My article, "Choice of Support Groups: It's the Law" is in the current issue of Counselor magazine, which is not only the best publication of its type but also, now, the official journal of the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC).
The article discusses the recent federal court decision holding that the 12-step program is religious in nature, when viewed in light of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
If you don't happen to receive this publication in the mail, I've scanned this article and made a PDF file for downloading. It's at http://lifering.org/discussion/Counselor-Choice-Article.pdf -- be patient, it's a 16 mb file and takes a bit of time to download.
This article is an expansion and update of the LifeRing brochure of the same title, available for download here.
You can also view a slideshow and an informal video of a talk I gave on this topic, here.
Today is my seventeenth anniversary clean and sober. I woke up at 5 am and by a quarter to six was on the road from my home in Berkeley to Sacramento to staff the LifeRing table at the annual conference of CAADAC, the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors. Here's a snapshot of the Sacramento skyline from my car window at dawn.
Shortly after 7 am I landed in the LifeRing meeting in the Rose Room of the Marriott. This was the first LifeRing meeting ever at the annual CAADAC event. When I arrived, the CAADAC organizers were still setting up and there was no lobby sign directing people to the meeting, but the nice person unpacking at the registration desk immediately answered my request for directions to the LifeRing meeting. And lo! There were familiar LifeRing signs in the hallway and outside the door, and inside, Sacramento convenor Bob O. had assembled a pioneer bunch of LifeRing participants to make the meeting real. We didn't have all that many CAADAC people in the room at that hour, but the fact that the meeting was on the schedule helped a great deal with name recognition as I sat at the LifeRing exhibit table this morning.
We had a good table just inside the entry door of the exhibit room -- a considerable improvement over last year when we were packed like sardines -- and CAADAC CEO Rhonda Messamore came over and delivered a friendly welcome early in the morning. Later in the day I had a few minutes of chat with CAADAC President Joe Aragon, and gave him the sixty-second version of how LifeRing works. I also had a chance to pick up copies of the new October issue of Counselor, the magazine for addiction professionals, containing on p. 40 my article, "Choice of Support Groups-- It's the Law!" This mag goes to all CAADAC members as part of their membership, and a stack of copies was on the next table over.
Of the dozens who stopped at the table to look and chat, just one person walked away in a pout when told this was a way to get clean and sober other than via the 12 steps. Everyone else perked up in interest. Every counselor I talked to knew that client resistance to 12-step is a reality, and most understood that professionalism means offering the client options. It was particularly rewarding to talk with the many chemical dependency students who were attending the conference. Almost without exception, they were being taught that there are multiple roads to recovery and that they need to understand and provide options to their clients.
The future is bright.
But there's a way to go. The theme of this year's CAADAC event was "Moving Beyond Tolerance: Creating a Multiculturally competent workforce." You would think then that the keynote plenary address would take off on this theme and feature -- dare we hope -- a speaker from some culture other than Wonder Bread? Wrong. There was no greater cultural diversity among the plenary speakers this year than in past years. One of the few speakers on the program who has genuine credentials of birth, scientific competence and clinical experience in this subject -- Dr. B.J. Davis of Strategies for Change -- was marginalized to an afternoon breakout in competition with four other speakers. Davis would have been the logical plenary keynoter for a conference with this theme, if the Association meant "development of a multiculturally competent workforce" as more than window dressing.
Things were slower in the exhibit hall on the second day and I had a chance to chat at some length with Bob O., the LifeRing convenor in Sacramento whose quiet energy has a lot to do with the fact that we now have seven -- count them -- seven LifeRing meetings in the Sacramento area. The work that Bob has been doing exemplifies in my mind the role of area convenor (or "regional coordinator") that we are developing as part of the LifeRing expansion project. Sitting with me at the table all day Saturday, Bob had a chance to meet some of the CAADAC bigwigs and, perhaps more importantly, local area treatment providers and students.
It was also a pleasure to get a message from Jo Marie G., the pioneer convenor who started the first LifeRing meeting in Sacramento not so very long ago. Her job kept her away but she is doing fine and keeps in touch.
I also had the chance to meet the newest LifeRing convenor in Sacramento, Dan F. Dan is a counseling student and started the new Friday afternoon meeting in south City.
During dull moments in the exhibit hall Bob and I chatted with several people who took turns staffing the NA table. One of them told us that some judges in Marin County discriminated against NA and would only refer people to AA. That surprised me, but then it's not news that some judges need educating.
