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The
2009 LifeRing Expo in Review |
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The eighth annual LifeRing Expo and
Congress concluded Sunday afternoon May 10 with the creation of an
expansion committee to map the future growth of the LifeRing
network.
 The weekend event began with a reception and book release party
Friday evening at the home of LifeRing CEO and author Martin
Nicolaus, celebrating the publication of his new book,
Empowering
Your Sober Self: the LifeRing Approach to Addiction Recovery. The
guests were a mixture of LifeRing participants, family, friends, and others for whom
addiction recovery was a topic of interest.
Alan Rinzler, the editor
at Jossey-Bass publishers in charge of the book, was a featured
guest and made impromptu remarks at the event.
Saturday May 9 was filled with presentations and workshops at the
conference center in the basement of the Herrick campus of Alta
Bates/Summit Hospital in downtown Berkeley. Conference organizers
Dru B. and Robert S. provided early arrivals with a breakfast of
bagels donated by Noah's Bagels, muffins and Danish donated by
Otis Spunkmeyer, and coffee donated by
Starbucks.
The program began with a Convenor's Workshop led by Dru B., with
assistance from John D., Craig O., and other veteran LifeRing
convenors. ("Convenor" is the LifeRing term for meeting facilitators
-- it means "people who bring people together.") Dru is the convenor
of the Friday evening Union City meeting and the founder of the
Wednesday noon Niles/Fremont meeting. The main auditorium was close
to filled for this event, and the 75-minute time limit was too short
to cover all the topics of interest.
In a smaller conference room meanwhile, another group gathered to
discuss next steps in the formation of
LifeRing Partners, a
projected organization for people who are in relationships where
alcohol and/or other drugs are an issue. Look for a separate report
on this event later.
 Carolyn Reuben, founder and Executive Director of CARA, the
Community Addiction Recovery Association, based in Sacramento, led off the
guest presentations with a talk on "Food, Pills, Acupressure: The
Pleasures of Biochemical Brain Repair." Carolyn's talk stressed the
importance of good nutrition and other healthy habits of body and
mind in recovery. The turnout for her presentation was so strong
that she ran out of handouts. She received hearty rounds of
applause.
Meanwhile, retiring LifeRing Board of Directors member Chet
Gardiner, one of the founding
 members of the organization, had a
full conference room for his presentation on "Long Term Recovery in
LifeRing." The discussion explored the pleasures and perils of
staying clean and sober long-term in an approach that stresses
individual autonomy, avoids making people feel guilty, and does not
demand life-long meeting attendance. Chet, now living in Tucson AZ,
recently celebrated his tenth anniversary clean and sober.
At the same time, LifeRing convenors Laurie M. and Julian C. led a
discussion on recovery issues of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender) people. Topics included the need to promote greater
awareness and respect for queer people in the recovery community,
including within LifeRing; promoting secular recovery options within
the LGBT communities; the numerous psychological and social
pressures faced by sexual minorities, and the ever-present
temptation to try to ease the stress by using addictive substances.
 After lunch, LifeRing convenor Kathleen Gargan from Denver
introduced Martin Nicolaus, who delivered the keynote address, based
on his new book, "Empowering Your Sober Self." Marty sketched the
profile of three individuals who, as active addicts, were nasty,
toxic,
and self-destructive, but who in recovery became warm,
friendly and lovable persons. He posed the question where these
positive qualities came from? He outlined the basic psychological
makeup of persons in addiction as being split into an addicted self
("A") and a sober self ("S"). He pointed to two possible treatment
strategies, one that focuses on making war on the A, and the other
that bases itself on giving support to the S. The attack therapies,
he said, had a very poor outcomes record. LifeRing aligns itself
with strength-based approaches that build alliances with the inner S
and seek to empower the positive qualities within the person. He
outlined the basics of the LifeRing philosophy and
 meeting format,
and briefly described the nine domains or work areas covered in the
Recovery by Choice workbook. After a few remarks about
powerlessness, the disease theory, and genetic research, Marty
answered the initial question by saying that the warm, lovable
persons we see in recovery were locked up inside the nasty, toxic
people all the time, but that addiction had imprisoned them. The
recovery support process empowered the positive qualities within the
person to break free. Recovery is a process of liberation that
restores the person to their original, sober, authentic self. The
standing-room only audience responded with strong applause. The talk
was recorded on video and a DVD release is planned for the future.
