2026 LifeRing Meeting Reports - Delegates Assembly

Akron Ohio Meetings • Meeting Convenors Vary • Times Vary • In-person, Hybrid, Local Online

2026 LifeRing Akron Delegates Report

Our long-standing Tuesday in-person and Thursday local online meetings continue. While overall attendance is down, we maintain a dedicated core group that consistently shows up to support one another. Meanwhile, attendance has been up at our Saturday hybrid topic meeting, which is hosted at the Summit Recovery Hub—a local Recovery Community Organization (RCO) that embraces a variety of alternative recovery pathways. Additionally, one of our longtime members convenes a private HWYW meeting at a community-based correctional facility.

LifeRing Akron continues to foster connection through a daily Signal chat, and our members remain especially generous with donations to support our host facilities, outreach efforts, and the broader LifeRing organization.

New Grant Opportunity & Institutional Outreach

The LifeRing Director of Development identified a grant opportunity through the Ridgecliff Foundation, and LifeRing Akron created the plan and is assisting with the proposal preparation. If the grant is awarded, the project will launch in Summit County in early 2027, hosting quarterly educational webinars and placing "BRIDGE Box" toolkits in 20 local courts, jails, and rehab centers.

The acronym BRIDGE stands for Building Recovery Infrastructure for Diverse Guidance & Education. Each self-contained toolkit will contain staff instructions, free recovery books for clients, and printed local meeting lists. These boxes provide institutional staff with a seamless pipeline to help more people find a secular path to long-term recovery.

Community Events

Building on our community outreach, we tabled at the OhioCAN Summit Fest in June of 2025 and will be participating again this year, with the event likely moving to September. We are also excited to expand our reach by tabling at Akron Pride this August.

LifeRing in Ohio is always growing, adapting, and evolving!

Doug D. on behalf of all of Ohio's LifeRing meetings

Matt C • Meeting Convenor • Mondays at 4:00am Pacific Time • Online

West Coast Early Birds | Meeting ID: 1067 | HWYW

Meeting Delegate: Stephanie M.

West Coast Early Birds | What a way to start your day and week!     

This How Was Your Week (HWYW) meeting has been hosted by Australian convener, Matt C. for the last six months.  His open and honest approach to the recovery journey, with crosstalk highly encouraged, makes for a lively, respectful and caring atmosphere. Matt takes time to allow all to share and contribute to the meeting.

The twenty to thirty regular members range from 20-60 plus in age and attend from the U.S., Australia, the U.K., Pakistan, Bali and more. All participants welcome and encourage newcomers to this first meeting of the week.     

This meeting is vital to my recovery, a place I feel safe, accepted and loved. The 4am timeslot is a very necessary meeting time which keeps opportunities for share time  available in later meetings.

Stephanie Mosquito
Delegate: West Coast Early Birds

Ivona S • Meeting Convenor • Mondays at 6:00am Pacific Time • Online

Case of the Mondays | Meeting ID: 1116 | HWYW

Meeting Delegate: Kevin T.

Meeting Statistics

Meeting Insights & Feedback

Anna B • Meeting Convenor • Mondays at Noon Pacific Time • Online

Sober Salon | Meeting ID: 1126 | HWYW

Meeting Delegate:  Michael M

Hello LifeRing:

This is the second consecutive year I’ve been selected as the delegate for the Sober Salon online Lifering meeting that is held each Monday at noon PST hosted by Anna B. I have been attending this HWYW meeting regularly for the past two years and it’s become an essential part of my week and my continued sobriety (for six and a half years). This meeting has been in existence for approximately three years with Anna as its founder and convenor for its entirety.

Our attendance varies anywhere from 35 to as many as 50 people who surface each week, demonstrating continued growth for the length of my association with it. The membership in the group is essentially split 50-50 between men and women with an age range from approximately 25 years old to 80 years. If I were to hazard a guess, about 60% of the attendees are regulars who appear weekly, but even those whose attendance is sporadic often return following brief absences. The length of sobriety spans the spectrum ranging from the newly sober (a few days to a week) to the veterans with as much as five years or more of complete abstinence.

At the risk of appearing felicitous, perhaps the most enduring characteristic of the Sober Salon is the universal acceptance of and support lent amongst the members of this online community, and I don’t believe it would be a stretch to say this trait is directly attributable to the patience, warmth, kindness, and enlightened guidance of its founder and convenor, Anna B.

Rarely does a week pass when we don’t have a newcomer pay a visit to the meeting, states at the end of their initial share or in the chat how at ease and welcome they have been made to feel and express an ardent desire to return. Anna’s skill as someone who both hears you and listens to you, and her continuous efforts to acquire as much knowledge as she can as a peer support volunteer establish her as one of LifeRing’s preeminent convenors and the standard to which others should strive.

Michael McCauley (Michael M.)
Delegate: Sober Salon
[email protected]

Michael A. • Meeting Convenor • Mondays at 4:00pm Pacific Time • Online

OK, Boomer | Meeting ID: 1063 | HWYW

Meeting Delegate:  Christopher H. 

OK, Boomer was originally launched on Saturday, December 23, 2023.  This popular "How Was Your Week" (HWYW) meeting eventually transitioned to its current time slot every Monday at 4:00 p.m. PT. It has since grown into a thriving gathering, drawing a consistent average of 40–50 attendees each week. Advertised as “not your parents’ recovery meeting” it is open to all generations that wish to unite in Recovery. OK, Boomer was the very first meeting Michael A. convened. 

Michael A
Convenor of Record | OK. Boomer

Maristella M• Meeting Convenor • Mondays at 5:30pm Pacific Time • Online

El Punto de Hígado |  Meeting ID: 1309 | HWYW open to all

The Liver Spot en Espanole

The Liver Spot | El Punto del Hígado es una reunión de enfoque de LifeRing que conecta a personas que viven con condiciones médicas de TUS/EHA. Ahora, esto puede sonar sombrío, porque sinceramente, lo es. Pero esta reunión está llena de esperanza y apoyo.