Speaking of educating, one of the people who stopped by the LifeRing table was a Washington lobbyist who represents counseling professionals. He said that his biggest headache is persuading legislators that addiction is a disease on a par with other mental health illnesses. They think it's a spiritual maladjustment or a character defect. But once he has them convinced it's a disease, he has to do a 180 degree turn and convince them that you don't need medical qualifications to treat it.
Just a few days before the conference, CAADAC sent out an emergency appeal to call the governor and tell him to veto a bill on his desk that would require addiction professionals to have the same educational background as other mental health treatment providers, namely a Master's degree at a minimum. This would throw the huge majority of California treatment professionals out of work. In this state you can provide front line treatment for the disease of addiction without having a high school diploma. Disaster was averted by amendment at the last minute.
My lobbyist friend was fully aware of the irony. Addiction professionals demand parity in funding but reject parity in qualifications. It's an Alice-in-Wonderland world.
In this regard, Bob O. asked why LifeRing spends the money (around $700) to put an exhibit table in this conference. Shouldn't the conference be paying us to be here? Certainly we don't make the money back in book sales. This is not, on the whole, a book buying crowd; counselors are notoriously underpaid. The answer, if there is a good one, is name recognition. We are still widely unknown in the profession, and it costs money to fix that. We're buying space in the "aha" region of the addiction professional's brain. If our name comes up, it sounds familiar to them, instead of strange. And that translates, over time, into referrals to LifeRing meetings. That's what we're paying for. It is, in my opinion, money well spent. Although really, for the price, the conference should throw in lunch.
Email received at the LifeRing Service Center today:
I am married to an alcoholic who is currently attending AA meetings and finds them helpful and fulfilling. I am looking for ways to help myself heal emotionally and cope with her recovery; she strongly recommends Al-Anon, AA's companion organization for friends and loved ones, but I am uncomfortable with the 12-step format and the religious content. LifeRing was, I believe, recommended by an acquaintance (it may have been my father-in-law, come to think of it) and looking over the website, the LifeRing Partners program sounds perfect for me. Unfortunately, I'm not having any luck finding a schedule of LifeRing Partners meetings in the Northern California area. Is one available, and if so, where might I find it?
Thanks,
A.
Dear A:
A quick answer. LifeRing Partners as of today is "all hat and no cattle." Energy has been put into drafting a Statement of Principles (how nice!) but so far no one has stepped forward to actually organize anything. Sooner or later someone with the talent and tenacity to turn this concept into a living reality will appear. Watch the website for announcements.
The turnout of treatment professionals for my full day LifeRing training yesterday surpassed expectations. More than 25 people squeezed into the conference room next to the Service Center in Oakland. Some had come from as far as Sacramento for the six-hour session. All except three, who were LifeRing convenors, were working in the addiction treatment field.
Peg Miller, a Vice-President of CAADAC and responsible for organizing trainings in CAADAC Region 4, which includes the Bay Area, organized the event, handled logistics, and awarded people their certificates of completion at the end. LifeRing CFO Robert Stump organized coffee and pastries in the morning and helped set up the room. Service Center volunteer Lou A. assisted with room setup the previous day.
The program took six hours, not counting an hour for lunch. During five of those hours, I presented a slide show of exactly 200 slides. Here's my outline:
LifeRing
An Introduction for Addiction Professionals
By Martin Nicolaus MA JD
CAADAC Region 4 Training
Sept. 19, 2009
Objectives
• To understand basic facts about LifeRing
• To get how LifeRing works
• To pick up tools that can be used with clients
• To facilitate client involvement with LifeRing
Hour 1: Basic facts about LifeRing
• What is LifeRing?
• Where is LifeRing?
• Who goes to LifeRing?
• How is LifeRing organized?
Hour 2: The Three-S Philosophy
• Sobriety
• Secularity
• Self-Help
Hour 3: How LifeRing Works
• Empower Your Sober Self: A short overview
• In more depth:
o The Divided Self
o Horizontal Synergy
o Confrontation v. Support Strategies
Hour 4: The LifeRing Meeting Format
• Circle seating
• “How was your week?”
