LifeRing Meeting Reports — Delegates Assembly

Akron LifeRing  | HWYW, OH

Akron is an exciting example of the resilience of LifeRing In-Person meetings

Akron LifeRing has three meetings – two local online and one currently in-person. Prior to the pandemic, we had two in-person meetings. At the beginning of the pandemic the in-person meetings moved online and we added a third online meeting. Between the three meetings, we have a core group of 10 people.

During the pandemic, our Tuesday meeting has alternated between indoors, outdoors, and virtual. Our Thursday (formerly in-person) meeting will continue to be a local online meeting. Our Saturday local online meeting, started at the beginning of the pandemic, is a permanent addition to the Akron LifeRing family. While Akron members have elected to keep our online meetings local, we have had participants from: Michigan, Mexico, Minnesota, Alabama, Tennessee, and other locations. Some participants from outside the area have become core members.

Akron LifeRing has found creative ways to support one another and maintain group cohesiveness during the past two years. We have a morning text group and we have held virtual game nights. The last couple of years have been bleak at times with a seemingly never ending barrage of bad news. Consequently, after asking for anniversaries we ask if anyone has a silver lining they would like to share. Akron LifeRing is thrilled to have survived these last two years and is prepared to meet future challenges!

Thanks,
The Akron LifeRingers
Akron, Ohio

Josh M.  • Meeting Co-Convenor • Tuesdays at 6:00pm Pacific Time | HWYW, WA

Meeting ID:  21802 | Zoom Meeting ID: 920 2549 7153. Passcode: lifering | Meeting is open to all

Our How Was Your Week LifeRing meeting is held via zoom, on Tuesdays at 6:00pm Pacific Time. The meeting was founded in the end of February 2021 by Josh (myself) and Gabe, the current convenor. Having participated in the 6:00pm Oakland Kaiser AMRS meeting on Thursdays, we decided to start a new meeting. Since inception, Gabe has functioned as the convenor and I as the co-convenor. In times of convenor absence, I have convened the meeting. 

Our meeting is an open meeting, serving no special demographic, yet embracing all. Participants are predominantly from within the United States; however, I am from the Cayman Islands and regularly attend as co-convenor. During the past year we have had a stable meeting attendance of a minimum 20-25 participants, with attendance growing incrementally. When sharing, it is left to the individual to state their recovery time. We have had participants who are in early recovery, or the first month, up to longer term recoveries of up to one year or more. Though not all are inclined to share, we enjoy robust discourse, with stimulating crosstalk. Participants who attend as listeners are welcome and have at times opted to share still. 

Our meeting is an attendance verification meeting. We have had participants attend meetings due to legal requirement. We are eager to assist by providing verification links. 

We have seen the uplifting side of recovery through LifeRing in the attendance and commitment of participants. We have also seen participants drop off or have relapses. We remain open to all, endeavouring to keep a healthy, welcoming meeting environment to continue providing a place for anyone in recovery who wants to share, or take part in our meeting. Our meeting is one of many, and we encourage willing participants to engage in other LifeRing meetings as well.

Compiled by Josh M
Washington

Cameron M • Meeting Participant • Tuesdays, 7:00pm Pacific Time |  HWYW, LGBT and Friends

Meeting ID: 21906 |  Zoom Meeting ID: 921 4287 9313, Passcode: lifering | Meeting is open to all

