Smart Recovery and I (I will be quoting from their literature a lot)

Smart Recovery defines itself as a ‘Self Empowerment’ tool. A lot of us (me included) need to take back some control and self-discipline in our lives. We also need to take responsibility for our actions and choices. Smart helps with all this, it is a four point programme. One of the points in ‘Building & Maintaining Motivation’. Today I am motivated by building this community and also being a disciple to my family. Areas Smart looks at include values, I’m yet to see someone who values their addiction yet it’s the first place a lot of us run to. Lately I have gotten a bit better at asking for help, I hope this is a trend I continue. Other points of the programme include ‘Coping With Urges’, ‘Managing Thoughts, Feelings & Behaviours’ and ‘Living a Balanced Life’.

Smart Recovery meetings take place both online and physically. What I personally like about them is how practical and solution based they are. There are no labels such as ‘addict’ or ‘alcoholic’. There’s no war stories either. The programme itself is CBT and REBT based. It can be a welcome change to twelve step programmes, it can even enhance twelve step programmes if you are committed to both. They work on a ‘all or none’ religious basis too.

A lot of Smart Recovery is science based, they are pretty methodical in their approach to abstinence or harm reduction models. The best thing about the programme is the more you put into it the more you get out of it. There are many practical tools too such as cost benefit analysis, timetables and goal setting. I would recommend to anyone trying a Smart meeting to reach out and ask for a workshop book. Not only then can you attend a meeting but also freely work away on the book in your freetime.

I relapse a lot, I find Smart Recovery a safe place to relapse in comparison to other programmes. I find it easier to take myself away from relapse and into recovery. It’s a very non judgemental programme. I’m not sure is this a positive or a negative however, giving yourself the empathy to relapse should surely be a bad thing?

What it all comes down to is the bowl of soup. Smart Recovery can be a beautiful ingredient to add to your soup. I do believe the soup needs many more ingredients however for a good sobriety and some of them ingredients are only available in a twelve step programme or by seeing a professional councillor.

Personally I would like to add Smart Recovery to my weekly schedule yet the only physical meetings are in the city centre. For me the city centre is a huge trigger, it’s where I did all my begging and drinking throughout the years. I avoid it like the plague. In AA they would say you need to change your ‘People, Places & Things’. I may however now consider adding an online Smart meeting to my weekly planner (Another Smart Recovery Tool).