Did SMART Get Me Sober? No — I Did That!

May 14th, 2013

Reflections of a Relapser, Now Two Years Sober (Again)
~Sara Suman, LMSW, SMART Recovery Volunteer

Resolution

My second two year anniversary (I do like to passively count sober time) came and went last week. This isn’t my first rodeo either. This is my second time achieving two years sober, and my third time achieving one year+. My first few (real) attempts were in the rooms of 12-step programs. This time it was me — with the support of SMART Recovery Online.

My first set of two years and the second set were separated by three or four lapses. My frustration with those lapses led me to google “non-12-step based recovery,” which is how I found SMART. Did SMART get me sober? No. I got myself sober. SMART helped me identify my SELF as the key to sustained sobriety. I remember the first time I went to one of JVB’s meetings and I said something along the lines of, “why can’t I just stop?” And he said something along the lines of, “well, you can.” It was one of those life clarifying moments. I was on my own with this. SMART was here to support me, but getting clean and sober was on me. There’s no Mommy and Daddy here. I realized that if I really wanted to stop for good — then I could, but JVB wasn’t going to do it for me, nor was anyone else.

My thinking about drinking

What SMART helped me understand, through the CBA* and the ABCs* and USA*, is that my lapses over the past five years had more to do with the parts of me that still really wanted to drink. My lapses were not a reflection of incapability or inability to stop. It wasn’t that I couldn’t stop, Read more »

Getting Back on Track

May 7th, 2013

Dealing With Relapse in Addiction Recovery
~Green-In-MI, SMART Recovery Volunteer

Back on Track

I headed out in the middle of the morning. It was brilliantly sunny and the day would warm up quickly. I went out to my usual trail and headed north, finding my running rhythm. It was slower than it used to be, but I’d taken a few months off. Or more accurately, I had focused on my ‘drug of choice’ rather than on my recovery. It felt good to run again. This was me – the sober me. And it felt good.

As the trail rolled surprisingly easy underneath me, I noticed other things: the ducks flying over me, the spring birds singing. Someone was ambitious and mowing his grass for the first time this year, somewhere off the trail. A large community event was gearing up for the day with a couple of stages and lots of white tents. Families with strollers and people walking dogs were all along the trail.

I realized once again that somewhere in the fog of my drug of choice I’d forgotten Read more »

Webinar: Tracking Your Progress

April 30th, 2013

“Checklists for Recovery” with CBT Founder
Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D. and Julie Myers, Psy.D.

Friday, May 10, 2013
5:00 pm EDT
Webinar Registration
 

Checklist for Addiction Recovery The SMART Recovery approach to addiction recovery is based on SELF-Management. Effective management includes measuring progress. What better way to assess your personal progress with the SMART tools than to use the newest addition to the SMART Recovery toolbox, the Activities Self-Assessment Checklist.

SMART Recovery will host a webinar featuring Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D. and Julie Myers, Psy.D. on May 10, 2013 at 5 pm EDT.  They will be discussing how checklists, such as the SMART Recovery Activities Self-Assessment (SRAS), can be used by participants, facilitators, and professionals to help guide and assess the recovery process. Dr. Meichenbaum, one of the founders of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), will be sharing with the audience his extensive knowledge and experience with such checklists in both self-help and therapy settings. 

The Activities Self-Assessment Checklist, designed by Dr. Myers and Dr. Meichenbaum, specifically for use by members of SMART Recovery, is a practical and effective tool for navigating through the addiction recovery change process.  Two versions of the recently updated checklist (one for participants and one for professionals) are available on the SMART Recovery website .
 
Register today for this SMART Webinar.

The webinar will be recorded and may be made available on SMART Recovery’s podcast site. . 

SMART Recovery is pleased to offer free webinars on topics of interest as a public service. Please share with your friends, family and colleagues. 

 Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D.Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D. is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Waterloo, Ontario Canada from which he took early retirement 17 years ago to become the Research Director of the Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention, Miami: MelissaInstitute.Org. He is one of the founders of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. In a survey of clinicians, Dr Meichenbaum was voted ” one of the 10 most influential psychotherapists of the 20th century.” Dr.Meichenbaum recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Clinical Division of the American Psychological Association. He has presented in all 50 U.S. States and internationally. He has published extensively. His most recent book is Roadmap to Resilience.

