LifeRing Secular Recovery in Canada (specifically Victoria BC)

[sekular]

Hello everyone,

I have recently organized and started the first LifeRing Secular Recovery meeting in Victoria BC and the response has been overwhelming. Sixty percent of people in recovery do so without twelve-step faith based meetings. People need a choice in recovery and for too long professionals have been referring people to twelve-step groups because that is all they knew. There are choices out there and people need to know that there are many ways to recover and that twelve-step groups work for a limited group of people.

Mental health and addiction professionals including doctors and nurses have been waiting for an alternative choice to twelve-step faith based style meetings to refer their clients in Victoria for a long time. More importantly people with addictions have responded incredibly to the new meeting. The main comment is that the meetings are refreshing and they allow cross-talk which twelve-step meetings do not. Once this meeting is up and running (it has only been a month) and at full capacity (it is close to capacity) then another must be started so the meetings remain around ten to fifteen people.

There are already meetings in Nanaimo, Parksville, Vancouver and some in Ontario but we must get more running. If anyone in Victoria (or anywhere in Canada) is interested in more information on LifeRing please e-mail me at ***** and ask for Michael.

If you are interested in starting a meeting anywhere in Canada, I can help you do it. It is easy but it is all consuming for the first few months however so worth it!

LifeRing comes well recommended and you can find out more information by Googling LifeRing as I cannot post a link until I have had 15 posts on this forum. I have a press release that I have sent out to local media and I can passs this along to anyone who wants a copy.

Spread the word about LifeRing in your city because everyone needs an alternative choice specifically tailored to their recovery.

LifeRing "Empower Your Sober Self"

[Mongo]

LifeRing sounds like a great program.

Good luck to you.

Ron

[nolonger]

Hi Michael, sounds great. Unfortunately, am a zillion miles from BC, or I'd go along myself.

Hey Ron - good to see you're still kicking around SR.

[sekular]

Just to put out my history of recovery, I am six years into my recovery with five of those completely abstinent from alcohol and drugs.

I have been through detox, group work, treatment (twice), twelve-step work, psychologists and now LifeRing.

What I liked when I first started researching LifeRing a year ago was that they allow cross talk at the meetings which I feel is super important to me. Also, for a first timer or anyone not use to talking open and honestly amongst people of similar histories is crucial. It alows them to be vulnerable in a safe environment.

The other thing that grabbed my attention is the 300 page self-help workbook. One of LifeRing tenets is that we support a self directed recovery so that the recovery process is individually tailored instead of just throwing someone into a twelve-step or faith based group and listening to those members tell the newcomer that there is "no other way." This comprehensive workbook is written in such a way that anything I encountered in my recovery, all the ups and downs, is in this book and more. You work on different aspects of it at your leisure or whatever happens to be occuring in your life at that time. There are exercises to work through and the book asks lots of questions.

LifeRing can be worked side by side (and does) with any other recovery program. People use LifeRing while still seeing their counselor or attending other groups such as a twleve-step group. I mean whatever works is what we advocate.