Esta es una reunión de especialidad de LifeRing basada en el formato de "intercambio de la semana" (¿Cómo estuvo su semana?) diseñada específicamente para personas en recuperación que enfrentan problemas de salud derivados de trastornos por el uso de sustancias. La reunión semanal no se limita a quienes tienen condiciones médicas: nuestra reunión está abierta a todos.

Una Conexión de Paciente a Paciente

The Liver Spot es el primero de su tipo, nacido de la necesidad de entender un lenguaje médico complejo que a menudo parece un idioma extranjero. Pero sabemos que para muchos, las conversaciones más difíciles y profundas sobre la vida, la muerte y la sobriedad se expresan mejor en la lengua materna.

¡The Liver Spot ha sido un salvavidas para MUCHÍSIMOS de mis pacientes!
¡Estoy tan agradecida con esta comunidad por su increíble apoyo!

Courtney Sherman, MD | UCSF Health
Directora de la Clínica HALT de UCSF (Healing Alcohol-associated Liver disease Together)

Somos una comunidad activa y comprometida que se une para apoyar nuestra propia recuperación y la de los demás. Muchos de nuestros participantes son referidos por sus médicos y especialistas en tratamientos de centros de renombre como UCSF, Stanford, Sutter Health CPMC, UC Davis, UT Southwestern, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, y la Mayo Clinic. No es inusual que las personas se unan a esta reunión desde sus camas de hospital — y sí, ¡las batas de hospital siempre son bienvenidas!

Nuestra Comunidad en Números y Esperanza

Esta reunión de enfoque apoya a una comunidad vibrante que ha navegado junta por los momentos más críticos:

• Hemos superado biopsias, endoscopias y la montaña rusa del puntaje MELD.
• Docenas de nuestros participantes han navegado con éxito el proceso para alcanzar y mantener un lugar en la Lista Nacional de Trasplantes.
• Compartimos la realidad: las estadísticas son duras, pero la esperanza es real.

El apoyo para sobrevivir la espera y el "impacto posterior" del diagnóstico es lo que hace que The Liver Spot | El Punto del Hígado sea tan único. Compartimos nuestros viajes de recuperación desde la perspectiva del paciente con comentarios (crosstalk) desde la perspectiva del paciente.

Un Espacio Seguro y Valiente

The Liver Spot | El Punto del Hígado es un espacio seguro y compasivo para compartir historias y compartir esperanza.

• Advertencia: Las participaciones pueden ser gráficas por naturaleza debido a la realidad de los tratamientos médicos, por lo que puede no ser para todos, pero está abierta a todos.
• Para aquellos que nunca han considerado los efectos a largo plazo del consumo, esta reunión sirve como una experiencia profundamente aleccionadora.
• Las emociones son intensas y la camaradería es profunda. Incluso nos emocionamos un poco cuando un ser querido se une para aprender cómo puede ayudar.

Únase a Nosotros

No importa en qué punto de su camino se encuentre—ya sea navegando el proceso de lista de espera o manejando la vida años después de un trasplante—esta comunidad está aquí para fomentar la resiliencia que usted necesita para prosperar.

Cuándo nos reunimos: En línea todos los lunes por la tarde a las 5:30 PM, hora del Pacífico. A partir del lunes 25 de mayo.

¡Aquí hacemos cosas valientes!

¿Tiene preguntas sobre cómo integrar esta reunión en su plan de cuidado o el de sus pacientes? Contacto [email protected].

Kelly T • Meeting Convenor • Mondays at 5:30pm Pacific Time • In-Person

LifeRing Salem Oregon (Salem's Lot) | Salem, OR | Meeting ID: 1292 | HWYW  + Topic

LifeRing Salem Oregon | Salem's Lot
299 Cottage Street NE
Bay Room at IKE Box Café
Salem, OR 97301
Mondays at 5:30pm Pacific | All are welcome

Early Beginnings & Long-Term Plans

With nearly two years of recovery at the time, Kelly T. hosted the inaugural gathering at IKE Box Café on December 1, 2025, making it the only currently active, in-person LifeRing meeting in Oregon. In the past, there have been other meetings in Oregon, but the Oregon state capital now stands alone. However, we intend to change that. Our goal is to establish five active LifeRing meetings across Oregon by the end of 2027, targeting key, populous locations such as Bend, Corvallis, Eugene, and Portland.

Venue & Vibe: The Mausoleum Turning Lives Around 

Our gathering place is in downtown Salem, located on the corner of major cross streets, has cheap, easy parking, and is served by public transit. It is housed inside a historic building, a beautifully converted mausoleum. Because of this unique history, we affectionately call ourselves ‘Salem’s Lot, yet we’re not vampires (at least no one claims to be)! Quite the opposite, we aim to help breathe life back into people building newly sober, or long-term recovered lives.

IKE is cozy, inviting, a little eclectic and serves as an active community hub with a wide variety of drinks, snacks, and visitors. Our meeting information prominently hangs on the main bulletin board. The Bay Room is tucked into a corner, is private, ADA accessible, and gender-neutral restrooms are available. No competing recovery meetings occupy our time slot, and IKE’s staff have been consistently welcoming and supportive.

Attendance & Demographics

Today, Jonathan S., Michael F., one other individual, and I round out the “Core Four.” Expect to see one of them serving as our delegate next year. Attendance started as just two people (Kelly +1) and has grown to a consistent four, including Jonathan and Michael. Our room has a comfortable capacity for twelve, or slightly more, when the day comes.

Our current demographics and dynamics include:

• Age Range: 39 to 66 years young
• Composition: One woman and three men
• Recovery Length: Six months to over three decades of continuous sobriety

One individual anchors the group with over 35 years of lived recovery experience, an asset to have in a room this young. We have welcomed four one-time attendees since December, including a couple of people in the earliest days of their recovery who ultimately did not return. We have never had court-ordered participants or anyone requesting attendance verification. We are ready though.