Julie Myers, Psy.D., MSCPJulie Myers, Psy.D., MSCP is a clinical Psychologist in San Diego, specializes in teaching self-regulatory strategies for coping with addictive behaviors, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. She is a Master Addiction Counselor, holds a Postdoctoral Masters Degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology, and serves on the California Psychological Association, Psychopharmacology Division Board. Dr. Myers has been a long-time contributor to SMART Recovery and is the co-author with Dr. Meichenbaum of the SMART Recovery Activities Scale (SRAS). You can find her blog and other helpful resources on her website: DrJulieMyers.com.  
Read more »

Dealing With Negative Emotions

April 23rd, 2013

No Complaining
by Mary Russell, M.S.

Complaining

When you hear the word “complaining” you probably have some sort of negative reaction. It probably conjures up images of people in your life who whine or routinely throw themselves pity parties but don’t do anything to improve their circumstances. What you may be less likely to think of are the times when you yourself were the whiner. So why might that be? I’ll be the first to admit out loud the dirty little secret many of us hold…

Complaining often feels VERY GOOD

No one likes being faced with difficult situations but when we are, our natural reaction may be to seek support from others. We may search for validation and compassion to help soothe ourselves in our times of need. Complaining is an excellent way of garnering such attention. When we whine, people pay attention – see how well it works for babies? But the big difference between a whining infant and ourselves is that – luckily – we are capable of changing and improving our circumstances! Read more »

It’s Here! New Edition of the SMART Handbook

April 16th, 2013

3rd Edition now available

SMART Handbook 3rd Edition

This newest edition of the SMART Recovery Handbook (for participants) is the culmination of many months of in-depth review and revision work by a dedicated team of volunteers. It provides additional tools, exercises and strategies to help people recover from their addictive behaviors. It features:

    •New content – new program tools and strategies,
    •Simplified writing style to improve readability,
    •Worksheets compiled in the appendix for easy use.

Tom Horvath, President of SMART Recovery, calls this new edition of the Handbook, a “quantum leap” in providing techniques and tools for recovery. “The Handbook has been transformed and is really a pleasure to read.”

The 3rd edition is easy-to-read and offers tools and techniques to help people abstain from their addictive behaviors using SMART’s 4-Point Program®:

    1) building and maintaining motivation;
    2) coping with urges;
    3) managing thoughts, feelings and behaviors; and
    4) living a balanced life.

Rosemary Almond, Editor and head of the revision work done by the Handbook Team, believes that this new Handbook will introduce SMART to new audiences and help people to recover and lead healthy, balanced lives. “The addition of a handy section of worksheets in the appendix allows readers to find the worksheets and easily make copies to use as part of their daily recovery routine.”

SMART Recovery Handbooks are available through SMART’s online bookstore.

SMART Recovery, founded in 1994, bases its programs on scientific approaches to addiction recovery, and empowers its users to achieve abstinence goals. Operated almost entirely by volunteers, SMART sells its publications at a nominal cost to help support the organization.

Feel Like You’re on an Emotional Roller Coaster? Here’s Why!

April 9th, 2013

~Green-In-MI, SMART Recovery Volunteer

Emotional Roller Coaster

If you are new to addiction recovery you may be surprised to notice that your emotions can be a bit of a whirlwind. You are not alone; the emotional roller coaster is a natural part of the recovery process for many people. There are a couple reasons for this experience.

First, you’ve been soaking your brain in your drug of choice, often for months or years. Depending on your personal use pattern, it’s going to take some time for your brain to adjust to not being soaked. In the meantime, you might experience your brain’s adjustment as a cascade of emotions. I like to tell a story about crying at a song from The Muppet Movie — one of the happy songs.

Second, many people use alcohol or other substances to avoid dealing with difficult or painful emotions like grief, anger, or anxiety. For example, you might be attempting to avoid mourning a lost loved one. Or you might be avoiding dealing in a more effective way with something like anxiety issues. In any of these cases, when you stop using, those painful emotions are going to be welling back up in full force, and arguably you will feel them more acutely due to the adjustments going on in your brain.

It Does Get Better

The good news is that this experience does get better. Read more »

SMART: A Community of Volunteers

April 2nd, 2013

Volunteer Appreciation Month
Join the Volunteer Team and Pay it Forward

Scholarships for Addiction Recovery Volunteer TrainingSMART Recovery celebrates Volunteer Month in April of each year, as a way to recognize the efforts of its many dedicated volunteers.

