SMART recovery
A work in progress
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 16,633
I don't know a lot about SMART, but I do know people who were helped by it.
Just curious, what makes you think AA isn't for you? You have alluded to the Bible, so I get the feeling it isn't the spirituality aspect of the program that is troubling for you.
If you haven't tried it, I would suggest you at least investigate a couple of AA meetings to get a better idea of what it's about. You might be surprised. You don't have to continue with it, if you in fact find it unhelpful, but I suggest looking into it because having the face-to-face support of others dealing with the same issue, using a common toolkit to get there, is very helpful to me and to lots of others. It's also ubiquitous--available almost everywhere, with meetings at all times of the day.
Just a thought, if you are dead-set against it, I know that for some people it isn't necessary for recovery.
Just curious, what makes you think AA isn't for you? You have alluded to the Bible, so I get the feeling it isn't the spirituality aspect of the program that is troubling for you.
If you haven't tried it, I would suggest you at least investigate a couple of AA meetings to get a better idea of what it's about. You might be surprised. You don't have to continue with it, if you in fact find it unhelpful, but I suggest looking into it because having the face-to-face support of others dealing with the same issue, using a common toolkit to get there, is very helpful to me and to lots of others. It's also ubiquitous--available almost everywhere, with meetings at all times of the day.
Just a thought, if you are dead-set against it, I know that for some people it isn't necessary for recovery.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Cary, NC
Posts: 715
lpnangel,
The one thing that helped me with SMART recovery are their downloadable worksheets. They have tools like the Cost-Benefit analysis, identifying triggers, a lot of cognitive-behavioral techniques like reframing irrational thoughts and figuring out what I used alcohol for and finding better ways to fill those needs.
They also have online chat meetings that follow the SMART recovery format.
A lot of their suggestions are very practical and can be put into use immediately. In my case, they worked very well for unbundling the mental obsession.
The one thing that helped me with SMART recovery are their downloadable worksheets. They have tools like the Cost-Benefit analysis, identifying triggers, a lot of cognitive-behavioral techniques like reframing irrational thoughts and figuring out what I used alcohol for and finding better ways to fill those needs.
They also have online chat meetings that follow the SMART recovery format.
A lot of their suggestions are very practical and can be put into use immediately. In my case, they worked very well for unbundling the mental obsession.
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sunny FL
Posts: 647
Originally Posted by LexieCat 
I don't know a lot about SMART, but I do know people who were helped by it.
Just curious, what makes you think AA isn't for you? You have alluded to the Bible, so I get the feeling it isn't the spirituality aspect of the program that is troubling for you.
If you haven't tried it, I would suggest you at least investigate a couple of AA meetings to get a better idea of what it's about. You might be surprised. You don't have to continue with it, if you in fact find it unhelpful, but I suggest looking into it because having the face-to-face support of others dealing with the same issue, using a common toolkit to get there, is very helpful to me and to lots of others. It's also ubiquitous--available almost everywhere, with meetings at all times of the day.
Just a thought, if you are dead-set against it, I know that for some people it isn't necessary for recovery.
Just curious, what makes you think AA isn't for you? You have alluded to the Bible, so I get the feeling it isn't the spirituality aspect of the program that is troubling for you.
If you haven't tried it, I would suggest you at least investigate a couple of AA meetings to get a better idea of what it's about. You might be surprised. You don't have to continue with it, if you in fact find it unhelpful, but I suggest looking into it because having the face-to-face support of others dealing with the same issue, using a common toolkit to get there, is very helpful to me and to lots of others. It's also ubiquitous--available almost everywhere, with meetings at all times of the day.
Just a thought, if you are dead-set against it, I know that for some people it isn't necessary for recovery.
same planet...different world
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Butte, America
Posts: 10,946
Hi -
I think drinking is also a very VERY rutualistic activity.
Why else would someone
drink the same thing
every day
at the same time
for years
(if they survive that long)
What *I* got from AA was the body memory
while I set about re-training myself
to focus my life on life
and not on how horrible I felt
because I couldn't have my alcohol ritual any more.
I know buddists who regularly attend AA
I know skeptics and atheists who attend...
I personally lean more toward the anthropomorphic personificational view....
SMART recovery is (can be) good as well
I know far fewer who succeeded but they do exist.
Not arguing with you here
please don't read that way -
just standing up for the concept
that replacing a negative ritual
with the application of a positive one
in its place
in order to heal and repair
was what it took for me.
Ritual is a great thing when properly executed...
I mean, everybody flosses, right?
I think drinking is also a very VERY rutualistic activity.
Why else would someone
drink the same thing
every day
at the same time
for years
(if they survive that long)
What *I* got from AA was the body memory
while I set about re-training myself
to focus my life on life
and not on how horrible I felt
because I couldn't have my alcohol ritual any more.
