LifeRing Meetings – What to Expect
LifeRing is run entirely by volunteers, who are themselves in recovery from addiction. There are no professionals in attendance – just a friendly, open group, who can identify and empathise with each person’s circumstances.
At LifeRing we keep a forward focus, and do not dwell on past addictive use or behaviour. Instead, the focus is on building a stable recovery, based on a combination of evidence-based techniques and supports that best suit the individual. Most of us find that regular meetings play a vital role, by breaking the isolation caused by addiction, and giving a context for our progress.
The main focus of LifeRing meetings is to process the everyday decisions that we are making in our sober lives, usually within the timeframe of the past week and the week ahead. In broad terms, this could sound like “Here are the issues I confronted last week; here is what I did and am doing to solve them in a clean and sober manner. Here is what I will be facing next week; here is what I intend to do in order to continue on my chosen path”.
A convenor will open the meeting by outlining some simple guidelines, and then invite each person to participate and contribute if they wish to. Meetings are attended by people at all stages of recovery, from early days to many years clean and sober. Sharing experiences, breaking down old thought patterns, and testing new plans among people who have “been there” is one of the most powerful forms of support and self-help.
Voluntary donations are invited to cover the costs of running meetings.