The meeting, held primarily at the very comfortable San Francisco LGBT Center, featured it’s usual mix of organizational work, informative talks by prominent researchers and experts, and a generous amount of warm interaction among the participants.

Friday’s sessions focused on how best to strengthen the LifeRing organization as a whole, with particular attention on the board of directors and its ongoing efforts to both grow and strengthen LifeRing’s work in reaching out to make our system of support available to all. In one session, the directors met with an experienced non-profit consultant to explore how best to move forward. In another, the board members and others met with three Ph.D. researchers to discuss possibilities for research. That session included a fascinating interaction by the researchers about their different approaches to addiction studies.

Saturday saw the “main event” of the Annual Meeting with presentations by very prominent experts about their research and their approaches to addiction treatment. There were also “break out” sessions to discuss how LifeRing can best use technology in its work, and on how to improve our fund raising efforts. The featured speaker for the day, Martin Nicolaus, the founding leader of LifeRing who developed the organization and articulated its approach in his writings, gave a talk on “Towards a Medical Model of Addiction, or: Is It Time to Occupy Recovery?” The talk was very well received by the enthusiastic audience. It was filmed, and if the video turns out well, we’ll post it on this website. The presentation was somewhat different, but much of the information was contained in a previous talk by Nicolaus, this one last fall in Victoria, Canada. That one is currently on our website at http://lifering.org/7086-2/.

On Sunday, the meeting moved to the nearby Alano Club. That meeting — the LifeRing Congress — was for discussion and action on organizational matters, primarily amendments to the Bylaws and elections for Board members. One Bylaw amendment was adopted unanimously, allowing the Board to hire (if we ever have enough money!) a professional to act as Executive Director under the direction of the board. This idea had surfaced before but been voted down. This year, however, the effort to move us towards a more organizaed and efficient entity has made it increasingly clear that professional skills would be a major asset. There’s no money for paying such a person at this time, but the board now has the option to move in that direction when finances allow.

The Congress also voted to move towards a system of allowing official delegates to vote on bylaw changes without being present at the Congress, which would be a significant change from current practice. A resolution was passed unanimously calling for the study of such a change with an eye towards adopting it as the first order of business next year and having it take immediate effect so that it could be used for any other votes that take place at next year’s meeting. The board will appoint a committee to work out the details of the idea.

There was also consideration given to a few other proposals made by members before the Congress. These included the possibility of expanding the Board and compensating other officers and Board members, as well as allowing those not in recovery to serve as Board members or officers. These ideas were discussed but rejected at this time.Elections for members of the LifeRing Board of Directors saw little controversy: incumbents — Craig Whalley, Dru Boyd, and Carola Ziermann — were re-elected to three seats and the fourth, vacated by the early retirement of Lauretta Magill, will be occupied by Troy Spears, the only candidate. Troy is from Modesto, CA, where he has begun several LifeRing meetings. A brief bio of him and the other board members will be posted soon.

This brief summary doesn’t do full justice to the weekend’s events, but perhaps it gives at least a hint of what the experience was like.

Further, advance registration is not required for the meeting events. You can just show up and sign in. You may be asked for a contribution, but the amount is up to you. Zero, for example, is perfectly acceptable. So is $10,000. The suggested fee of $52 was based on $1 a week since last year’s meeting, which seemed a reasonable expectation from our many successfully clean-and-sober members who have saved untold thousands of dollars from their recovery. But obviously, some people are in bad shape financially and may not feel able to afford $52. We understand and ALL are welcome.

Any LifeRing member with at least two years of continuous sobriety is eligible to serve on the board. We will be asking the newly elected board members to sign “letters of commitment” outlining expectations for board members regarding minimal contributions of time and energy.