Meeting Format & Culture

Our baseline format is HWYW. We expect to incorporate a topic, the LifeRing Workbook, once a month after some growth. We begin our meeting with a short 10-minute grounding meditation. Crosstalk is actively encouraged, though anyone may opt out. Custom opening and closing statements are clear, succinct documents adapted from LifeRing templates. Our closing borrows from the Desiderata "Go placidly among the noise and haste and remember how much recovery there can be in community and connection." They will continue to evolve alongside the meeting.

As for warm-blooded newcomers, we greet them with suspicion, garlic, and crosses. Just kidding. Open arms, every time. Two attendees, who came early in their recovery and did not return, inspired the revamping of the If Today is Day 1 flyer, which is a current work in progress. Speaking of works in progress, we have yet to celebrate formal sobriety milestones, but we may in the future, and IKE Box has excellent food and dessert options when we do.

We keep LifeRing’s Empower Your Sober Self (EYSS) pamphlets on the table, circulate member contacts within the group, and have a shared Google Drive folder that contains critical meeting documents. We’ve already managed one informal potluck BBQ, with more social gatherings to be planned. We have not yet passed the basket, but that is firmly on our road map as we recently established that a business meeting will occur every 6 weeks.

Outreach: The Next Frontier

Our first six months were about building a stable foundation. Months six through twelve are about visibility and growth. We are approaching outreach on multiple fronts:

• Local Government: In April 2026, Kelly presented before the Salem City Council regarding secular recovery options, which officially planted a flag for LifeRing in local civic awareness. Drug courts are where we’ll sink our teeth into next.
• Local Recovery Centers: We are preparing to reach people who are already seeking recovery resources: professionals, systems, and facilities who work with people in recovery. Treatment centers, IOP programs, and addiction counselors are all targets of our affection.
  We begin tabling at Serenity Lane, an Oregon-centric treatment center in Eugene, on June 28 and will host a LifeRing meeting there after their outreach event. We hope to make this a monthly or every other month effort.
• National Collaboration: We meet every other month with Lisa in Akron and Laura in the Bay Area to discuss our outreach strategy and beg, borrow, and steal best practices.
• Digital Presence: We are actively listing and updating on Facebook, Reddit, Nextdoor, and Eventbrite to catch people searching for secular options online. Links below. Facebook: Group Page ▪ Reddit: April Post ▪ Nextdoor: Meeting Link ▪ Eventbrite: Meeting Link

‘Salem’s Lot is born. ‘Salem’s Lot is young. ‘Salem’s Lot is growing. And we don’t bite...much.

Appreciatively submitted,
Kelly Thomas
Convenor of Record & 2026 Delegate
2026 LifeRing Annual Congress

Michael A • Meeting Convenor • Mondays at 6:30pm Pacific Time • In-Person

BaysideMarin LifeRing Meeting | Meeting ID: 1035| HWYW

Meeting Delegate:  Markell

BaysideMarin LifeRing Meeting takes its name from the Bayside Marin Treatment Center in San Rafael, California. Bayside runs residential programs from their hillside campuses overlooking the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as outpatient services from their building on Fourth Street in downtown San Rafael. We are fortunate for their support in providing us a location at the downtown Bayside Building for our meetings at 6:30 pm on Mondays.

Our inaugural meeting was convened on March 27, 2023, by Michael A., who was eager to connect his residential experience at Bayside with his evolving sober life. Michaels commitment to the principles of LifeRing have continued to grow far beyond the Bayside Chapter, as convener and participant in a wide variety of other meetings across the region. Michael serves on the board of the LifeRing national organization, with a focus on new meeting development.

It’s hard to imagine a nicer place to hold in-person meetings than the Bayside Building. It’s a large room with comfortable furniture, a tall ceiling, recovery materials on tables and on the walls. A big white board which we have used occasionally. There’s enough space and chairs to make a circle for 20 — which is how the room is typically arranged when we arrive. Even when the group only numbers four or five, I can’t remember a time when we moved the chairs in and closed up that big circle.

These smaller meetings would be our “core group”. Two of us came out of Bayside’s residential program, another out of Olympia House, and two of us attained sobriety without any residential program at all. We are generally 5 years or less sober, with the notable exception of ‘D’, who brings more than 15 years of lived recovery experience to the group. ‘We have had a few “topic meetings”, but the core group most often follows the “How Was Your Week?” format. After all, our backstories are familiar, and we each arrive with our own up-to-the-minute rolling narrative. It’s comfortable, and there’s plenty of time to talk. A group of this size and familiarity can get pretty lively.

It’s common for the group to be two to four people larger when members of the public join us in search of non-12-step peer support. Some are newly out of a residential program, some are wondering where to start in overcoming their addictive behavior, some are well along in their recovery but always on the lookout for friendly sober mates. We may not see them a second time, or they may hang with us for a few weeks.

And then — some nights our group has been doubled in size by virtue of our relationship with Bayside. We regularly welcome groups of three, four, or more who are on a “fieldtrip” from Bayside’s residential program, an outpatient PHP, or a nearby SLE. Often it is their first contact with LifeRing, maybe even their first ever in-person peer- support experience. These folks are welcomed warmly, and Michael dusts off his excellent introduction to the principles and premises of LifeRing. These meetings typically don’t follow the “how was your week” format. For one thing, the core group will usually offer a bit of personal history — “how they got to where we are”. And of course the visiting folks each come equipped with their own stories that we’ve never heard before.

These larger meetings provide great synergy, and a delightful element of unpredictability. Of course, as the group size grows time can run short. There have been nights when we had to rush our shares. So far we’ve not filled our circle of 20, but as of late our meetings have been solidly in the teens.

Common to all meetings is our propensity for cross-talk. It’s one way we demonstrate to each other that we’re listening — that the stories are important — that we are both absorbing and reflecting. And it’s our opportunity to toss around some two cent coins.

In closing, I will 1) recommend LifeRing Bayside Marin as a worthy meeting, 2) thank everyone involved for their contributions, 3) borrow the words of our very best cross- talker and the man with the mantras:

“And that’s all I have to say about that.”