I know buddists who regularly attend AA
I know skeptics and atheists who attend...
I personally lean more toward the anthropomorphic personificational view....
SMART recovery is (can be) good as well
I know far fewer who succeeded but they do exist.
Not arguing with you here
please don't read that way -
just standing up for the concept
that replacing a negative ritual
with the application of a positive one
in its place
in order to heal and repair
was what it took for me.
Ritual is a great thing when properly executed...
I mean, everybody flosses, right?
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sunny FL
Posts: 647
Originally Posted by barb dwyer
Hi -
I think drinking is also a very VERY rutualistic activity.
Why else would someone
drink the same thing
every day
at the same time
for years
(if they survive that long)
What *I* got from AA was the body memory
while I set about re-training myself
to focus my life on life
and not on how horrible I felt
because I couldn't have my alcohol ritual any more.
I know buddists who regularly attend AA
I know skeptics and atheists who attend...
I personally lean more toward the anthropomorphic personificational view....
SMART recovery is (can be) good as well
I know far fewer who succeeded but they do exist.
Not arguing with you here
please don't read that way -
just standing up for the concept
that replacing a negative ritual
with the application of a positive one
in its place
in order to heal and repair
was what it took for me.
Ritual is a great thing when properly executed...
I mean, everybody flosses, right?
I think drinking is also a very VERY rutualistic activity.
Why else would someone
drink the same thing
every day
at the same time
for years
(if they survive that long)
What *I* got from AA was the body memory
while I set about re-training myself
to focus my life on life
and not on how horrible I felt
because I couldn't have my alcohol ritual any more.
I know buddists who regularly attend AA
I know skeptics and atheists who attend...
I personally lean more toward the anthropomorphic personificational view....
SMART recovery is (can be) good as well
I know far fewer who succeeded but they do exist.
Not arguing with you here
please don't read that way -
just standing up for the concept
that replacing a negative ritual
with the application of a positive one
in its place
in order to heal and repair
was what it took for me.
Ritual is a great thing when properly executed...
I mean, everybody flosses, right?
Well said
Looking For Myself...Sober
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Where the heart is
Posts: 10,209
I did SMART for awhile back when I first started attempting recovery In 07.
I got alot out of it when I took the time to read the literature and use the tools and work sheets. The meetings were good too IMO. They are a little different than 12 step meeitngs as for they do an individual check in at the beginning and then go back to the ones who asked for time and then people are allowed to give you feed back. Its not like NA/AA where it your just unloading to a room f people and thats it. SMART meetings are just like group therapy. BUt now that I have gone to 12 step more, SMART meetings seem like they are drawn out and take too long because of the very thing I liked to begin with. Too much time spent on one person get frustrating after awhile.
Other than that. I liekd it. And I also have grown to like NA. But it took alot to get to that point with 12 step. I read the literature and listened and most of all experienced it for myself and gave t a good chance before forming my opinion. In other words. I went for more than a week and participated and did service work. Met people and all the stuff your suppos to do. I also had a very hbard time with the HP thing. That was such a turn off for me for a long time. I am not Buddhist but love to learn about it and my individual belief in spirituality goes more along the lines of Buddhism. So i found a book calledBuddhism and the 12 steps. Its the best book I have ever read. Thats what really shed light for me on the 12 steps. It gave such a better understanding of them and how to use them with what my belief system is.
I got alot out of it when I took the time to read the literature and use the tools and work sheets. The meetings were good too IMO. They are a little different than 12 step meeitngs as for they do an individual check in at the beginning and then go back to the ones who asked for time and then people are allowed to give you feed back. Its not like NA/AA where it your just unloading to a room f people and thats it. SMART meetings are just like group therapy. BUt now that I have gone to 12 step more, SMART meetings seem like they are drawn out and take too long because of the very thing I liked to begin with. Too much time spent on one person get frustrating after awhile.
Other than that. I liekd it. And I also have grown to like NA. But it took alot to get to that point with 12 step. I read the literature and listened and most of all experienced it for myself and gave t a good chance before forming my opinion. In other words. I went for more than a week and participated and did service work. Met people and all the stuff your suppos to do. I also had a very hbard time with the HP thing. That was such a turn off for me for a long time. I am not Buddhist but love to learn about it and my individual belief in spirituality goes more along the lines of Buddhism. So i found a book calledBuddhism and the 12 steps. Its the best book I have ever read. Thats what really shed light for me on the 12 steps. It gave such a better understanding of them and how to use them with what my belief system is.
A work in progress
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 16,633
Its not like NA/AA where it your just unloading to a room f people and thats it.
In addition, AA STRONGLY encourages people to have a sponsor--someone further along in recovery than you are, who can help with the Step work and answer questions like "how do I manage being around people who are drinking when I have to be there?"
