Radio interview with Dennis Stefan
LifeRing in the Irish Examiner June 2012
Ringing changes in lives blighted by addiction
Áilín Quinlan of the Irish Examiner interviewed Irish LifeRing founder Dennis and group attender Maria about LifeRing. This article is reproduced from the original published in the paper on Thursday, June 07, 2012.
LifeRing is an alternative to AA, a practical, secular ‘cure’ that emphasises self-help and empowerment.
SHE left her husband after years of domestic abuse. She took her three small children, rented a place, and started divorce proceedings. One night, she was startled by a volley of shouts outside the window. Her husband was outside screaming threats and abuse. He’d never hit her, but he was aggressive and formidable, and after years of psychological and verbal abuse by him, she feared him. Now he was in a rage. She was frightened and lonely, and in her 30s and responsible for three small children, the oldest just seven.
LifeRing opens in Cork
The first ever LifeRing meeting in Cork City was held last night (27th June 2011). The venue is the library of the Quaker Meeting House in Summerhill South, and meetings will continue every Monday at 6.00pm in Cork. |
| Dennis welcomed at the gate by Bev |
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| Talking with the group |
The number of LifeRing meetings in the country is now up to nine. This is a great achievement for an organisation that began its meetings in the country only two years ago, in the convernor's sitting room.
Details of meetings in Irleand are available here.
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Cork Independent Newspaper on Lifering Cork
By Christine Allen, Health Correspondent.
By Christine Allen, Health Correspondent.
When you become overwhelmed by the destruction of substance addiction - it’s time to sink or swim.
LifeRing is an alternative to the traditional, 12-step self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). It is designed for those seeking to steer their lives away from the destructive paths of substance addiction, whether it's prescription drugs, illegal drugs, alcohol or even food. Unlike AA, there is no mention of God or a higher power and the group does not believe that people are powerless over their addictions. They believe people have the power to choose whether or not to drink or take drugs.
LifeRing is an alternative to the traditional, 12-step self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). It is designed for those seeking to steer their lives away from the destructive paths of substance addiction, whether it's prescription drugs, illegal drugs, alcohol or even food. Unlike AA, there is no mention of God or a higher power and the group does not believe that people are powerless over their addictions. They believe people have the power to choose whether or not to drink or take drugs.
The meetings, now in Clonakilty and Cork city, focus on the present, not the past, and ask members to share honestly about how their week went, how they attempted to aid their recovery and how they plan to prepare for the week ahead. The group is completely anonymous and attendance is free. The group held its first meeting at the Quaker Meeting House in Summerhill South on 27 June. Meetings will continue every Monday at 7pm in Cork, joining the already established Clonakilty meetings, which are on Thursdays at 8pm at the Grace Centre, South Square.
Therese D, Convenor, or facilitator of LifeRing Cork, explained how the group could help people prepare for a life of recovery.
“For instance someone might be going to a wedding or on holiday and they will need to think ahead about ways to avoid relapsing as these sorts of events are pretty dangerous triggers. Ideas and strategies are exchanged and we try to be as positive as we can about people's efforts. Believe it or not, the meetings are a lot of fun a lot of the time - the sense of humour might be an acquired taste for some sometimes but the idea is that people should come away feeling good about themselves and re-invigorated about maintaining sobriety. Most people say they always learn something useful at the meetings,”
LifeRing members sit in a circle, and between eight and 15 people attend at any one meeting. No member is asked to identify themselves as an ‘addict’ or ‘alcoholic’ to attend. All that is required is a desire to be clean and sober. The organisation was established ten years ago in California by a group of recovering addicts who wanted a self-help approach based on positive social reinforcement.
The organisation explains that self-help means that the key to recovery is the individual’s own motivation and effort and the group’s main purpose is to reinforce the individual’s own inner strivings to stay clean and sober. The only step it requires from its members is abstinence and it centres its approach on meetings.
“We are delighted to bring LifeRing to Cork. The group is anonymous and it offers a different approach to recovery from substance addiction. We believe in the shared discussion of the problem. If people think this is something that could help them, they should get in contact with us,” Therese says.
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Convenor Training Dublin, June 2011
Eighteen members of LifeRing in Ireland, from Cork in the south, Kerry in the west, Belfast in the north, Clonmel in the midlands and Dublin in the east, met at 4, Merchant's Quay, Dublin for a training day organised by the Dublin LifeRing group. The day was the first time such a national group had had a chance to meet in Ireland, so was a great networking opportunity as well as a useful and stimulating skill-sharing event.
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| 4, Merchant's Quay Dublin |
The aim of the day was to identify and develop the skills used by LifeRing convenors to run succesful groups. The sessions in the morning were run by experienced convenors from Belfast and Dublin on the subjects of the role of the convenor, convening skills, handling challenging situations and what resources are available to convenors.
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| Therese Gaynor and Noel O'Driscoll |
The afternoon session was run by Therese Gaynor and Noel O' Driscoll of The Embodied Psychotherapy Centre. Participants were facilitated to experience key aspects of a LifeRing group and to discuss the experience in a unique and powerful session which drew on and developed the learning from the morning. Many met afterwards for tea and a chat . The only disappointment was that the day was too short, and it was agreed to meet again for more of the same in the near future. Overall, an invigorating and thought-provoking day.