Respectfully submitted,

Markell
Delegate for the 2026 LifeRing Annual Congress on behalf of LifeRing Bayside Marin

Ewa C • Meeting Convenor • Tuesdays at Noon Pacific Time • Online

Choose To Recover Mindfully | Meeting ID: 1240 | HWYW

Meeting Delegate:  Savannah J

Choose to Recover Mindfully is a How Was Your Week? meeting hosted by Ewa. We start with a brief meditation, which often sparks beautiful crosstalk from LifeRingers about their experiences during the meditation.

Ewa leads the meeting with compassion for all as well as some great recovery facts and resources including the Sober Synthesis blog started by a fellow LifeRing member. Sylvia often co-hosts, which is great because she also provides scientific info related to recovery.

The meeting has grown! We usually have about 35 to 45 people in attendance with recovery times varying from newly sober to years/decades of sobriety.

Come join us at 9 AM EST on Tuesdays!

Savannah J

Michael A • Meeting Convenor • Tuesdays at Noon Pacific Time • In-Person

Kaiser Oakland AMRS | Meeting ID: 1011 | HWYW meeting open to all

LifeRing's roots date back to the late 1990s at Oakland Kaiser Chemical Dependency Recovery Program (CDRP). While the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted these gatherings, meetings successfully resumed on February 12, 2024, convened by Michael A. Because the meeting is open to the public, it attracts a diverse and vibrant mix of current Kaiser AMRS clients and individuals from the broader recovery community. Today, attendance remains strong, averaging 18–20 attendees each week.

The ever-changing mix of attendees fosters lively discussion. Michael A. is an excellent convenor who maintains an effective pace, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to share without feeling rushed. He pays close attention to what is being said and often has more to add to the discussion — and it is a discussion with plenty of crosstalk. I personally find the insights shared by other attendees to be invaluable additions to my sobriety toolkit, supporting my continued recovery.

Michael P
Meeting Delegate | 2026 Annual Congress

Tim S • Meeting Convenor • Tuesdays at 1:00pm Pacific Time • In-Person

LifeRing in San Francisco Kaiser AMRS | Meeting ID: 1041 | HWYW meeting open to all

LifeRing opened this HWYW meeting on February 13, 2024 at the invitation of the San Francisco Kaiser Permanente AMRS. It's held in Room 6B in the Ellis Street Kaiser AMRS building every Tuesday at 1:00pm.

A bit of history:  The very first and only in-person meetings I attended were in this exact room prior to the pandemic. The convenor, Jim V. was amazing and made it all look so easy. Jim remains a role model for me and I am grateful for all the positivity and empathy he brought to those LifeRing meetings.

Attendance in Room 6B is made up of an average of 20 people primarily from the Kaiser AMRS Program who are just starting out on their recovery journey. Participants rotate based on enrollment in the Day Program and the IRT, so community is trickier to build, but there are a number of folk who come back even after treatment. This is particularly impactful as those returning represent folk who have been through the Kaiser program and continue to maintain their sobriety. This is very encouraging for participants in the very early stages of recovery and the dynamic provides a nice balance of crosstalk.

Empower Your Sober Self in LifeRing face-to-face meetings with others in recovery here in the City by the Bay!   

Tim
San Francisco

Michael A • Meeting Convenor • Tuesdays at 5:30pm Pacific Time • Online

The Liver Spot | Post-op | Meeting ID: 1191 | Focus Meeting intended for post-liver transplant individuals.

Meeting Delegate:  Joe A

The Liver Spot | Post-Op was created in collaboration with UCSF to provide a recovery support meeting for transplant recipients. Michael A. convened the very first meeting on January 20, 2025. While initial attendance was slow, increased participation from transplant hospitals across the country has since driven steady growth, bringing weekly attendance to a consistent 18–20 members.

Meet Our Delegate

I was referred to The Liver Spot meeting by the UW Seattle liver team after my transplant at UW in December of 2025.  I started attending a week after discharge and have only been late to one meeting since then.  I look forward to the Tuesday meeting each week.  I have been concurrently attending Betty Ford for IOP and now OP.  The Post Transplant call is very different from Betty Ford.

During The Liver Spot | Post-Op meeting, the therapy provided by talking with post-transplant patients is invaluable for achieving a full recovery and continuously gaining knowledge on how to cope with daily challenges.  The meeting changes every week as the group discusses a wide range of topics that patients have faced or might face.  I learned more about how to move forward each day from the Tuesday meeting than I could have learned in any other forum.

I volunteered to participate and serve as a delegate to spread the word and enhance the call to the best of my ability.  As always, I look forward to the meeting this coming Tuesday night.

Cheers,
Joe A

Sue Betts • Meeting Convenor • Tuesdays at 5:30pm Pacific Time • Online

Celebrate Life, Y'all! | Meeting ID: 1124 | HWYW meeting open to all

We are honored to be represented by Delegate Jimmy V! Jimmy has been a strong participant in the Y'all! meeting sharing his strong commitment and sense of humor to every meeting he attends. 

Celebrate Life, Y'all! is a long-running meeting spinning off from the original Celebrate Life meeting passed down from convenor to convenor since September 2022. 

This is an early evening How Was Your Week check in meeting that serves as a safe space to wind down after work or before bed depending on your time zone! Core members in this meeting are friendly and welcoming. They're not shy about sharing their own stories and providing positive crosstalk with others. This is a warm and inviting growing meeting community where you can explore and develop your personal recovery plan.

We secretly call this meeting: Rambunctious Recovery. Come on in for a spot of sober irreverence., 

Sue
San Francisco

Daniel E • Meeting Convenor • Tuesdays at 5:30pm Pacific Time • Online

Dark Knight Sobriety | Meeting ID: 1293 | HWYW meeting open to all

Matt C • Meeting Convenor • Wednesdays at 4:00am Pacific Time • Online

Recovery Reveille | Meeting ID: 1067 | HWYW

Meeting Delegate:  Michele P.

Recovery Reveille | What a way to start your day and week!     