Tuesday LGBT and Friends Meeting Report

• MEETING

• • We meet every Tuesday at 7 pm. URL: https://zoom.us/j/92142879313?pwd=Zlo0UitKejhpdncrMjVjSzJiQ1RGZz09
  • This meeting was founded in early 2022 by Ben S.
  • Ben was the original convenor, and Cameron M. has recently taken over the role.
  • This meeting serves the LGBT+ community and its allies.
• ATTENDEES
  • Our meeting started small, with roughly 10 – 12 attendees each week. We now average around 20 attendees each meeting.
  • Our regulars compose roughly 50-60% of attendees on any given night.
  • We range in age from mid 20s to 60s. Our meeting seems to skew younger than daytime meetings.
  • We typically have more male-presenting participants than female-presenting.
  • We typically have one share per meeting from someone who discloses that they have been court ordered.
  • The majority of our attendees are within their first 6 months of sobriety, but we have a few attendees with 1 year, and at least one regular with 2+ years.
• FORMAT
  • We use a modified opening statement that highlights Lifering’s 3 S philosophy, identifies the meeting as a safe space for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, and explains the general flow of the meeting. The convener reads the opening statement.
  • We start with a “How was your week” check in and move on to a topic if we have time. Topics are generally chosen based on common themes in peoples’ shares.
  • Cross talk is encouraged in our meeting.
  • We invite people to share their sober time if they chose to do so, but it is not required. We applaud or use ASL to indicate applause when someone shares their sober time.
  • The meeting ends with the convener reading the closing statement followed by a round of applause.
• ONLINE-SPECIFIC
  • The majority of our attendees are in California, but we have a few regulars from the Midwest and some from the east coast.
  • We appreciate Zoom’s ability to breakdown distance barriers. Those of us in the Midwest would not have access to this type of support without Zoom.
  • The amount of time taken to provide verification links is trivial and is not a problem.

Cameron M.

Jud Felder • Meeting Convenor • Wednesdays at 4:00pm Pacific Time |  HWYW, Denver, CO

Meeting ID:  31604 |  Zoom Meeting ID: 879 2382 5989, Passcode: lifering | Meeting is limited to 20 attendees and requires video participation

I have been the primary convenor of this meeting since it started April 2020, I had a co-convenor for about a year and he has also subbed for me when I’m not available. Jason Kenezl is his name. I no longer have a co- convenor.

Since this is an online meeting and I used the LifeRing Admin account, everything is done through Zoom. It’s an open meeting and I have it listed on gayandsober.org website because I believe it’s important to reach the LGBTQIA2+ community, too.

On average we have between 5 and 12 participants, 5 regulars who all have months to years of sobriety. The core group of people seem very comfortable and cross talk normally and healthy. The remainder of attendees are often new people with little or no sober time, but we still welcome and help whoever shows up. Many of the participants also attend and convene other in-person or online meetings.

I myself live in Colorado and have a few people who attend from Colorado but some from other states like California. The opening statement used comes from the How Was Your Week – A Convenors Handbook, but I also  changed some things to fit the self help/ self directed principle of LifeRing. This means the statement has to make sense to me and it being an online meeting.

This meeting is a HWYW format, limited to 20 people, and is open camera. These last two restrictions came about earlier as too many people were dropping in at the last minute, or causing problems with language and behavior that other attendees didn’t like. I learned to remove the fake participants quickly and added the open camera statement in the opening statement of the meeting.

I thank you for the opportunity to convene for LifeRing, I have become a better public speaker and listener as a result.

Thank you,
Jud Felder
Denver, Colorado

TwylaW • Meeting Co-Convenor • Wednesdays at 5:00pm Pacific Time |  HWYW, LSRSafe eGroup Meeting

Must be a member of this email group. Click here for eGroups

I began co-convening this meeting with KarlH about a month ago. ChetG needed a break to focus on his music so KarlH and I stepped in. This Focus Meeting from Washington has been convened by Chet (with backup by CraigW) for quite some time. It has been a rich meeting of friends several of whom have known each other for decades through LifeRing and the LSRSafe email group. The regular attendees include both newly sober members as well as a solid base of a group with many years as Sobrietists. I’ve learned a lot about Sobriety and more recently about convening from this outstanding group of folks. It is a privilege to share life events and to hear about the rewards of long-term sobriety in this meeting.