So, point is, AA doesn't preclude using other tools. Especially in early sobriety, it's important to deal with things like unexpected temptations to have a drink. The goal in AA is to get to the point where you don't have to constantly monitor yourself or concentrate on just not drinking. AA's goal is to teach you how to live fully, free from the desire to drink. That beats managing "triggers" in the long run, I'd say.
Re-Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 7,583
IPangel,
Wow! Great reply! And great replies you are getting too. You are going to make it. Here's another vote for being well armed for this battle. I did an in hospital 7 day detox and then quit rehab which was live in for 30 days after they forced me to attend a combo AA and NA meeting on my third day. I hated it. And they made attending a meeting every night bussed by them a requirement. Remember I was freshly sober and had quit cigarettes too.
Once I was home, and not taking up a bed from someone who needed it, I realized that I needed face to face. The counselors at the VA where I quit the voluntary program guaranteed me that I would not make it a year on my own.
I found a great small AA group here and started attending. There were folks there that had 12 years! They met twice a week and told me that I needed to attend 90 meetings in 90 days. I told them thanks but two days a week was enough for me. No one pushed sponsorship on me, and I developed some great friends there. I told them about SR where I spent every day and none of them ever came here to see SR.
I stopped going regularly at 3 months, and went every two months or so to let them know I was indeed sober and doing great. I just went a couple of weeks ago because now they consider me one of their group of sober folks even though I never did AA the traditional way, and instead of expoecting me to relapse I am now called whenever they have a special event like one of our own getting their one year chip. I am so lucky to have them.
I have to say for me it took them, and here, primarily, as well as that 7 day detox and aborted rehab for me to have made it.
Sorry about the long post but here's the punchline.
I was crazy with post acute withdrawal the first 30 days, and would have failed without my family, home AA group, the man upstairs, and SR. The funny part is I admit openly that once I got my head back on straight after two months, I realized that I could now attend the exact meeting that repulsed me almost 9 months ago, and today get a lot out of it, and even contribute to it.
Use everything at your disposal, do SMART, SR, AA, your Doc, counseling, rehab, rational recovery, prayer if you are inclined, meditaiton if not, and then after you are past all the first three months stuff then start to winnow out what you are not needing as much. I just did AA, downloaded the smart checklists, my doc, detox, and more than the others time wise reading here every day and night and even posting. Now I am just here, and visit with my home group once in a while to let them know that I made it thanks in part to them.
Like never bringing a knife to a gunfight, bring all the weapons you can to this battle, and win.
There is no right way to be sober except what results in your being sober . . . and loving it.
Good luck!
Wow! Great reply! And great replies you are getting too. You are going to make it. Here's another vote for being well armed for this battle. I did an in hospital 7 day detox and then quit rehab which was live in for 30 days after they forced me to attend a combo AA and NA meeting on my third day. I hated it. And they made attending a meeting every night bussed by them a requirement. Remember I was freshly sober and had quit cigarettes too.
Once I was home, and not taking up a bed from someone who needed it, I realized that I needed face to face. The counselors at the VA where I quit the voluntary program guaranteed me that I would not make it a year on my own.
I found a great small AA group here and started attending. There were folks there that had 12 years! They met twice a week and told me that I needed to attend 90 meetings in 90 days. I told them thanks but two days a week was enough for me. No one pushed sponsorship on me, and I developed some great friends there. I told them about SR where I spent every day and none of them ever came here to see SR.
I stopped going regularly at 3 months, and went every two months or so to let them know I was indeed sober and doing great. I just went a couple of weeks ago because now they consider me one of their group of sober folks even though I never did AA the traditional way, and instead of expoecting me to relapse I am now called whenever they have a special event like one of our own getting their one year chip. I am so lucky to have them.
I have to say for me it took them, and here, primarily, as well as that 7 day detox and aborted rehab for me to have made it.
Sorry about the long post but here's the punchline.
I was crazy with post acute withdrawal the first 30 days, and would have failed without my family, home AA group, the man upstairs, and SR. The funny part is I admit openly that once I got my head back on straight after two months, I realized that I could now attend the exact meeting that repulsed me almost 9 months ago, and today get a lot out of it, and even contribute to it.
Use everything at your disposal, do SMART, SR, AA, your Doc, counseling, rehab, rational recovery, prayer if you are inclined, meditaiton if not, and then after you are past all the first three months stuff then start to winnow out what you are not needing as much. I just did AA, downloaded the smart checklists, my doc, detox, and more than the others time wise reading here every day and night and even posting. Now I am just here, and visit with my home group once in a while to let them know that I made it thanks in part to them.
Like never bringing a knife to a gunfight, bring all the weapons you can to this battle, and win.
