Does LifeRing aim at anything more than helping people get clean and sober?
We do not. It’s not necessary, and it’s counterproductive. Being an actively drinking or using addict is like carrying a big sack of stones. Your back gets bent over, your head faces down, and you don’t go very far. When people finally put the sack down, most of them straighten up and look forward, and before long they’re striding toward a life’s goal. Some become spiritual seekers. Some try out for baseball teams. Some spend time with their grandchildren. Some go to work on the great American novel. They need no preaching from us to find their way. True, there’s always a few who stay bent over with head down after the sack is gone. We may try to nudge them, but it’s their life. We don’t sit in judgment. Most people experience sobriety as liberation. To be a part of that is reward enough. If we were to put sobriety in second place, behind some other goal such as uplifting the human character, we would soon get in a muddle. Sobriety has little to do with character. There are addict ange