Thank you,
TwylaW
LSRSafe

Chris S. • Meeting Convenor • Wednesdays at 5:00pm Pacific Time | HWYW, Café Tropical and Friends

Meeting ID:  31604 | Local Online | Meeting is open to all

Sue Betts • Meeting Convenor • Wednesdays at 5:30pm Pacific Time | HWYW, The Liver Spot

Meeting ID:  31801 | Zoom Meeting ID: 879 0170 8571, Passcode: lifering | Focus Meeting open to all

The Liver Spot is a LifeRing Focus Meeting for people in recovery who have also been diagnosed with related medical conditions. Now, this might sound grim, because honestly, it is. But the meeting is not. 

The Liver Spot was introduced on December 23, 2020. It originated from a Convenor Group email saying something like: 

Will someone please start a liver transplant meeting? I can’t understand a word they're talking about.

This meeting supports an average of 34 people per week with a core group of about 30. We've made it through 4 losses, 2 slips, 5 transplants and countless paracenteses. The Liver Spot is made up of an interesting mix of very strong personalities from a variety of backgrounds. Attendance from hospital beds is a regular occurrence. We’re all very grateful to have the flexibility Zoom meetings provide.

The Liver Spot is an active and engaged community of folk who join to support their recovery and the recovery of others. Crosstalk is huge and the camaraderie is unparalleled. I seriously look forward to this meeting every week.

It’s not unusual for this meeting to run over three hours long. In late 2021, we added a half hour to the regular meeting time to accommodate our size, our shares and the intensity of our crosstalk. (Last Wednesday we spent a half hour discussing the importance of self-advocacy.) We close the meeting around 7:00pm and slip into what we affectionately call “Romper Room.” It’s a space where we can decompress after the intensity of this immersive, emotional meeting. 

There’s a lot of graphic medical treatment talk, so The Liver Spot is not for everyone, but it is open to everyone. If nothing else, it’s a really sobering experience for people who have never considered the long-term effects of drinking. Some of the most touching times are when a loved-one joins to learn what they can do to help. 

People find The Liver Spot through hospital recommendations, from friends, and from other recovery support groups (yup – even them). We are especially grateful to all the LifeRing convenors who suggest The Liver Spot to their meeting members. 

Everyone needs a meeting where people can understand what you’re talking about. 

Thank you, Steve. It was a great idea!
Sue
San Francisco

Charmaine, John, Kirk and Benji
you are missed

Robert Stump • Meeting Convenor • Thursdays  at 9:00am Pacific Time | HWYW, CA

Meeting ID: 40903 | Zoom Meeting ID: 959 7978 9788, Passcode: lifering | Meeting is open to all

I convene an online 9:00 am, Thursday meeting. Typically we have about 40+ people in the room at any one time. This is a Topic/Check-In type meeting with conversational crosstalk and dialogue about recovery. The meeting is about one hour long, with the “Parking Lot” after-meeting, lasting a good half-hour longer or more every week.

In general, most of the attendees go to other morning meetings that take place Monday through Friday at 9:00 am. I’m fortunate to have a number of co-hosts who help me with maintaining the flow of this big meeting. Breakout rooms have been discussed but, people do not want to leave the main meeting.

Our meeting does have a delegate to Congress as per the bylaws.

For the most part, people seem to get a lot out of the meetings as a number of attendees keep
coming back.

As a side note, because this is a big meeting, people might ask how can everyone in the meeting check in and do cross-talk in an hour? They don’t. About half do not want to partake in the meeting. Why would I accept such a situation in my meeting? Because not all people want to talk or can talk. Some are at work, some just come to listen, and some are unsure as to what they want. They are seekers exploring their recovery in a safe, LifeRing environment and if they keep coming back they usually do start talking in the meeting. And last, of all, there are those who just want a meeting verification link. Even these people will learn something as they are exposed to the LifeRing recovery message. It might not work for them now, but someday what they learn in the meeting might come in handy when they really want to and need to deal with their substance use.

Robert Stump
Hayward, CA

Jason K • Meeting Convenor • Thursdays at 6:00pm MountainTime |  HWYW, Denver, CO

Meeting ID:  77 | In-person Meeting | Meeting is open to all

In-Person HWYW Denver Thursday 6pm MST Highland's United Methodist Church.

