Four LifeRing speakers presented their experience with LifeRing to a receptive group of about 35 outpatients in the Kaiser Chemical Dependency Recovery Program education program in Oakland CA Tuesday evening April 24. The appearance was another in the string of presentations LifeRing has been making to this revolving patient group every eight weeks since 1995. Counselor Jeff Blair, Program Coordinator, hosted the hour.
The speakers this evening were Marylou B., making her first presentation, and veteran presenters Robbin L., Bettye D. and Marty N. Marty started it off by sharing the story of how he got sober, his experience with LifeRing, and the three basic points of his personal recovery program. Robbin picked it up by telling briefly about her own recovery and the satisfaction she receives from convening the Saturday morning meeting. Marylou told the story of her recovery after 25 years as a Catholic nun, her several failed attempts to stop drinking in the past, her understanding now that sobriety is the priority, and the difference that her participation in LifeRing has made in her life. Bettye told the story of her marijuana addiction and her failed attempts to hide it in the past, her initial shame when she entered the Kaiser treatment program, her negative reaction to being told what to do in 12-Step meetings, and her positive reaction to the LifeRing approach, thanks to which she was just a week away from 18 months clean and sober now and had become convenor of the Thursday night meeting at the Kaiser facility.
Audience reaction was very positive. One patient said he really liked the LifeRing name: there you are drowning and then you see a lifering to save you. Several people said they had attended LifeRing meetings and felt very positive about them. There were several informational questions about the time and location of LifeRing meetings. One patient wanted to know whether there were study groups for doing the workbook. One patient said that $20 (the price of the workbook) was a lot of money, and Bettye made an impromptu speech about how much money she had spent in the past on marijuana, other drugs, and alcohol. There was a lot of laughter and free dialogue back and forth with the audience.
Afterward, the Tuesday night LifeRing meeting convened by Larry S., directly across the hall, had 13 people present.
-- MN 4/24/01