Michael Wash & LifeRing

September 11, 2008

Michael Walsh has bucked the odds by dealing with his addiction to alcohol and drugs. His middle class family upbringing was less than ideal. He had his first drink at ten years old, then quickly graduated to cigarettes and marijuana. By age sixteen he was using cocaine. His parents divorced when he was seven, and with an alcoholic father, he started running away at 12 years old. That was when his sexual abuse started, when he was picked up on one of his runaways. After the first incidence of abuse he felt so ashamed and guilty — he was told by a friend many years later that he withdrew completely around that time. Things have turned around since those days.

Michael Walsh founded the southern Vancouver Island chapter of LifeRing Secular Recovery, a non-profit organization based in California. In December of 2007, a local newspaper discussed Alcoholics Anonymous as the only recovery option for people with addiction. Michael wrote letter to the editor, which was published, saying “there are many paths to recovery and LifeRing is one of them.” That got the phone ringing and discussions about the possibility of bringing LifeRing to Victoria began. The calls and e-mails of support for this new meeting sealed the deal — his life was about to change dramatically!

Although slow to take hold in Canada, LifeRing began over seven years ago. Michael has taken it upon himself, with the help of many others, to motivate people to start new meetings in their area. He aims to create nationwide awareness that people have choices and that there is no “one stop shop” for recovery. Every person has a different situation, and there needs to be alternative options for people. Michael and many other believe that LifeRing needs to be recognized as a viable choice.

LifeRing is a secular pathway to abstinence from alcohol and other drugs of abuse. Meeting begin with “how was your week?” followed by topic discussions, which allows for cross-talk, meaning supportive feedback. This method is crucial for honest and open communication. LifeRing encourages members to build personal recovery programs tailored to their particular needs. It also recognizes that relapse is part of recovery – it is very much part of the learning process. The long-run goal is a stable dominance of the healthy self within the person, expressed in the slogan, "Empower Your Sober Self." There are now five groups in Victoria including one for those affected by one’s use.

Getting LifeRing started and convening meetings has been life altering. The day Michael decided he would start LifeRing, was the day that he came to complete acceptance of his addiction. LifeRing has allowed Michael to finally be himself.

Michael says, “What I am doing is creating a choice for people, and mental health and addiction professionals recognize the value in a peer-supported self-help group and more importantly allowing people to take control and play an active role in their own recovery so they can feel empowered. That’s what LifeRing is about.”

For more information contact Michael Walsh at lifering@shaw.ca or visit http://www.unhooked.com/.