Proposed LifeRing Bylaw Changes

In Articles 1 and 12 of LifeRing Secular Recovery’s Bylaws, “recovering alcoholics and addicts” shall be replaced with “people overcoming substance use challenges.” If the membership votes to do so, the Board shall similarly revise LifeRing’s Articles of Incorporation.

In Section 6.7.1 of LifeRing Secular Recovery’s Bylaws, “halfway houses and similar institutions with highly transient populations” shall be changed to “residential treatment centers and similar facilities with frequent resident turnover.”

In Section 10.4.10 of LifeRing Secular Recovery’s Bylaws, “on-line” shall be changed to “online.”

In Article 12 of LifeRing Secular Recovery’s Bylaws, “location or internet address” shall be changed to “name of meeting, and either location or internet address.”

In Article 12 of LifeRing Secular Recovery's Bylaws, a semicolon shall be added after “for the Meeting” and after “or description.”

Current Language:

We, the members of LifeRing, Inc., in order to establish a free-standing, democratic recovery support network based on sobriety, secularity, and self-help, adopt the following Bylaws:

Proposed Language:

We, the members of LifeRing, Inc., in order to establish a free-standing, democratic recovery support network based on sobriety, secularity, and self-help self-empowerment, adopt the following Bylaws:

Current Language:

LifeRing, Inc. is chartered as a nonprofit corporation to serve recovering alcoholics and addicts, and persons involved in relationships with them, and the general public, by holding meetings and public forums and similar activities, and by publishing and disseminating educational materials relative to alcoholism, addiction, and recovery therefrom, and by engaging in all other activities incidental or appropriate thereto, all based on the principles of sobriety, secularity and self-help.

Proposed Language:  

LifeRing, Inc. is chartered as a nonprofit corporation to serve recovering alcoholics and addicts people overcoming substance use challenges, and persons involved in relationships with them, and the general public, by holding meetings and public forums and similar activities, and by publishing and disseminating educational materials relative to alcoholism, addiction, and recovery therefrom, and by engaging in all other activities incidental or appropriate thereto, all based on the principles of sobriety, secularity and self-help self-empowerment.

Current Language:

The coming together of two or more persons for the purpose of sobriety, secularity, and self-help using the LifeRing name and principles constitutes a meeting of LifeRing Secular Recovery.

Proposed Language:

The coming together of two or more persons for the purpose of sobriety, secularity, and self-help self-empowerment using the LifeRing name and principles constitutes a meeting of LifeRing Secular Recovery.

Current Language:

For LifeRing meetings held at in-patient facilities and at halfway houses and similar institutions with highly transient populations, or in the event any LifeRing meeting fails to elect a delegate, the convenor of that LifeRing meeting shall be recognized as the delegate.

Proposed Language:

For LifeRing meetings held at in-patient facilities and at halfway houses and similar institutions with highly transient populations  residential treatment centers and similar facilities with frequent resident turnover, or in the event any LifeRing meeting fails to elect a delegate, the convenor of that LifeRing meeting shall be recognized as the delegate.

Current Language:

The Board shall have the power to appoint and remove regional representatives of LifeRing (“Regional Representatives”), who shall provide support to existing meetings and encouragement for the formation of new meetings within a region specified by the Board, including one or more on-line regions.

Proposed Language:

The Board shall have the power to appoint and remove regional representatives of LifeRing (“Regional Representatives”), who shall provide support to existing meetings and encouragement for the formation of new meetings within a region specified by the Board, including one or more on-line online regions.

Current Language:

In order to protect the good name of the LifeRing organization, the Board shall have the power to suspend or revoke any charter, to refuse to issue a charter, or refuse to recognize a meeting as a legitimate LifeRing meeting in cases where a group, or its convenor, persistently and substantially violates a fundamental principle of LifeRing, Inc. as to sobriety, secularity, or self-help, or persistently and substantially violates a policy statement currently published by LifeRing.

Proposed Language:

In order to protect the good name of the LifeRing organization, the Board shall have the power to suspend or revoke any charter, to refuse to issue a charter, or refuse to recognize a meeting as a legitimate LifeRing meeting in cases where a group, or its convenor, persistently and substantially violates a fundamental principle of LifeRing, Inc. as to sobriety, secularity, self-help self-empowerment, or persistently and substantially violates a policy statement currently published by LifeRing.

Current Language:

LifeRing, Inc. hereby grants the (location or Internet address) meeting this charter to display the LifeRing logo and to use the name, “LifeRing Secular Recovery” and any short forms thereof, to promote sobriety, secularity and self-help.

Proposed Language:

LifeRing, Inc. hereby grants the (location or Internet address)  (name of meeting, and either location or internet address) meeting this charter to display the LifeRing logo and to use the name, “LifeRing Secular Recovery” and any short forms thereof, to promote sobriety, secularity and self-help self-empowerment.

Current Language:

In turn, the Meeting promises to keep the LSR Service Center informed of the current name, address, phone number, and if applicable, email address of at least one contact person for the Meeting, to notify the Center promptly of any change in its meeting time, place, Internet address if applicable, or description, and to support LifeRing, Inc. financially to the extent the Meeting sees fit.

Proposed Language:

In turn, the Meeting promises to keep the LSR Service Center informed of the current name, address, phone number, and if applicable, email address of at least one contact person for the Meeting, ; to notify the Center promptly of any change in its meeting time, place, Internet address if applicable, or description ; and to support LifeRing, Inc. financially to the extent the Meeting sees fit.

Current Language:

LifeRing, Inc., owner of the LifeRing logo and of the service mark “LifeRing Secular Recovery,” is chartered as a nonprofit corporation to serve recovering alcoholics and addicts, and the general public, by organizing meetings dedicated to sobriety, secularity and self-help, and by providing educational information toward that end.

Proposed Language:

LifeRing, Inc., owner of the LifeRing logo and of the service mark “LifeRing Secular Recovery,” is chartered as a nonprofit corporation to serve recovering alcoholics and addicts people overcoming substance use challenges, and the general public, by organizing meetings dedicated to sobriety, secularity and self-help self-empowerment, and by providing educational information toward that end.