Centrally located, this HWYW meeting is a welcoming, warm, safe, non-judgemental and inspiring group of self-directed, diverse, fun participants coming from varying backgrounds and ages.

We foster an inclusive, caring, supportive and compassionate community in a culture of abstinence from addictive substances.

Sharing in the sadness, pain, and fear of the first time newcomer, and celebrating the victories and joy of milestones in sobriety journeys, we connect through our common cause. Individual's interests, talents, hobbies and expertise make for a closer, vulnerable and even pleasurable hour.

Since reconvening in person, we currently have attendance between 10 to 13 repeating participants, and often have a newcomer every other week.

As convenor, Jason initiates and often inspires the group with constructive thoughts on gratitude, forgiveness, empathy and compassion. He is a source of stability and comfort for the group.

Jason K
Denver, CO

Denise Usher • Meeting Co-Convenor • Thursdays  at 7:30pm Pacific Time | HWYW, CA

Meeting ID: 41904 | Zoom Meeting ID: 865 1200 9637, Passcode: lifering | Meeting is open to all

This is a “How Was Your Week” online meeting on Thursday at 7:30 PST and I recently became a co-convener along with the delegate for this meeting. I have attended this meeting for several months and consider it to be one of my main home groups within LifeRing. It has been a true pleasure to be a part of enjoying the opportunity to build strong relationships with many of the regulars and new people over time. I always take away something new. It has been a positive impact to continue my growth and success through encouraging support in my recovery journey. I’m honored to be of service to this meeting as we all continue to empower our sober self’s. I am grateful to work alongside Shane Simons, who has been extremely helpful and admirable to learn from through his wonderful support.

Sincerely,
Denise Usher
Wisconsin

Mark Fussell • Meeting Convenor • Fridays at 6:00am Pacific Time | HWYW, D***, That's Early

Meeting ID:  50601| Zoom Meeting ID: 980 3715 3571, Passcode: lifering | Meeting is open to all

Mark has been the convenor of "D*** That's Early” since he ran out of things to do in the morning on Fridays and confirmed that Peet’s is open in time to “energize” (legally) him.

This started as a one-on-one meeting, given only one brave New Yorker could brave the elements on the way to the venue that early, but is now up to about ten people.  The headroom is enormous!  The only problem with the meeting is coming up with ‘How was your day’ at what may be shortly after you brushed your pearly whites.

Mark has been a part of LifeRing for a bit more than a year after he had an epiphany in a luxury resort in Stanford, attends about a dozen different meetings a week, subs a lot [no snickers], and is the primary convenor of several different types and times.  The “D*** That’s Early” meeting is among Mark’s more ’normal’ meetings.

Thank you,
Mark Fussell
Palo Alto, California

Mark Fussell • Meeting Convenor • Saturdays at 6:00am Pacific Time | HWYW, Kidney Klatch

Meeting ID:  TBD | Zoom Meeting ID: 892 9926 5545, Passcode: lifering | Meeting is open to all

Mark has been the convenor of Kidney Klatch since he ran out of things to do in the morning on Saturday and has figured out how to function with being energized.

This both a "D*** That’s Early” and augmentation to The Liver Spot meeting where everyone (including people in the hospital or having medical issues associated with Liver, Kidney, and other organ issues) can discuss how their week is going as they brave the weekend.  This is currently experiencing exponential growth: as in 100% week-on-week growth.  Get in while it costs less than Bitcoin!

Mark has been a part of LifeRing for a bit more than a year after he had an epiphany in a luxury resort in Stanford, attends about a dozen different meetings a week, subs a lot [no snickers], and is the primary convenor of several different types and times.  The “ Kidney Klatch” meeting is part of Mark paying back to LifeRing for the support he received during his recovery period, as well as his fascinations with these amazing organs.

Thank you,
Mark Fussell
Palo Alto, California

John • Meeting Convenor • Saturdays, 9:30am Pacific | HWYW, San Leandro

Meeting ID:  250 |  In-Person Meeting | Meeting is open to all

Meeting number 250 was instituted on March 23, 2012 and at this point has been in existence for slightly more than ten years.  Prior to its inception, each of the three founding members had been involved with LifeRing for ten years or more.