Guest speaker
Dr. Emjay Tan, clinical director of the Kaiser
Permanente Chemical Dependency Recovery Program in Union City,
California, next presented a PowerPoint slide show and talk about
Pharmacological Aids to Recovery. Dr. Tan, a board-certified
 psychiatrist with a specialty in addictions, is an advocate of a
holistic approach to addiction recovery, based on collaboration with
the patient in setting the treatment plan, and offering a choice of
multiple pathways. Medications are one of the available recovery
tools. Dr. Tan outlined medications used in withdrawal and
medications used in relapse prevention, and answered numerous
audience questions about the topic. He received warm applause for
his informative, thorough, and helpful presentation. Dr. Tan's
PowerPoint is available for
downloading here.
 Meanwhile Jim Ringland, convenor of the Wednesday evening Berkeley
workbook study group and co-owner of the online
workbook email list,
led a workshop on studying the Recovery by Choice workbook,
available from LifeRing Press. The session included a general
introduction to the structure and plan of the workbook, as well as a
sample exercise engaging the workshop participants. Jim is the
Secretary of LifeRing.
At the same time, LifeRing convenor Robert Stump, who leads the
Tuesday evening meeting in Union City CA, led a workshop introducing
the history and significance of the LifeRing
"Three S" philosophy --
Sobriety, Secularity, and Self-Help. Robert is the Treasurer of
LifeRing.
The guest speaker program concluded with a dynamic, lively
presentation by Dr. B.J. Davis, Clinical Director of
Strategies for
Change in Sacramento, and last year's LifeRing keynote presenter.
(Excerpts from his keynote address are available on
DVD from
LifeRing Press.) Dr. Davis further developed his Quality of Life
approach, and presented
 the "Between the Fives" paradigm used in his
treatment center to assist clients in moderating their mood swings.
People active in their addiction tend to go from extreme highs to
extreme lows, and their capacity to experience pleasure is
physiologically battered. In recovery, long-repressed emotions may
surface or underlying depression may manifest itself, so that it
becomes critically urgent for the person to learn to stay within
moderate limits ("between the fives") in their moods. Dr. Davis'
presentation, rich in audience response and participation, met with
a warm welcome, with a number of people expressing the wish that he
were in charge of their treatment program.
 At the end of the work day, the large conference room filled with
LifeRing participants from several different parts of the country in
a LifeRing meeting. It was the first face-to-face LifeRing meeting
for a number of participants who had known each other only online.
The meeting proceeded in a warm, positive, experience-rich
atmosphere, and continued well past the hour until it was time to
break for dinner.
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Saturday climaxed with the Awards Banquet,
held this year at the
Mandarin Garden restaurant on Shattuck Avenue
in downtown Berkeley, a 12-minute walk from the conference venue.
LifeRing convenor Risa K. planned the menu and entertainment. After a feast of delicious vegetarian, fish and meat dishes, served
in abundance, the diners applauded the LifeRing Pioneer Awards
recipients (see separate story in sidebar) and relaxed to musical
entertainment by Robert Bradley, Karen Ivy, and
Chet Gardiner.
Sunday morning, delegates from a number of LifeRing meetings (online
and face-to-face) met in the conference venue for the Delegates'
Assembly, a/k/a the LifeRing Congress. The LifeRing Congress,
consisting of delegates elected by the meetings, is the governing
body of the organization. The Congress heard and approved the
Financial Report presented by Treasurer Robert Stump; a copy is
available online
here. Next, the Congress read, discussed, and
approved the Annual Report prepared on behalf of the Board of
Directors by CEO Marty N. A copy is posted online
here.
The main part of the meeting consisted of reports from the delegates
and from non-delegate reporters about the state of their meetings.
The minutes of the Assembly, taken by LifeRing Secretary Jim
Ringland, will be posted online. Following the meeting reports,
Marty N. made a motion (previewed in the Delegates' Briefing,
available online here) to create an Expansion Committee, charged
with drafting a set of Bylaws amendments designed to expand the
organization's leadership ranks and pave the way for a transition
from the founding generation. The motion, as amended, was adopted
unanimously.
Elections to the Board of Directors followed. LifeRing director
Carola Z., ending a one-year term, was elected to a three-year term.