Recovery Reveille is an early morning "How Was Your Week?" check-in meeting. Passed down through a line of dedicated convenors, it is currently led by Matt. This meeting provides a safe, welcoming space to start your day. Because of the early hour, the atmosphere is casual, featuring a tight-knit group of regulars who are exceptionally welcoming to newcomers.

Convenor: Matt Chiaruttini (Bali/Australia) Matt is attentive, kind, and deeply compassionate. He is incredibly generous with his time, often staying late to ensure everyone has an opportunity to share. While his quick wit keeps the group on their toes, his gentle meeting style creates a comfortable, supportive environment for all.

Attendance and Group Dynamics: The meeting averages 25 attendees each week, with sobriety ranging from Day 1 to many years. The group is diverse, with regulars tuning in from the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Bali. Despite the global reach, the size of the group allows for a true "family" feel. Positive cross-talk and encouragement are staples of the meeting; members celebrate life’s victories together and lift one another up during the tougher moments of the recovery journey.

Importance of the 4:00 AM Time Slot: While 4:00 AM meetings are understandably smaller than later slots , they draw a dedicated and consistent turnout. When these meetings are removed from the schedule, they are deeply missed. Furthermore, losing this slot causes the 6:00 AM meetings to become overcrowded, and forces out those who cannot attend later due to work commitments. I am personally so incredibly thankful to Matt for stepping up to keep two of these vital 4:00 AM meetings open.

Michele P.
Delegate: Recovery Reveille 

Anna B • Meeting Convenor • Wednesdays at 9:00am Pacific Time • Online

The Nest | Meeting ID: 1102 | HWYW

Meeting Delegate:  Maria C.

This meeting is an How Was Your Week meeting, convened by Anna and co-hosted by Sylvia and Andy. The meeting is well attended, with numbers averaging between 35 and 50 participants. I have personally attended this meeting for over a year, and participation has grown over that period. Many of the participants are regular attendees (approx. 75%+), and newcomers are welcomed warmly and often become regulars. Attendees range in sobriety from Day One to multiple years.

Attendees are encouraged to raise their hand to share. Anna starts the meeting by introducing LifeRing’s 3-S philosophy and shares how it has related to her own recovery, followed by describing the books LifeRing offers to help in recovery, especially the Recovery by Choice workbook.

Crosstalk is encouraged during the meeting so long as the person sharing is open to it. Once a share is finished, Anna always engages with the person, and when possible, relates in a personal way to show understanding, and makes sure the person is open to crosstalk before allowing others to speak. The chat feature is available for people to write encouraging or celebratory messages to attendees, and allows Anna and the co-hosts to add information regarding LifeRing books or special events, and step-by-step instructions for obtaining meeting verification through Pathcheck.

This meeting is a very warm and friendly place to be. The group celebrates milestones by either visually clapping on camera or using react tools in Zoom. When someone is struggling, the group reaches out with empathy either through crosstalk or using the meeting tools.

Quote from regular participant:

I’ve never encountered a better meeting convenor than Anna. She’s unfailingly encouraging, sympathetic, empathetic, warm, calm, insightful... what more could anyone ask for?

Maria Collett
Delegate: The Nest

Sue Betts • Meeting Convenor • Wednesdays at 5:30pm Pacific Time • Online

The Liver Spot | Meeting ID: 1241 | Focus meeting open to all

We are honored to be represented by Delegate Lyn G! Lyn is The Liver Spot OG and has been instrumental in shaping this chill, community space. Lyn brings her compassion, commitment, and sense of humor to every meeting. 

The Liver Spot is a LifeRing Focus Meeting for people in recovery who are also managing SUD/ALD related medical conditions. This meeting embraces the LifeRing's 3-S philosophy of "sobriety, secularity, and self-empowerment" and offers a platform for patient-to-patient knowledge exchange.

The Liver Spot is an active and engaged community of folk who join to support their own recovery and the recovery of others. LifeRing's peer-to-peer support model has proven an incredibly powerful tool for core and newcomers. Crosstalk is huge and the camaraderie is unparalleled. It's peer-to-peer support and candid crosstalk that makes The Liver Spot such a unique resource for people in recovery and as a supporting resource for healthcare providers.

Delegate's Report

I have been attending this meeting since it started.  I have seen so many lives changed.  I do attend and have attended many different meeting through LifeRing, AA, and Dharma.  I have stuck with LifeRing because of the community.  It isn’t judgmental and all the conveyors I have had have always created a safe place.

My favorite meeting is The Liver Spot because Sue gives so much of herself to this meeting.  It’s a very unique group.  The crosstalk that is allowed is always rewarding.   It’s one of my favorite things about LifeRing.  Also Sue allows us to staying longer after the meetings to discuss whatever we want.  The time after the meeting is very grounding and it allows you to decompress and separate from your disease.

I have been sober now for over 5 and a half years.  Without the support of the LifeRing community I don’t know if I would have stayed sober.  The people I have talked to feel the same way.  Thank you all who have helped and been there for so many.

Lyn G
Delegate:  The Liver Spot  | 2026

Charmaine, Anna, John, Kirk, Benji, Pat, Phil, Kevin, CeeCee, and Susan
you are missed

Chris S • Meeting Convenor • Wednesdays at 5:30pm Pacific Time • Local Online

Los Angeles LifeRing Local Online | Meeting ID: 1030 | HYWY 

Los Angeles LifeRing Local Online, meeting # 1030, is a Local Online meeting which began in July 2021 and is listed on the Local Meetings page.  It is one of two local meetings in Southern California.

The meeting has steadily declined over the years and currently has 2-3 remaining regular members.  New attendees are infrequent, and none have stayed.

Members are older (60+), about evenly split between men and women, and are all longtime regular members of the group.  Participation rate is 100%.

It is a How Was Your Week meeting using the standard opening statement.