The group meets weekly on Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:30 AM Pacific time.  Attendance since establishment has varied from two (at a very early point in the meeting’s history) to fifteen, averaging seven per meeting with a mode of eight, drawn from a floating population in the vicinity of twenty or twenty four.  On average, current participants have been attending for eight and a half years and the majority have participated continuously since the meeting’s inception.   

The duration of sobriety of individuals present on a regular basis varies from four to twenty-two years, with an average of twelve years per attendee.   The cumulative sobriety represented at a typical meeting is approximately ninety eight years.

Meetings were held in-person between March 2012 and March 2020, at which time the Covid pandemic necessitated a shift to an on-line format.  As a result, two members living between 400 and 2,500 miles from the San Leandro meeting site have been added to the group.  

It is anticipated that the meeting will continue for the foreseeable future.  While the intent is to return to an in-person format as soon as it is safe to do so, the expectation is that the on-line connection will be continued to serve those living at a distance.

John
San Leandro, CA

Bees • Meeting Convenor • Saturdays at  10:00am Pacific Time |  HWYW, San Francisco, CA

Meeting ID:  6015 |  Adobe Connect Chat Meeting | HWYW, open to all

We're proud to report that one of LifeRing's newest convenors comes from the Saturday Chat HWYW meeting. Welcome aboard to all our new convenors!

This meeting has a lot of history for me. It was my very first recovery meeting. I found LifeRing to meet a 6-month medically ordered commitment. I was nervous, confused about what I was supposed to do, and desperately hoping for a warm welcome.  As it turns out, a warm welcome was all I really needed. The rest came from the gentle nudges from the group. I did my six months in this meeting. I'm still going 3 years later.

We are a tiny, but robust meeting made up of newcomers and long-timers. The Saturday Chat has a strong core of people who have chosen to grow together and to be accountable to one another. This meeting is a quiet testimony to the success of a LifeRing home group.

We have no cameras and no audio. Just a keyboard and screen and a shared goal:  To be clean and sober and stay clean and sober. Not all of our stories are easy to tell or easy to read. There's sadness, there are slips and there are emotional setbacks, But there is also hope and joy and triumph. Like many LifeRing meetings, The Saturday Chat has evolved into its own community. We have our own inside jokes, communication shortcuts and catch phrases. The most common? Jinx! (It's hard to talk over someone in print.)

One of the best things about The Saturday Chat is the warm welcome we share with each other and with new folk joining us for their first recovery meeting. Happens more often than one might think. The complete anonymity offered in a chat setting can be very attractive to newcomers and for the camera-shy. Chat meetings move at a mellow pace. This can be cathartic and serves as an easily attainable and comfortable way to "resocialize" after the Great Isolation.

If I have one tiny grouse – it's the stack of zoom meetings scheduled at the same time. I mean, we were here first, y'all!

Yes, The Saturday Chat is a relic. One of the first "online" meetings ever held by LifeRing. Since the great Zoom migration, our numbers have dropped dramatically. People pop in and leave shortly after realizing that the meeting format is text only. That's a little frustrating, but there are times when folk stumble upon us and stay. For a meeting. For a month. For 3 years. And for one participant – 5 years!

Do I want more people in this meeting? I want more people to know about LifeRing and all the different community resources we have available.  Do I think more chat meetings are a good idea? I do. It's a nice way to get your feet wet and get to learn about the "LifeRing Culture" at a gentle pace. Unlike Zoom meetings with their literal in-your-face exchanges, chat meetings move slowly allowing time to consider what was shared and time to offer thoughtful feedback. And a backspace key to erase any possible missteps. If only life were this easy!

I hope each of you has a meeting you hold dear – like a good friend you look forward to seeing every week. If not, come on over to The Saturday Chat. You'll always get a warm welcome.