LifeRing Secretary Jim Ringland and LifeRing convenor Dru Boyd were
elected to three-year terms, succeeding outgoing directors Owen
Poole and Chet Gardiner. LifeRing convenor Laurie M. was elected to
a two-year term to fill the unexpired portion of retiring director
Mona H.'s term.
The Assembly's work done, all departed, except for the newly elected
Board, which met at around noon for its annual face-to-face meeting.
After thanking the retiring directors and welcoming the new members,
the Board got down to business.
Item No. 1 was the issue of buying
general liability insurance that would cover all the meetings in the
U.S. and Canada. Treasurer Robert S., who negotiated the offer of
coverage, moved that the Board accept it. The motion was carried
unanimously. General liability coverage is important to a number of
meetings who rent meeting rooms from churches or other businesses
that require meetings to have such coverage. It is expected that the
coverage will be in place within a few days.
The second order of
business was launching the Expansion Committee just created by the
Congress. An initial list of volunteers for the committee was made
up; a call for additional volunteers will go out to the membership;
several readings and other resources were discussed; and director
Kathleen Gargan volunteered to be committee chair at the outset.
More details will follow separately.
The board also discussed and
agreed to pilot-test holding the regular monthly board meetings in phone conference
using Skype, instead of in a chat room. If this proves viable,
details will be announced. As the Board adjourned, director Carola
Z. expressed the consensus, saying that the whole weekend had gone very
well.
Photographs by Karen Ivy |
LifeRing Pioneer Awards
LifeRing Pioneer Awards go to
LifeRing participants and others who help to expand the LifeRing
network or
perform other extraordinary meritorious services.
This year's Pioneer Award recipients present at the banquet were:
Dru Boyd of Hayward, CA, for founding a new LifeRing meeting in
Niles/Fremont, California.
Craig Whalley of Port Townsend WA, for founding a new email list,
the LifeRingSoberLiving list.
Matt Dean of Ravenel, South Carolina, for founding the first
LifeRing meeting in the state, in
Charleston.
David Frey of San Rafael, for founding a new LifeRing meeting in
that city.
Dr. Spencer Schein, head of the Chemical Dependency Services
division at Kaiser Permanente in San Rafael, for his steadfast
support of the choice model in addiction recovery.
Paul Potocki of Rohnert Park, CA, for writing the first full-length
feature article about LifeRing to appear in print, in the North Bay
Bohemian.
Dr. B. J. Davis of Sacramento, Clinical Director of Strategies for
Change, for his starring role in the first DVD to be issued by
LifeRing Press: "What is Recovery? A Quality of Life
Perspective."
Todd Fresch and Matt Dean, principals of Queen's English
Productions, Charleston SC, for many pro bono hours of video editing and
design for the B.J. Davis DVD.
Alan Rinzler of Berkeley, senior editor at
Jossey-Bass Publishers of
San Francisco, for his outstanding editorial contributions to the
new Empowering Your Sober Self book.
Chet Gardiner of Tucson AZ, founding member of the LifeRing
organization, former CFO, and founder of several meetings, on his
retirement from the LifeRing Board of Directors: a Lifetime
Achievement Award.
Additional LifeRing Pioneer Awards were presented at the next day's
events to:
Greg Heminway of San Rafael CA, for starting a new LifeRing there.
Carola Ziermann of Moraga CA, for starting a new LifeRing in Walnut
Creek.
Lauretta Molitor of Oakland, for pro bono professional
video and audio services.
Additional awards were given in absentia to the following:
Michael Walsh of Victoria BC, Canada, for founding LifeRing Canada
and for outstanding local organizing work.
Clyde Fries, also of Victoria, for starting a new LifeRing there.
Dr. George Ubogy, head of the Addiction Recovery Program at
Greenwich Hospital in
Greenwich CT, for his support of the choice model.
Julliette Silva of Falmouth MA for starting the Cape Cod LifeRing.
Gaye Wilson of Placerville CA for starting a LifeRing meeting there.
Lars Bergstrom of Stockholm, Sweden, for starting the first LifeRing
in Sweden and for facilitating a Swedish translation of parts of the
Recovery by Choice workbook.
In view of concerns that had been raised about the political
correctness of the graphic design in the Pioneer Award certificate,
Marty N. announced a design contest for a new and improved
certificate. The winner will get -- what else? -- a LifeRing
Pioneer Award.
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