The LifeRing Organization
LifeRing is a free-standing, self-supporting, democratically run organization. LifeRing is not affiliated with any other group.
LifeRing began as a publishing house, LifeRing Press, founded in April 1997. On May 23, 1999, a group of meeting representatives convened in Albany, CA and voted to adopt the name LifeRing Secular Recovery. LifeRing became a national organization at its constitutional Congress in Brooksville, FL in February 2001.
The organization adopted the LifeRing name in 1999 and held its national founding congress in 2001. At this time there are LifeRing meetings in about 20 states and four countries. Each meeting elects a delegate to the annual LifeRing Congress, which decides all major issues of policy and elects the Board of Directors. There is a Service Center and LifeRing Press. All directors and officers are unpaid volunteers. LifeRing is a nonprofit corporation and meets expenses by passing the basket at meetings, general donations, and through literature sales.
The LifeRing approach is compatible with a wide variety of abstinence-based treatment programs. The basic LifeRing therapeutic orientation is pragmatic and eclectic. The expert may readily identify elements of cognitive behaviorism, motivational interviewing, solution-focused therapy, role-playing methodology, and many other schools of thought in the LifeRing mix. There are letters of reference for LifeRing from treatment professionals. Although the LifeRing approach is different from 12-step, LifeRing has operated for years side by side with 12-step groups without friction.
Persons interested in knowing more about LifeRing may wish to look at other articles on the website, read the books and pamphlets offered by the LifeRing Bookstore or contact the LifeRing Service Center at 1-800-811-4142 or service@lifering.org.