Thank you,
Bees for Everyone
San Francisco, CA

Lawrence C • Meeting Convenor • Saturdays at 11:00am Mountain Time | HWYW, Salt Lake City, UT

Meeting ID: 83 | In-person Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT | Meeting is open to all

In the late 2010s, LifeRing Utah operated several meetings throughout the week in Salt Lake City, but attendance at a few of those meetings was very low or sporadic.  Some long-time conveners moved away from Utah or decided to step back from regular convening, and one also passed away in early 2020.  At that point, we collectively decided to condense the number of local meetings to two, and for those two meetings to operate autonomously, suspending some of the functions of what had been a more formal Utah chapter of LifeRing.  

One “How Was Your Week?” meeting met on Sunday mornings at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, on the campus of the University of Utah. The HMHI instituted pandemic protocols in March 2020, and terminated all in-person meetings in the building. That pandemic protocol is still in place as of May 2022, so the Sunday meeting has remained suspended. Colin B. remains the convener of record for this meeting. LifeRing Utah has operated a “How Was Your Week?” meeting midday on Saturdays since 2013. I believe that the original convener was Mahala C., who helped found a LifeRing chapter in Utah. I first attended that meeting in late 2015, and became the regular convenor for it in 2018.  Colin B. and Michelle F. have been longstanding alternate convenors for this meeting. 

The Saturday meeting originally met at the Utah Pride Center in Salt Lake City.  The Pride Center was closed intermittently, and then permanently, as they looked for a new office location.  That spurred the search for a new LifeRing meeting venue. Since 2017, we have met from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Saturdays at First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City, and FBC 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. 

Since the pandemic began, we have followed facility and city protocols for masking, and moved to a Zoom meeting format for portions of 2020 and 2021. Attendance fluctuated during this period, but since resuming in-person meetings, attendance has stabilized, and usually ranges from 6 to 8 and sometimes 10 people. The meeting format has remained consistent as a “How Was Your Week?” meeting. We solicit donations, and utilize those funds to make annual donations to the church for use of the room. Colin B. serves as our local treasurer. Our largest single expense is maintaining the LifeRing Utah website: www.liferingutah.org. Our website is maintained by Rob W.  

We have just initiated a new weekday night meeting. It will meet on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, also at First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City. The first meeting was held the week of May 22nd.  It will follow the “How Was Your Week?” format.  The convenor is Mark L., who previously served as a convener for a LifeRing meeting in California.  

LifeRing Utah has faced significant challenges in the last few years, from the loss of multiple long-standing conveners to all the effects of COVID-19. We are happy to have weathered those challenges, and look forward to a continuing and growing LifeRing presence for people in recovery in Utah.

Lawrence C.
Saturday Salt Lake City LifeRing Meeting Convenor

Mark Fussell • Meeting Convenor • Sundays at 8:00am Pacific Time | Topic, Wait wait! What is the Topic?

Meeting ID:  70801 | Zoom Meeting ID: 851 9341 8930, Passcode: lifering | Meeting is open to all

Mark has been the convenor of "Wait wait! What is the topic? “ after the previous convenor of the time slot achieved enlightenment through meditation and “went onward” to a new plane of existence.  Mark felt that was unlikely to happen to any participants under his watch (he had many years trying to “get out of here” through quiet sitting as a kid and it never worked).  So instead, this became a weekly topic meeting.

Probably the most notable thing about this meeting is a lot of people complain about the topic… but they talk about it anyway!  But don’t ask anyone about what goes on in this meeting: the first rule of "Wait wait! What is the topic?" is that no one tells anybody about what goes on in the meeting.  In spite of this, participation rates are (well… first rule again).

Mark has been a part of LifeRing for a bit more than a year after he had an epiphany in a luxury resort in Stanford, attends about a dozen different meetings a week, subs a lot [no snickers], and is the primary convenor of several different types and times.  "Wait wait! What is the topic?” is his favorite meeting… after all the other ones LifeRing has to offer.

Thank you,
Mark Fussell
Palo Alto, California