Chris S.
convenor

Matt C • Meeting Convenor • Wednesdays at 9:00pm Pacific Time • Online

You, Me, and ADHD | Meeting ID: 1295 | HWYW meeting open to all

Overview and Meeting Purpose

You, Me, and ADHD is a specialized LifeRing focus meeting tailored to individuals navigating the unique intersections of substance recovery and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Recognizing that traditional, larger meeting formats can sometimes feel overwhelming or disconnected for neurodivergent individuals, this meeting was intentionally designed as a smaller, intimate gathering. By fostering a tight-knit environment, the meeting successfully accommodates the crucial importance of focused connection, active listening, and deeply constructive peer-to-peer cross-talk.

Attendance and Group Dynamics

Because this meeting deliberately prioritizes a smaller footprint to ensure everyone has a meaningful opportunity to share, attendance typically averages a dedicated core group of 10 to 15 participants weekly. This intentional constraint creates a safe, low-stimulation environment where members can comfortably express their challenges without the anxiety of a fast-moving, high-occupancy room.

The group dynamics are highly collaborative. Members frequently share that the smaller room size allows them to track the conversation more easily, minimize typical ADHD-related conversational drift, and build strong, ongoing bonds of accountability.

Keys to Successes

Over the year, the meeting has focused on practical, real-world strategies for building a personal recovery program while managing executive dysfunction. The greatest success of "You, Me, and ADHD" has been its retention. Newcomers who have struggled to find their footing in broader recovery formats report feeling an immediate sense of "belonging" here. The intentional focus on deep, unhurried connection has made it a vital lifeline for its members.

Future Outlook

As the demand for neurodivergent-friendly recovery spaces grows, our primary challenge is maintaining the small, focused scale that makes this meeting successful without turning away those in need, while preserving the small-group magic.

Respectfully submitted,

Matt Convenor/Delegate, You, Me, and ADHD
Australia / Bali

Marc O • Meeting Convenor • Thursdays at 9:00am Pacific Time • Online

The Thursdays Are The Hardest Days | Meeting ID: 1249 | Topic meeting open to all

The Thursdays Are The Hardest Days just celebrated our 1 year anniversary.  From the start we have had a vibrant and active community.  We can't thank Robert enough for giving us an active meeting to inherit.  

We have explored and discussed a number of topics from fears around recovery to celebrating our recovery accomplishments and everything in between.  We have found that the topic format is a good way get a discussion kicked off.  However it is always surprising to see the different directions the discussion develops.  We are usually far away from the chosen topic by the end of the hour.  

By encouraging (but not requiring) the use of the webcam we have a very supportive room.  We have also made it an effort to make meeting attendees aware of other LifeRing resources like the e-Pals and other recovery programs.  We also make it a point to celebrate new LifeRing meetings and those that may be relevant to someone's specific share.  Having an excellent co-host is the only way this could be possible.

The most rewarding aspect of hosting has been seeing new members (many completely new to recovery) come week after week and become valuable members of our community. One even confirmed that their *first* LifeRing meeting was the *first* Thursdays Are The Hardest, and they are now active in selecting topics and even bringing a guest speaker to an upcoming meeting.  

We (Marc and Ron) always end meetings by saying that this meeting and community are essential to our recovery and we feel like we get more benefit from the meeting than effort we put into it.  It is an essential part of both our Personal Recovery Programs. 

In the coming year we are hopeful we can continue to explore (and think up) more topics for discussion, however there is plenty still to be mined from topics we have discussed in the past.  We hope to see our community grow and have more and diverse regular participants, but also hold a place for those who want to be there quietly.

--
Marc Olson
[email protected]

Sue Betts • Meeting Convenor • Fridays at 12:00pm Pacific Time • In-Person

LifeRing in San Francisco City Hall | Meeting ID: 1023|  HWYW meeting open to all

We are honored to be represented by Delegate Geoffrey S! Geoffrey has been a strong participant in our City Hall meeting since our inaugural meeting. He brings his strong commitment and sense of humor to every meeting he attends. 

San Francisco City Hall | LifeRing opened its HYWY meeting in San Francisco City Hall on February 3rd, 2023. This is the first in-person meeting to run in San Francisco since the pandemic shut down our SF onsite locations. This is a weekly "How Was Your Week" check-in meetings for people seeking support with substance use challenges.

We offer a recovery-forward meeting held on Fridays at 12:00pm noon in Room 278 in San Francisco City Hall. All people who want to be free from alcohol and drugs and stay free from alcohol and drugs are welcome.

Participants |  Our core group is made up of 15 very smart and very likable people who make recovery a focus in their lives.

Empower Your Sober Self in LifeRing face-to-face meetings with like-minded people in recovery here in the City by the Bay!   

Sue
San Francisco

go warriors!

Laura M • Meeting Convenor • Fridays at 12:00pm Pacific Time • In-Person

Face-To-Face Fridays | Meeting ID: 1258 | HWYW meeting open to all

The When and Where:

Face-to-Face Fridays | 12:00pm to 1:30pm PST
399 Gregory Lane
Pleasant Hill CA 94523

The History:

The Friday meeting was established in Dec 2011.  It was originally started at Walnut Creek Kaiser.  It was formed after the Wednesday LifeRing meeting members said that they wanted to meet twice weekly.  During COVID we met in the parking lot since no  community meetings were allowed in the building.

After several years, we were still not allowed to return inside the building but  it was becoming problematic to continue meeting  outdoors.  We decided to search out a new venue.  In June of 2023 we had our first meeting in Pleasant Hill.  Same group, different location.

Who We Are:

Our meetings are attended by those in all stages of recovery.  We have some with several decades of continuous sobriety and some who only have a few days.  Some of us have been together for a decade and others for more than 5 years.  We welcome all newcomers and many decide to stay awhile. All are a part of our meeting “family.”

We average 12-15 people in attendance each week.  The meeting is 1 ½ hours so there is plenty of time to share.  If you need to come late or leave early, that's ok by us.  We are just glad you came.

What We Do:

Our meeting supports people in recovery from all over the San Francisco Bay Area.  Some travel only a few miles and some have  come from as far as 50 miles each week.

We offer literature at our meeting and often offer refreshments.  We always offer support.