SMART is a “volunteer organization” and the robust growth in meetings during the past year is a direct result of the enthusiastic efforts of its volunteers. They have done a terrific job. In the last year, the number of weekly SMART face-to-face meetings has grown by 35% and at SMART Recovery Online, 245 new “seats” have been added to the weekly meeting schedule.

During Volunteer Month, SMART not only celebrates its current volunteers, but also encourages others to join in, to help meet the growing demand for more SMART Recovery meetings throughout the world. Any volunteer at SMART Recovery will tell you that volunteering is a rewarding experience — and what better place to share your energy and expertise in all things recovery-related?!

Training Scholarships Available

Thanks to an anonymous donor, a number of Volunteer Training Scholarships are available during Volunteer Month for those who qualify for financial assistance to cover the cost of the SMART Recovery Facilitator and Support Team Distance Training (FAST Training).

Read more »

Teen & Youth Online Recovery Program

March 26th, 2013

Self-Management for teens and youth

SMART for Teens & YouthSelf-Management and Recovery Training for teens and youth is now being offered via the SMART Recovery website. The program includes strategies for dealing with peer pressure, coping with urges, managing emotional upsets, and more.

SMART for Teens & Youth

    Non 12-step based
    Self-Management means you are in control
    Provides tools for all stages of recovery
    Accepted by many courts as required meeting attendance
    Topic-based meetings, which encourage discussion
    A message board for any questions, issues, or discussions
    Peer support
    Run by trained volunteers who are SMART members themselves
    Supported by professional Volunteer Advisors
    SMART Recovery is recognized by NIDA and other agencies

Resources:

An online message board forum for has been established for members aged 14-22 and a new Teen & Youth meeting has been added to the meeting schedule (Sunday nights at 8 PM ET). A SMART Handbook for Teens is also available through our online bookstore.

If drugs, alcohol, or other behaviors are getting in the way of what you really want, the Teen & Youth Team is looking forward to introducing you to “the power of choice”.

More information can be found by visiting the Teen & Youth landing page on the SMART Recovery website.

Who’s Making You So Mad?

March 19th, 2013

Discover the “Irrational” Beliefs That Are Creating Your Anger
by Philip Tate, Ph.D.

AngerPeople often think that the actions of other people create their anger. “They make me so angry!” is a common statement. If that were the case, there would be little you could do about your anger (except to stay away from most people!) Fortunately, others don’t create your anger. In REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy) we teach that your own thinking corresponds with your anger, more than the actions of others.

To discover your thinking that is creating your anger, REBT suggests that you look for the event about which you are angry and then look for your belief about that event. Think, “What happened that I’m angry about?” E.g., someone cut you off in traffic, someone failed to follow through on an agreement, or someone treated you with disrespect. Next, ask yourself, “What am I telling myself about (name the event) that gets me to feel angry?”

When asked what they are telling themselves about the event, many people will answer, “Why’d they do that?” with an intense and frustrated tone of voice. That response, however, is a question, and questions do not create anger. You’re probably telling yourself “I don’t like their behavior. They’re mistaken for acting that way.” But, that too doesn’t get you bent out of shape with anger. That just gets you annoyed or disappointed.

So, What’s Really Getting You Upset? Read more »

Webinar: “Embracing Reality”

March 12th, 2013

March 16, 2013, 3pm ET
A discussion with Dr. Tom Horvath, President of SMART Recovery
podcast

Unconditional Acceptance with Tom HorvathWEBINAR REGISTRATION

Embracing reality broadens and enriches our perspective and thus our options in life, freeing us to see clearly and make sound choices. And yet we continue to reject reality: “This is intolerable!” “I can’t stand this!” “It’s just not fair!” “They shouldn’t do this to me!”

Unconditional Acceptance

What is “unconditional acceptance” of self, others, and life? How can I “accept” unpleasant people and situations that I strongly dislike? Why should I, and is that even possible? What is the role of “unconditional acceptance” in addiction recovery?

Unconditional Acceptance of Self (USA), others, and life, is a core principle taught by SMART Recovery and is based on Dr. Albert Ellis’s Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Read more »

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