2002 LifeRing Recovery Congress
March 15-16-17 2002  Berkeley California
Full Program

Reception 
Jazz music. Light refreshments.  LifeRing meeting participants from near and far, friends, and guests. 

Saturday March 16, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  
Presentations and Workshops 
Alta Bates Hospital, 2450 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley
Public invited.  Details below.  
Suggested donation: full day of workshops $25.  A la carte: Dr. Kornfeld, Dr. Shavelson, $10 each.  Each other workshop, $5.  CE credits extra.

Welcome and Introductions

TOP

Howard Kornfeld, M.D.: Using Drugs Against Drugs --   Pharmacological Tools in Recovery

Talk, question period.  CE Credits Available.

Dr. Kornfeld will discuss the use of pharmacological tools in treatment for chemical dependency, for example, antabuse, buprenorphine, LAAM, naltrexone, methadone, and anti-depressants.  He will address myths and misinformation around the use of agonist therapy.  

Dr. Kornfeld is a Member of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.  He is Certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine.  He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and of the National Board of Medical Examiners. He is Vice Chair of the Department of Family Practice at Marin General Hospital and Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine, UCSF.  He is a founding member of the International Society of Addiction Medicine and an Affiliate Member of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.  He is a Senior Advisor on Drug Policy of the State of the World Forum and a Project Consultant of the ADHD/Nutrition Study, Arkay Foundation.  He is a Small Group Leader for the Foundations of Patient Care at UCSF and a Consultant in Pain Management and Addiction Medicine at UCSF-Mt. Zion Pain Management Center.  He has practiced at Ross Hospital, Summit Hospital, CPC Walnut Creek Hospital, Letterman Hospital, the VA Medical Center and others.  Dr. Kornfeld practices pain management, addiction medicine, and general and behavioral medicine in Mill Valley, CA.  

CE Credits

This activity is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences for Continuing Education Credits for holders of the MFT and LCSW licenses.  Provider No. PCE 637.  A fee of $16 is payable at the door to receive these CE credits.

This activity is approved by the California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC) for holders of CDC/CAC/CADC certificates.  Provider No. 4C-02-S20-0203.  

To obtain CE credits, participants must provide credential or license number at registration desk, complete a brief multiple choice test based on the presentation and submit it to the registration desk before leaving, and must obtain a Certificate of Completion from the registrar at the conclusion of the presentation.  Retain the certificate for your records.  Suggested donation without CE credits $10. 

This activity is being offered by Alta Bates Hospital in cooperation with the LifeRing Secular Recovery Service Center (LSRSC).   

Saturday March 16
9:00  - 10:15 a.m. Conference Room 4
Alta Bates Hospital
2450 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley

TOP

Alicia Baldwin & Teresa Louise B.:  Early Recovery -- What It Feels Like

Early recovery can have many faces. Share your experiences and tools for staying clean and sober at the beginning.  Workshop leader Alicia B. is more than six years clean and sober but she remembers vividly what it was like.  Teresa Louise is there now.

Saturday March 16
9:00  - 10:15 a.m. Conference Room 1
Alta Bates Hospital
2450 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley

TOP

Jacquelyn Jones and Betts: Is Recovery Different for Men and Women?

Apart from certain hormonal and anatomical details, are there gender-related differences in the recovery of men and women?  Workshop leaders Jacquie and Betts are two women in recovery who try to keep an open mind on the question.  Men and women welcome.  

TOP

Mark Connors and Jacquelyn Jones: Surviving 12-Step Treatment

Some people swear by it, others swear at it.  Find out why and how some patients stay sober despite their 12-Step treatment programs.   Workshop co-leader Mark is a successful advocate for consumer rights in residential treatment.  Jacquie survived coerced AA attendance by finding an alternative. 

TOP

Gloria Mills R.N.: Dealing With Feelings in Recovery

Anger, love, grief, boredom, shame, happiness -- any or all of them can seem unbearable and trigger a return to drinking/using.  Can we have full emotional lives  in recovery?  Workshop leader Glo, now more than 20 years sober, speaking from personal and professional experience, answers "yes, we can!"    

TOP

Gillian E.: Changing The Public's Perception of the Recovering Person

How can the public connect and empathize with the person in recovery who wears the burka of anonymity?  What is the "addict" identity?  Does it matter?  Workshop leader Gillian explores the narrow passage between suffocating  in the closet and being skewered by the stigma of public exposure, and whether these extremes are the only options.  

Lunch.  Your choice of local restaurants, click for choices.

Saturday March 16
1:15-2:15 p.m. Auditorium
Alta Bates Hospital
2450 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley

TOP

Lonny Shavelson, M.D.: Treating the Treatment System

Talk and slide show.  Question period.  CE Credits Available.  

Lonny Shavelson’s book Hooked: Five Addicts Challenge Our Misguided Drug Rehab System (New Press, N.Y. 2001) follows five addicts through the labyrinth of the substance abuse and mental health treatment systems in San Francisco today.  Click for reviews on this web site.