We also continue to support our sister meeting at Kaiser in Walnut Creek when it was formed and sponsored by the Wednesday and Friday Pleasant Hill meetings.  We help out financially and a few core members in our  group support by attending regularly.   

Our current outreach project is supplying “ Little Free Libraries” with LifeRing literature.  Because we have attendees from multiple counties, we can supply  books to a wide area.

Final Words:

Our Face-to-Face Friday  meeting feels a tremendous amount of gratitude for our recovery as individuals and as a group. We support each other on our sober journeys and cry and laugh along the way.  That's just what families do.

Karen F. • Meeting Convenor • Fridays at 2:15pm Pacific Time • In-Person

MPI-LifeRing | Oakland CA | Meeting ID: 1006 | HWYW meeting open to all

MPI-LifeRing | Fridays at 2:15pm Pacific
3012 Summit St., 5th Floor Board Room
Oakland, CA, 94609

Join me in welcoming our newest in-person convenor: Karen F!

LifeRing’s partnership with Oakland’s Merritt-Peralta Institute runs deep, spanning back to the in-person meetings held before the pandemic. When MPI was ready to welcome groups back, they invited LifeRing to resume their weekly HWYW meetings. Re-launched by Michael A. on February 18, 2025, this meeting is open to the public but primarily supports current MPI clients, drawing a close-knit group of 8–14 attendees each week. Beginning June 5, 2026, this meeting will be moved to Fridays at 2:15 pm and convened by MPI Alum Karen F.

Michael A
Previous Convenor | MPI-LifeRing 

Shane K • Meeting Convenor • Fridays at 5:30pm Pacific Time • Online

The Liver Spot | XYZ | Meeting ID: 1006 | HWYW meeting open to all

The Liver Spot | XYZ — Supporting the Next Generation

The Liver Spot Community is expanding our reach once again! We are incredibly excited to introduce The Liver Spot | XYZ.

Recovery is rarely a straight line, and when you add complex medical conditions into the mix — especially as a younger adult — the path can feel treacherous. This new space is specifically tailored for the "next generation" — Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z — who face a unique set of life transitions, social pressures, and digital-age challenges.

Following the successful model of our original Liver Spot Community meetings, The Liver Spot | XYZ integrates the worlds of substance use disorder (SUD) recovery and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) clinical care. We provide a collaborative space where younger adults can master the balancing act of clinical recovery and long-term sobriety as they navigate their way to a resilient, sustainable lifestyle.

Join The Liver Spot | XYZ on Fridays at 5:30pm Pacific Time to learn from the journey and share from the ... heart!

A Space for the Next Generation of Liver Patients in Recovery

The Liver Spot | XYZ is a welcoming and supportive recovery community specifically for our Gen X, Millennials , and Gen Z members navigating the intersection of substance use recovery (SUD) and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD).

If you're looking to connect with others who understand the reality of being an ALD patient, this is the place for you. In many recovery spaces, the physical toll of illness is secondary; here, it is the heart of the conversation. We recognize that facing serious health diagnoses at a younger age brings a unique set of questions, social pressures, and life transitions. This meeting offers more than just support — it offers patient-tested insights for navigating the road ahead.

Whether you are managing early-stage health concerns or navigating a long-term medical journey, you'll find a warm welcome and a safe space to share your struggles and your successes with peers who truly "get it." This is a place for honest sharing, deep camaraderie, and finding hope built on shared, lived experience.

What to Expect: Shared Experience, Collective Strength

The Liver Spot | XYZ is more than just a support group; it’s a community where we trade the real-life insights necessary to navigate life as a younger person in recovery.

When you join The Liver Spot | XYZ meeting, you can expect to:

• Exchange Lived Insights: Connect with peers who are navigating the same social and physical hurdles of being a younger patient. We don’t just share space; we share the wins, the frustrations, and the hard-won lessons of managing a serious diagnosis in the prime of your life.
• Learn Through Shared Journeys: In this safe, non-judgmental environment, your story becomes someone else’s survival guide. We believe in the power of open dialogue — by listening to one another, we learn how others handle everything from navigating complex medical appointments to maintaining a vibrant, active social life while prioritizing our health.
• Refine Your Path Through Peer Dialogue: This isn’t a lecture; it’s a conversation. By hearing how others empower their "new normal," you gain a toolkit of perspectives to help you handle your own medical and recovery milestones. Your peers are often the best resource for learning how to stay resilient when the road gets rocky.
• Master the Balancing Act: We help each other bridge the gap between doctor’s orders and recovery goals. Together, we learn how to apply the LifeRing philosophy of "Empower Your Sober Self" in a way that truly honors your journey.

No matter your current diagnosis or where you are in your recovery, you will find a warm welcome and a community that speaks your language.

Get Connected

Whether you are in the early stages of a diagnosis, navigating the transplant list, or managing long-term recovery, there is a Spot waiting for you. We learn from each other's experiences so that none of us has to figure it out alone.

The Liver Spot Community: Finding Your People

The Liver Spot started with a simple idea: That people living with SUD-related medical conditions have a unique kind of perspective to offer one another. As we’ve grown, we’ve created specialized spaces so you can connect with peers who truly understand your specific journey:

• The Liver Spot — The meeting that started it all. Known for its high-energy, "all-in" vibe, this meeting is a space where we trade insights and encouragement about the realities of living with medical conditions in recovery.
  Wednesdays at 5:30pm Pacific | Learn more and click to join:  The Liver Spot
• Post-Transplant Liver Spot — A specialized circle for transplant recipients. Life after a transplant comes with its own set of intricacies. This exclusive meeting offers a dedicated space for transplant recipients to connect with others who have walked that same path.
  Tuesdays at 5:30pm Pacific | Learn more and click to join: The Post-Transplant Liver Spot
• The Liver Spot | XYZ — Our newest focus group for the next generation. Tailored for the younger generation, , this meeting is all about building a community where health and sobriety thrive together. It’s a space to connect with peers who prove that navigating your medical journey can be an empowering and shared experience.
  Fridays at 5:30pm Pacific | Learn more and click to join:  The Liver Spot | XYZ

A Growing Movement of Support

What began on December 23, 2020, with a single meeting with just 18 participants has blossomed into a vital network supporting approximately 100 liver patients who come together every week to share their journeys from a patient's perspective. The Liver Spot has become more than just a meeting; it is a blueprint for success. We are honored to frequently host leaders from other recovery communities who join us to experience — and bring back to their own organizations — the open, engaging, and patient-centered environment we’ve built together.