In addition to contests for board seats, there will be discussion and votes taken on at least one and possibly more amendments to the Bylaws. The board has discussed and, generally, supported one amendment, to make it possible for LifeRing to pay a salary to an Executive Director. This has been discussed at each of the last two Annual Meetings, but not adopted. The minds of several board members have changed, though, with the passage of time and the increasing realization of the need for greater professionalism in our organization. Nobody wants to become too “corporate,” but it has become fairly clear that a group of amateurs, no matter how determined and well-meaning, can only proceed so far in creating an efficient and growing organization. There is currently not enough money available to actually hire someone, but supporters feel that the option should exist if the financial situation improves. The discussion of this amendment promises to be lively.

Several other possible amendments will be discussed, although they may not be ready for actual up-or-down votes. Members have suggested that not only the Executive Director should be paid (if possible), but that other officers and board members should not be excluded from being compensated for time and money given to the organization. Again, the idea is to professionalize the organization by reaching out to people with particular skills and getting them involved at high levels.

Other ideas suggested for adoption are an expansion of the board from its current size (9 people) to 12 or even more. And it has been proposed that we allow persons not in recovery to serve on the board.

It has recently been suggested that we make the matters now voted on at the LifeRing Congress by elected delegates who come to the meeting, be voted on instead by delegates from each meeting who do or do not attend the Congress. This idea has garnered support, but has complexities that may require study.

All these issues will be discussed at the LifeRing Congress on Sunday, May 13.

Of course, the economic costs of drinking is only one aspect of the problem. As the report states: “Excessive alcohol consumption causes premature death (average of 79,000 deaths annually); increased disease and injury; property damage from fire and motor vehicle crashes; alcohol-related crime; and lost productivity.” Add to that the human misery that addiction brings.

The whole report is worth looking at — see it HERE

The 2012 Annual Meeting will be held in San Francisco on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 11, 12, and 13. Friday and Saturday events will be at the LGBT Center at 1800 Market St., near the Castro, Mission and Hayes Valley neighborhoods. Sunday’s gathering will be at the nearby Alano Club at 1748 Market St.

Friday’s events will be aimed at developing the group’s leadership structure, especially its Board functi0ning — the Board will work together with the help of a facilitator to sharpen the focus of its efforts. The facilitator, Mary Anna Dunn, has been a consultant for a number of non-profit organizations. Read more about her soon at our Annual Meeting Page. A featured part of Friday’s schedule will be a “Secular Recovery Open House” with representatives from several secular recovery groups meeting together. Read more about that event by clicking here.

Saturday is the busiest day and features a number of speakers, including John Monterosso, who spoke last year on cutting edge issues in neuroscience in relation to addiction; Michael Edelstein, a psychologist with long experience with REBT and its use in addiction treatment and recovery support; Sarah Zemore, who has extensive experience researching addiction; Martin Nicolaus, LifeRing’s founding leader who is largely responsible for building the present organization. Again, more information will be available very soon on the Annual Meeting Page. There will also be “break-out groups” to discuss various topics of importance to LifeRing. Topics for those are still being decided upon.  Saturday evening we’ll gather at Fuzio for the annual banquet (advance registration required).

Sunday, at the Alano Club, will bring the annual LifeRing Congress where business matters will be dealt with, including the election of board members (3 seats are up) and consideration of any bylaw amendments. Each LifeRing meeting is entitled to select one member who may vote on these issues, as well as giving a brief report on their own meeting. Learn more about the LifeRing Congress by clicking HERE

This year, we’re suggesting an entry fee of $52 dollars — a buck a week for a clean and sober year –  for the 3-day event, but nobody will be turned away. The banquet on Saturday night will cost $35 a plate.

Check the Annual Meeting Page for more information as it becomes available. For information on our speakers, click HERE

The new meeting in San Leandro, south of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area, is held each Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 AM in the Fireside Room at All Saint’s Church, 911 Dowling Blvd. All are welcome to attend. For information, contact the new meeting’s convenor, John O., at LSRSanLeandro@gmail.com

Portland is the home of the first LifeRing meeting in Maine. It meets at 3:30 PM on Fridays at the Portland Recovery Community Center, 468 Forest Ave. For more information, contact the convenor, Peter H. at LifeRingForME@roadrunner.com