Whiterhino24

I have been trying to get into inpatient treatment for the last month and my insurance company denied me on Friday so I needed some sort of support group to attend and AA is not my thing so I tried life ring and I really enjoyed it. Its not formal by any means. There are no speakers telling you their horror stories its just a group of people talking about whats going on in their lives, how they are coping with out or admitting that they did have a drink and how they felt about it. No judgements just discussions about our lives. I am definitely going back.

least

I'm glad you feel that it's helpful to you. Keep on keepin' on.

resolute50

That's great,8 days!!!
Sounds like you are really going full out on recovery.

freshstart57

It's great to hear about LifeRing here on the newcomers' forum. Hope to hear more about your experiences. Congratulations to you on your sobriety!

croydonlad

Anyone know about anything like this in the UK?

I could actually Google it but interested to hear more personal experience.

I've been in and out of AA a number of times and really didn't find it helpful. I am probably going to go back to try again but I didn't like what seemed like the religious aspect, I tried different groups and I found most very set in their ways and unwelcoming to new people, I also just couldn't seem to find the right sponsor or one that was willing to or had the time to help another person and by that time I was out drinking again.

I like the idea of meeting other people in the same situation who just talk. It's also good to find yourself in a normal social situation outside of meetings or groups that don't drink.

Whiterhino24

Life Ring here is not very popular. They only meet once a day for an hour. Like I said its just a small group of people that sit and talk about their day, experiences and life. Its an open discussion where we just exchange thoughts and experiences on how to help each other. I wasn't a fan of the whole spiritual concept of AA and the rigid format, this is completely the opposite.

freshstart57

There is more discussion about alternatives to 12 step recovery in the Secular Connections forum. Secular Connections - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

Dee74

glad you found a way that suits your needs WR

no personal experience CroydonLad but I'm a dab hand at Google
LifeRing UK | The LifeRing Home Page

D

fini

WR,
when i first got sober, i was lucky enough to have one LifeRing meeting here in Vancouver, BC, to attend.
yes, open discussion/conversation, non-dogmatic, secular and abstinence-based, and i was not expecting to enjoy any of it and planned to just make myself go one time and then ended up going for a couple of years.
i'm not clear on why you say it's not very popular? maybe you're talking about there not being many meetings yet in the PNW? it's a growing organization, and always interested in people starting new meetings (minimum of six months abstinence required; all the info is on the LR website The LifeRing Home Page | Sobriety, Secularity, Self-Help)
they do have a good on line presence, including meetings, forum, chat and email lists.
i'm happy to hear you found it useful and enjoyable.

way to go on starting your second sober week, whiterhino!

oak

I like LifeRing meetings a lot. I wish there were more of them near me.

Whiterhino24

yes I meant its not very popular here in Bellingham. When you google AA there are 30 some meetings a day here but only one life ring a day. Even when you go to the Life Ring web page there is no information for Bellingham at all. I had gone to an out patient treatment center here and one of the counselors is the one who started it here and thats the only way I would have known about it. I think it is right for me and it is the support group that I was looking for.