• Hooked is "a landmark work on what the American Medical Association has identified as our nation's most widespread public health problem. It may read as compelling fiction at times, but this is an essential look at an all-too-real problem, with life-or-death consequences not only for those in this book, but for millions of people everywhere." -- San Francisco Chronicle 
  
  "Like no other book I’ve read, Hooked brings home the reality of addicts’ lives and their need for drug rehab programs that work. Anyone with a drug problem, caring for a loved one with a drug problem, or involved in drug rehab, must read this fascinating book." -- Martin Sheen, Actor
  
  "A terrific read and a refreshing challenge to traditional drug rehab programs. This lively portrayal of current rehab options from the point of view of five addicts is a ‘must read’ for anyone involved or interested in effective treatment options for people whose addictive behavior is harming themselves and others." -- G. Alan Marlatt, Director, Addictive Behaviors Research Center, University of Washington

Read more about Lonny Shavelson's Hooked on amazon.com
Go to Lonny Shavelson's home page

CE Credits

Lonny Shavelson, M.D., will be presenting materials about drug and alcohol rehabilitation that will include the topics of dual diagnosis, case management services, harm reduction, relapse prevention, coerced v. voluntary treatment, and information about drug courts.

This activity is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences for Continuing Education Credits for holders of the MFT and LCSW licenses.  Provider No. PCE 637.  A fee of $16 is payable at the door to receive these CE credits.

This activity is approved by the California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC) for holders of CDC/CAC/CADC certificates.  Provider No. 4C-02-S20-0203.  

To obtain CE credits, participants must provide credential or license number at registration desk, complete a brief multiple choice test based on the presentation and submit it to the registration desk before leaving, and must obtain a Certificate of Completion from the registrar at the conclusion of the presentation.  Retain the certificate for your records.  

Suggested donation without CE credits $10. 

This activity is being offered by Alta Bates Hospital in cooperation with the LifeRing Secular Recovery Service Center (LSRSC).  

Saturday March 16
1:15-2:15 p.m. Conference Room 4
Alta Bates Hospital
2450 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley
TOP

Deena B., facilitator:  A LifeRing Codependency Meeting

Demonstration open meeting of the Berkeley LifeRing Codependency group. Learn how to take care of yourself and make better choices. The meeting will model how to live a healthier, more balanced life even though involved with a user or someone in recovery. Those in recovery who are involved in a relationship where addiction is a factor are welcome to attend. Tools for starting a codependent meeting will be provided. (Regular meeting at Herrick Hospital, 2001 Center Street, Berkeley, Level A in basement, at 8:00 p.m. -- every Monday night.)

Saturday March 16
2:30 - 3:45 p.m. Auditorium
Alta Bates Hospital
2450 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley

TOP

Marty Nicolaus: LifeRing 101 --  How Recovery Works Without Higher Powers

A short introduction to LifeRing Secular Recovery: what happens at meetings, what is the basic philosophy, and how does it work without Higher Powers?  Talk and slide show, question period.  Marty is the current CEO of LifeRing and a frequent speaker to recovery audiences.   

Saturday March 16
2:30 - 3:45 p.m. Conference Room 4
Alta Bates Hospital
2450 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley
TOP

Patrick Brown: The Return from Codependency

Codependency need not be a terminal condition.  Austin TX  psychology graduate Patrick Brown applies behavioral psychology principles in charting the return from codependency.  

Saturday March 16
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Auditorium
Alta Bates Hospital
2450 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley

TOP

Lin L.: Sex in Recovery

Do you have to have a year clean and sober before you can have sex? And how do you do it sober? How the hell did lust wind up on the Big Bad List anyway? Can sex be a tool in recovery, or is my next drunk lurking behind the condoms in the night table? Workshop leader Lin L. has seen it all and done about two-thirds of it, and promises a no-holds-barred discussion.

Saturday March 16
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Conference Room 4
Alta Bates Hospital
2450 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley

TOP

Leeza V. and Bill S.: Art in Recovery

The graphic arts can be an important avenue of self-discovery and healing.  Amateur artist Leeza V., a member of the Berkeley Codependency Group, will conduct a hands-on graphic arts workshop.  Poet Bill S. will assist.  Be prepared to roll up your sleeve.  Materials provided. 

Saturday March 16
7:00 p.m.
Hotel Durant
2600 Durant, Berkeley
TOP

Banquet 

Live Entertainment.  Music. Poetry. Comedy.  LifeRing meeting participants near and far.  Durant Hotel, 2600 Durant Avenue, Berkeley.  By reservation.  Click to register.  

Sunday March 17
8:30 a.m.
Delegates' Assembly
Location TBA

TOP

The LifeRing Congress (Delegates' Assembly).

Business meeting.  For LifeRing meeting delegates and meeting participants.  Closed to the public.  Includes Convenor Workshops.  Followed by Board of Directors' meeting. 

Online Registration -- Program Summary -- Lodging -- Travel -- Venue -- History -- Checklist