• Crosstalk
• Limits
• Aim: Living Room atmosphere
• Closing ritual: Round of applause
• Peer leadership
• Signup sheet -- basket
Hour 5: How people build Personal Recovery Programs (PRP)
Two Pathways to PRP
Through the “How Was Your Week” Meeting Format
“Random access”
Through the Recovery by Choice workbook
• Nine Domains (Work Areas)
• My Decision
o The A-S T-chart
• Domain 1: My Body
• Domain 4: My People
• Relapse Chapter
• Pulling the PRP Together
Result: Diversity of Programs
Pros and Cons of PRP
Closing Thoughts
• LifeRing is a Strength-Based Approach
• The Aim of LifeRing is Choice
o We need more pathways
o Choice should not be controversial
What can providers do?
Choice is good program policy
More choices = more recoveries
For more information:
www.lifering.org – LifeRing, the organization
www.lifering.com – LifeRing Press e-commerce store
LifeRing Service Center, 1440 Broadway, Ste. 312, Oakland 94612
service@lifering.org
1-800-811-4142
P.S. Today, Monday, Peg Miller kindly sent me the program evaluations (feedback sheets) filled out by participants at the end of the program. Namely:
WORKSHOP EVALUATION (scale is 0-below satisfactory to 5-above satisfactory)
Your overall rating of subject matter:
• 20 5's
• 2 4's Your overall rating of the trainer:
• 17 5's
• 5 4's Your overall rating of the materials'handouts:
• 15 5's
• 4 4's
• 1 2
• 1 0 with comment (needed handouts--powerpoint printouts)
• 1 not marked--"handouts" circled followed by comment: "sparse hard to follow" Your overall rating of the training/workshop:
• 16 5's
• 6 4's Your overall rating of the fees:
• 18 5's
• 3 4's
• 1 not marked and with comment: "two days I went to training in NAPA... cost $75...$10 is nice"
Comments on this page:
Very good TR...affordable in very hard times
Educational, motivational in terms of realizing the need for choice.
Helped solidify what I had gleaned from the web site and publications
It was great!!!
Uncomfortable room
Enjoyed this training...learned a lot
Very interesting!
Excellent presentation Very worthwhile
I am glad that I had a chance to learn more about the organization.
Most important point missed...we refer less to LR with clients because there are few, and we teach clients to stay connected to others, to stay sober.
I was surprised by how much I learned today.
Difficult to sit in these chairs in small room
Lots of good info... Some areas/topics were too lengthy--redundant. Good program--Glad to see it growing in availability.
POST TEST INFO:
What did you learn today from Martin A. Nicolaus about LifeRing?
• Three-S Recovery Philosophy; Strength-Based Sober Self Empowerment engine is positive practice of reinforcement; abstinence only is foundational; Personal Recovery Plans are highly individualized through support mtgs plus workbook; able to combine with variety of the models
• Choise is best...many different paths
• LifeRing is truly secular; LifeRing offers a choice other than faith based or 12 step; LifeRing emphasizes empowerment and positive reinforcement of the individual
• A lot. Ways I can improve the program I work for by LifeRing tech and beliefs.
• Many interesting things, among others personal recovery plan, that I found very powerful tool in recovery.
• The S & A model for recovery and how it works through reinforcement. That all "personalities" are equally capable to become addicted.
• It is focused on building on strengths of the individual--provides a choice--Personal Recovery Plan.
• Lots--the choice factor; the love--feeding the S; forgive me--I'm way too tired and burnt to say more, but I got so much out of it.
• Philosophy and history of LifeRing. I am a convenor.
• How to get treatment programs to mention LifeRing as a group option.
• That it mirrors my thinking about Treatment Approaches.
• We have another option
• Focus on individual treatment.
• The client is instrumental in his own recovery if given the opportunity.
• Secular spirituality--support sober self.
• There is an alternative approach to group support other than NA/AA.
• Friend.
• Lots! I knew nothing of LifeRing.
• The PRP program.
• Philosophy...mtg structure.
• It gives clients more of a choice.
How will you incorporate this information into your practice as a drug and alcohol counselor personally and in the agency you work in?
• Philosophy and concepts (client choice, strength based, flexible treatment and support options); Skills--workbook exercises--alt. HWYW support mtg formats.
• Continue with MET, RET use LifeRing principles in class, educate staff, talk with LifeRing meetings as Option more.
• By A--facilitating myself with the visual and cognitive tools and use them in 1 on 1 sessions and groups; B--suggest to agency to use LifeRing possibily in continuing care program.