There is no right way to be sober except what results in your being sober . . . and loving it.
Good luck!
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Venus, Space
Posts: 757
I agree with what Lexiecat said about AA and the group therapy. I've been taught it shouldn't be that way, we should be confining our discussions to problems, issues, etc. as they relate to alcoholism and recovery.
I attend a lot of meetings in my area, most of the time they are predominantly on-point - the discussion revolve around the problem and the solution. From time to time people will share what seems like an inordinate amount of personal 'stuff' that is going on with them or seemingly just babble for the sake of babbling. I've gotten to the point where I just say to myself better to let them come here and 'dump' then be out drinking instead. Typically the next person to share brings the ball back to alcoholism and recovery.
The other thing is, if I had to choose between fewer meetings of 'sterilized' AA and massive amounts of meetings where people go off on tangents sometimes then I choose the latter. My recovery and the recovery of others ultimately benefits greatly by having such high accessibility to meetings.
Good luck to you. As Itchy said, bring as many weapons to this battle as you can in order to find those that work for you. It's a life and death battle IMHO.
I attend a lot of meetings in my area, most of the time they are predominantly on-point - the discussion revolve around the problem and the solution. From time to time people will share what seems like an inordinate amount of personal 'stuff' that is going on with them or seemingly just babble for the sake of babbling. I've gotten to the point where I just say to myself better to let them come here and 'dump' then be out drinking instead. Typically the next person to share brings the ball back to alcoholism and recovery.
The other thing is, if I had to choose between fewer meetings of 'sterilized' AA and massive amounts of meetings where people go off on tangents sometimes then I choose the latter. My recovery and the recovery of others ultimately benefits greatly by having such high accessibility to meetings.
Good luck to you. As Itchy said, bring as many weapons to this battle as you can in order to find those that work for you. It's a life and death battle IMHO.
Looking For Myself...Sober
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Where the heart is
Posts: 10,209
I didnt say AA/NA was like group therapy. I was refering to how SMART meetings format goes. Its just ike group therapy. And when I said in AA/NA people just unload. I meant more like they say what it is thats on their mind. Whether it be a bitch fest or sharing. Its more of sharing what it is your struggling with or others sharing how they got to where they are and passing on what worked for them. I wasnt saying people just dump their crap. I should have worded that better. Meaning AA/ NA its just say what you want to share and theres no feedback or individaul attention on that share like in SMART. Sorry for the confusion.
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxnard (The Nard), CA, USA.
Posts: 13,899
I have used the SMART Tools to get a start on recovery. Also some of SMART Tools I can use to help with day to day living and maintaining my sobriety.
SMART is based on a scientific foundation, not a spiritual one. SMART focuses on increasing ones self-reliance, whereas AA has individual powerlessness as one of its main tenets.
I like the SMART way of recovery because its secular. As I am a secular person too. So the SMART program is a great match for my addiction treatment needs.
SMART is based on a scientific foundation, not a spiritual one. SMART focuses on increasing ones self-reliance, whereas AA has individual powerlessness as one of its main tenets.
I like the SMART way of recovery because its secular. As I am a secular person too. So the SMART program is a great match for my addiction treatment needs.
instant
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 5,711
I have used some of the SMART tools and found them very helpful. As for "the science" I am not that sure. I do not think that thoughts create emotions, even though we can actively talk ourselves into things ie the stories we tell ourselves are important.
I do not go to AA. I have read the big book and I think it is great. I also think the spiritual side of things is important- I do not think SMART does. Alcohol stunts your personal growth and focuses you inwards- and we have all done that for a long time. If the challenges of sobriety are not dealt with we are likely to drink-
I do not go to AA. I have read the big book and I think it is great. I also think the spiritual side of things is important- I do not think SMART does. Alcohol stunts your personal growth and focuses you inwards- and we have all done that for a long time. If the challenges of sobriety are not dealt with we are likely to drink-
Guest
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 609
I joined the SMART website, they are CBT, and they are accepting of a person having a spiritual belief to 'round out' their recovery but that is not their main focus. I didn't stay permanently with the site, but their recovery toolbox had some useful things.
I don't go to AA but use a lot of their philosophy. It's acceptable and common these days for people to use both AA and some CBT in their recovery.
I have mental health issues, I go to CBT therapy for that, a lot of it seems applicable to my alcoholism as well.
I don't go to AA but use a lot of their philosophy. It's acceptable and common these days for people to use both AA and some CBT in their recovery.
I have mental health issues, I go to CBT therapy for that, a lot of it seems applicable to my alcoholism as well.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Posts: 645
I found a lot of the SMART worksheets incredibly useful in early sobriety. My recovery program is my own with elements of official programs like RR, NA, SMART all mixed together. It works for me
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