About SMART Recovery

SMART Recovery is a program that concentrates on 4 main areas of Recovery
(S.mart M.anagement A.nd R.ecovery T.raining - SMART!)

1. Enhancing and Maintaining Motivation to Abstain

2. Coping with Urges

3. Problem Solving (the management of thoughts, feelings and behaviors)

4. Lifestyle Balance (Balancing short and long term satisfaction) Smart Recovery facilitators teach how to deal with the above four points.

The assumptions that SMART RECOVERY folk have concerning why a person becomes an addict have to do with both substance use as well as engaging in certain activities. All people experience degrees of addictive/addiction behaviors, however, those who find that their lives are facing too great a degree of negative consequence according to these behaviors of addiction, may benefit from accessing SMART RECOVERY principles and help.

Smart Recovery attempts to help individuals 'gain libertation from' addictive behaviors.
In simpler terms, Smart Recovery deals with

1-maintaining motivation, 2-coping with craving,
3-thinking rationally, and 4-leading a balanced lifestyle.

Smart Recovery draws much of its information from the psychology field, in the area of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).

In this, out of control behaviors surrounding addiction are less a disease - and more like 'complex maladaptive behaviors.'

Though these concepts of 'addiction' differ from 12 Step principles, Smart Recovery doesn't
EXCLUDE the use of 12-Step principles in anybody's recovery.

Many 'Treatment' and 'Rehab' centres utilize 12 Step methods - but there are some who advocate use of Smart Recovery methods. As well, some places utilize an array of other principles, programs, methods and theories. There are all kinds of addicts, all kinds of personal reasons why people are addicted to drugs, substances, and activities. Whichever methods work to combat addictive behaviors in anyone's life should be used as fully and beneficially as possible.


On the SMART Recovery website there is a 'Tool Chest' if you're interested in checking it out:

The SMART Recovery Tool Chest Page

You'll need a PDF Reader to use the free downloadable documents on the SMART Recovery website's Tool Chest page.

If you don't have a PDF Reader, you can grab Adobe products:

ADOBE READER and Other ADOBE PRODUCTS

You should be able to download a free trial/evaluation copy of the Adobe software, however, if you find you can't use the Adobe Reader software - for whatever reasons - here are some other PDF Readers that will work:

VisageSoft eXPert PDF and Other Products

and

Foxit Reader/Software

Now, just to warn you - I've never used the eXPert PDF product, so I can't recommend it highly. I have used the Foxit software and it's really good software, nicely navigable and easy to use. You can get both the latter products for free.

Anyhow - check out the SMART Recovery tools. Even if you're dead-set on 12-Step programs, there are some awesome downloadable 'checklists' and things at the SMART RECOVERY website that are really effective for keeping track of behaviors. 12-Step methods are also about changing behaviors, so it can't hurt to go grab some extra tools!

Let me know how you liked the Smart Recovery site! (It's easy to navigate!)

"Daily Dose" Will Be At The Bottom

I decided recently to start posting some common 'Daily' messages that can be found in 12-Step Literature.

Since I read literature about addictions from more than one 12-Step organization, I already realized that sometimes I'll post from 'Daily Reflections' material, sometimes from other recovery sources, so just be aware that 'Daily Dose' could be from N.A., G.A., A.A., M.A., or any other recovery source - including, from time to time, an 'Alternate' recovery source such as a 16-Step (Charlotte Kasl) or SMART Recovery information.

I realize that I only posted to the blog twice, as well...

I had posted on a daily basis since I started last week - but left almost every post in 'draft' mode until I could figure out which kind of daily message would be most appreciated. I wondered whether to offer a short daily 'menu' of AA, NA, and an Alternative daily reading each day (which left me tryin' to decide WHICH Alternative source would be best) - to try to cover different perspectives...lol

Leave it to me, a recovering addict - to make things complicated!

Haha - a friend finally told me, "For gosh-sakes - just put whatever you want - down at the BOTTOM and readers can choose to look or not. That way you won't offend anyone by occasionally switching sources." Of course, she also rolled her eyes at me.

I deserve that, I suppose, haha

So that's how I'll do it now, anyway - I'll just change the form at the bottom each day.

Any die-hard 12-Step members who really REALLY dislike other sources - won't have to read the Daily Dose at the top of the blog. They won't need to sort through any of the 'complications' that I had been wondering about. Anything 'Daily' will now be found at the bottom of the blog under that psychedelic-looking banner I recently made. By the way - don't look at that for a long time if you have relapsed and are 'on something' because it will make you pass out pretty quickly lol.

NO I WAS NOT ON SOMETHING WHEN I MADE THAT

haha

I like it - it's staying.

BTW - putting the "Daily Dose" at the bottom, having explained that there will be several sources I will draw from - now also gives me license to select different DAYS, too (I decided this 'cos it's MY BLOG)...so if I'm havin' a really bad day and want to be reminded of something SWEET - I might post a July 15th Sunny-time 'Daily' reading in the middle of December's snowstorms during the Xmas season or something. Xmas isn't my favourite time of year at all, so thank goodness it's only May right now - 'cos I won't have to do any 'adjusting' for a while lol.

Readers beware muhahaha

(I also left a typo in this post that I noticed after I hit 'publish' - but I'm gonna still leave it there just to see if anyone even notices it HAHA - I'm thinkin' my OCD-inspired friend will find it, and I MEAN THAT with the greatest kindness 'odc-friend.' Wow I came back all the way through the 'edit' process in blogger just to type that I am not going to change my typo lol)

Just for Today...

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee HAPPY!!