" or similar concepts, LifeRing participants' religious and/or spiritual beliefs remain private and don't become an issue in the meeting.

We see alcoholism and drug addiction as basically identical and we welcome people into our meetings regardless of their "drug of choice."

We value confidentiality and protect our members' anonymity, but we permit members to disclose their own participation if they feel that being open will strengthen their recovery. 

Our meetings are non-smoking.  We do not require people to quit smoking in order to participate in our groups, but we provide encouragement, education and support for quitting whenever the person feels ready.

The hallmark of a quality treatment program is to match the treatment to the individual.  We adopt that same approach in our self-help work.   We encourage each participant to work out their own particular path and to use the group process as a workshop for that purpose.  We publish a workbook, "Recovery  by Choice," as a tool for building one's personal recovery program. 

LifeRing works through positive social reinforcement. 

Formats vary, but at most meetings the topic is "How Was Your Week?"  Each person reports on the highlights and heartaches of their past week and plans ahead for the decisions of the coming week. Conversation ("cross-talk") is encouraged. Personal drinking/drugging histories ("drunkalogues") are discouraged.  The meeting ends with a round of applause to one another for staying clean and sober. 

No.  Some do, some don't. The effort to stop drinking and using drugs is required.  The self-defining labels and the theories behind them are optional. 

Sponsors in 12-step programs play two main roles: they guide the newcomer through the 12 Step Program and they are available for support between meetings.  In LifeRing we each work out personal programs, so there is no real role for a Program guide.  We do very much value supportive contacts between meetings, and we circulate phone and email lists at meetings for that purpose.  In that sense, all the participants in a meeting sponsor one another. 

Of course. 

Yes, provided they are clean and sober at the time of the meeting.

LifeRing is successful for people who find this approach a good fit. If you would like to meet such people, come to a LifeRing meeting. If you are a social scientist and would like to conduct an outcomes study, we would be happy to cooperate. 

We're new. The LifeRing story is just getting out. 

This website is a good place to start.   There are also brochures that provide introductions. The Lifering 101 CD gives an overview.  The book How Was Your Week? provides more extended discussion and background.  The Recovery by Choice workbook is a tool for building your personal recovery program. The Presenting LifeRing Secular Recovery book speaks to treatment professionals. You can order them here, or you can pick up a copy at most LifeRing meetings. You can contact the LifeRing Service Center at 1-800-811-4142 (510-763-6946) or service@lifering.org.