• Investigating L.R. for and in my own recovery. The applying LR to the program.
• I will use the point that the patient takes responsibility for his own recovery more than I did before. I would share todays experience with coworkers.
• The strengthening of each individual will be the focus. And shifting the focus from flaws to what they are capable of and what they find works for them.
• Help clients and staff understand the nature of building up the sober self through the interchange bewteen people--focusing on here and now
• I bought the work book--I'm sure I'll use it next week!
• My meetings will have an enriched meaning due to the workshop today.
• Refer
• I will introduce the information about LifeRing to my director.
• Gives me encouragement to do more research on the subject.
• Already do--offer as a choice of support group.
• I hope to start a group for teens.
• Present client with choices...give basic info about LifeRing.
• Working more with clients to focus on a personal service plan.
• Plan to discuss implementation of LifeRing on the approval by my Program Director.
• Consider choice.
• LifeRing used to do presentations at NCADA...can do again.
• Not in field.
• I am a convenor.
How can you contribute this material to your fellow counselors?
• Educate and consult re: LifeRing as resource; inputs to program policy and planning; follow ups to stay current on related research
• In community meeting; 1 on 1 discuss content
• Familiarizing myself with the materials and sharing them at staff mtgs.
• Word of mouth. Introducing things from work book into our program.
• Through LifeRing Website.
• Case conferencing, loaning my materials and discussing the information.
• Not sure yet.
• I will discuss the information with other convenors ASAP (any who were not present)
• Talk about it
• Sharing interaction. Communicating presentation ideas.
• Tell them to check it out.
• Already do.
• Do presentation.
• Share information, go to LifeRing meeting, go to web site; present it in Case Conference.
• Staff Meeting.
• Discuss this training with them.
• Shared information.
To your clients?
• Client info and materials re: LifeRing; use workbook exercises--ind, and group; Encourage ? families LifeRing
• Will use stuff from workbooks; agian, refer as much to LR as AA
• Sharing the ideas learned; by continually recognizing the sober person living inside my clients
• Introducing things from workbook into our program--word of mouth.
• Refer them to the closest meeting place and website.
• The strengthening of each individual will be the focus. And shifting the focus from flaws to what they are csapable of and what they find works for them.
• Plan to start a LifeRing group and turn it over to a group member eventually.
• Pamphlets of where meetings are and the workbook.
• NA
• None yet.
• Continue letting them know there is no one road or treatment towards recovery.
• Give them another option.
• Give them choice at intake.
• Do a presentation.
• Incorporate LifeRing materials to practice.
• One on one sessions.
• Paroles/State prison
• Consider choice.
• Shared info.
P.S. 9/28/09: I've posted the PowerPoint at http://www.unhooked.com/trxpro/CAADAC workshop.ppt -- just the slides, no sound track. When I get time I hope to create a sound track and make a Flash video (or a series of them) based on this presentation. -- MN
This email came in to the LifeRing Service Center today:
I am a 54 year old recovering alcoholic, 25 years sober today actually. I've read Martin's book [Empowering Your Sober Self] and am very excited. I am a licensed alcohol counselor in practice for 17 years and my experience is that about 60% or more of clients DO NOT want anything to do with AA. For all the reasons that Martin cites.
I've always wanted to do something for the community (vs. for my own practice/income) and I think starting LifeRing in this area is the ticket. I'd like to know how to get started. I've got a place to hold the meeting, for up to about 12 or so. After it gets bigger I can deal with finding a bigger place. This is a VERY rural area so even AA meetings hover around 6 to 18 very seldom going over 25. But I'm sure there is a hunger for some alternative to "the 12 steps" in addiction recovery around here and I'd like to get a meeting off the ground. There are no [alternative] meetings even close to here. ...
Please let me know how to start and what help is available from your organization. I've read Empowering Your Sober Self and have the workbook on order.
The book that this writer probably needs most immediately is How Was Your Week? That's version 1.0 of a handbook for LifeRing convenors (meeting starters and meeting facilitators). A key chapter, dealing with how to start meetings in new locations, is online free here. More information about available resources is on the Meeting Starter page of www.lifering.org. I wish the writer the very best of success in starting LifeRing in his neck of the woods, and congratulations on 25 years clean and sober!
My article, "Choice of Support Groups: It's the Law" is in the current issue of Counselor magazine, which is not only the best publication of its type but also, now, the official journal of the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC). 