Endorsed by Medical Experts

The critical social impact of The Liver Spot Community's unique patient-to-patient connection is recognized and relied upon by leading University Medical Centers. Our members are referred by treatment specialists and medical teams at UCSF, Stanford, Sutter Health CPMC, UC Davis, UT Southwestern, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, and the Mayo Clinic. People often join us directly from their hospital beds—and yes, hospital gowns are always welcome! It’s a very supportive and genuine space.

Trusted by participants and leading medical experts, The Liver Spot Community provides a vital connection with peers who don't just sympathize — they truly understand the journey. This is the critical, real-world support healthcare professionals recognize as essential for thriving in long-term recovery.

The Liver Spot Communities: Connection and Understanding

When facing the complexities of addiction-related medical conditions, the greatest breakthroughs often come not from a doctor's chart, but from a peer's experience.

The Liver Spot Community is a unique group of LifeRing specialty meetings built on the How Was Your Week check-in format and tailored to folks who are experiencing serious medical conditions related to substance use disorder (SUD).

The Liver Spot, The Liver Spot | XYZ, and the The Post-Transplant Liver Spot are more than just meetings — they are powerful, thriving lifelines where individuals find unmatched peer support. We are dedicated to the simple and profound idea that the best guidance and deepest understanding often come from someone who has authentically walked the same path.

While the medical realities we discuss can be grim, the feeling of the community is anything but. This is a place for honest sharing, deep camaraderie, and finding  hope built on shared, lived experience.

For more information about this unique and powerful recovery community, please reach out to [email protected]

We Do Brave Things Here!

Anne L • Meeting Convenor • Saturdays at 9:30am Pacific Time • Local Online

San Leandro Saturday | Meeting ID: 1265 | HWYW

San Leandro Saturday was originated by John Owens who sadly passed away last year. Anna has stepped up as the next Convenor for this “How was your week?” based meeting that goes back to 2011. The meeting is open and welcoming of those just starting to end addiction focusing on the discussion of our daily challenges and successes in maintaining sobriety.

Crosstalk is encouraged by Anna and our core group that contains 4 LifeRing convenors from previous face-to-face meetings, many at Kaiser chemical dependency gatherings.

Most of our attendees are in the Bay Area, but we encourage people from all over to attend.

We offer help, hope and some laughs during the one-hour sessions.

Greg S. 
2026 Annual Congress Delegate | San Leandro Saturday LifeRing Meeting

Lawrence C • Meeting Convenor • Saturdays at 11:00am Mountain  Time • In-person

Salt Lake City| Meeting ID: 1015 | HWYW

Salt Lake City Saturday | Saturdays at 11:00am Mountain
First Baptist Church | Second Floor, Library Room 
777 South 1300 East 
Salt Lake City, UT 84102

LifeRing Utah Meeting Report for 2026 Annual Congress Delegates Assembly

The following is an annual update on the LifeRing meeting in Salt Lake City. LifeRing Utah has operated a “How Was Your Week?” meeting midday on Saturdays since 2013. The original convenor was Mahala C., who helped found a LifeRing chapter in Utah. Since 2017, we have met from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Saturdays at First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City, and it has been a welcoming venue for us. We are not charged for use of a room or for parking, and the church is also conveniently located near mass transit access. I became the regular convenor for the Saturday meeting in 2018. Our alternate convenors are Michelle F. and Kade H. Weekly attendance varies but is usually somewhere between and 8 people. The meeting format has remained consistent as a “How Was Your Week?” meeting.

In the past, we have also offered additional meetings on other days of the week, most recently on Wednesday evenings. At present however we only have one weekly in- person meeting, and recommend LifeRing’s extensive schedule of online zoom meetings as
additional resources to current and prospective meeting attendees.

We solicit donations and utilize those funds to make annual donations to the church for use of the room, and for any materials or supplies for the meeting. Colin B. serves as our treasurer. Our largest expenses are the fees for registration and webhosting of the LifeRing Utah website: www.liferingutah.org. We have found that the website is an effective way for people to find out about LifeRing and our local meetings. Our website is maintained and updated by our volunteer webmaster, Rob W. We pay for website hosting once every three years, and may revisit the status of the website the next time a payment is due. For the time
being, we do not expect to make any changes to it.

LifeRing has now had an active presence in Salt Lake City for more than a dozen years, and that reflects the work of our volunteers, and the community our meetings have fostered. LifeRing Utah also appreciates the national leadership of LifeRing, and all the
volunteer work that makes its success possible. 

Lawrence C.
Salt Lake City Saturday LifeRing Meeting Convenor

Jad G. • Meeting Convenor • Sundays at 6:00am Pacific Time • Online

I'm Just Going To Live Sunday | Meeting ID: 1094 | HWYW

Meeting Delegate: Mike R

I'm Just Going To Live Sunday is a HWYW meeting hosted by Jad G and co-hosts Annie O and Mike R. This meeting was started on Father's Day 2025 and was picked for the Sunday spot because there was no Sunday meeting and sobriety/recovery doesn't take any days off.

Meeting Flow:

• • Celebrations: We start by asking if anyone is celebrating a special day (sober anniversary, birthday, wedding anniversary, graduation, etc.).
  • Gratitude: I ask members to share one thing they are grateful for during their share.Z I ask members to share one thing they are grateful for during their share. ZThe meeting has regulars from the 6-7 A.M. Pacific group and averages 30-40 members in attendance, with sobriety ranging from a few days to several years.Join us Sunday mornings at 6 A.M. Pacific and I appreciate ya.

Jad G
Convenor of Record and all around great guy