SMART Recovery Meetings

Hi everyone,

I am so pleased to let you know that our SMART Recovery meetings in the Charlottetown area will begin this spring. When the start date is finalized, it will be posted on this blog.

SMART stands for “Self-Management and Recovery Training”.  Here is a bit of information so that you can decide if it is right for you.

4-POINT PROGRAM

Their 4-Point Program offers tools and techniques for each point:

1. Building and Maintaining Motivation

2. Coping with Urges

3. Managing Thoughts, Feelings and Behaviours

4. Living a Balanced Life

THE APPROACH

·       Teaches self-empowerment and self-reliance.

·       Provides meetings that are educational, supportive and include open discussions.

·       Encourages individuals to recover from addiction and alcohol abuse and live satisfying lives.

·       Teaches techniques for self-directed change.

·       Supports the use of legally prescribed psychiatric and addiction medication. People on Methadone, Suboxone or other addiction medications are as welcome as anyone else at our meetings.

·       Works on substance abuse, alcohol abuse, addiction and drug abuse as complex maladaptive behaviors with possible physiological factors.

·       Evolves as scientific knowledge in addiction recovery evolves.

·       Differs from Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and other 12-step programs.

SMART RECOVERY VS 12-STEPS

·       SMART Recovery has a scientific foundation, not a spiritual one. Higher power is not part of the program so whether you have one or not doesn’t matter.

·       The program teaches increasing self-reliance, rather than powerlessness.

·       The meetings are discussion meetings in which individuals talk with one another, rather than to one another.

·       They encourage attendance for months to years, but probably not a lifetime.

·       There are no sponsors in SMART Recovery. 

·       They also discourage use of labels such as "alcoholic" or "addict".

The comparison above is just that - a comparison. It is by no means saying that one type of meeting is better than the other. It is only meant to show the differences. You may actually enjoy both types of meeting. In the end, we all want recovery for you. You can decide what's right for you.

If you want to learn more, please visit their website here. They also have online meetings, chat room, and message boards. You will find support there 24/7.

Keep checking back to this blog for our start date!

Sincerely,

Rose Barbour