Article in HuffPo
 

Here's an article in the Huffington Post about different recovery approaches. I think it's a worthwhile article.

Tom Horvath, Ph.D.: If Not AA, Then What? SMART Recovery and the AA Alternatives

I dunno. I like serenity and courage and have had to "use" both of these to stay stopped.

Glad that other recovery methods are being talked about, maybe the word will spread and others will stay stopped, too, no matter which method they choose!

It is most interesting that he did not mention Rational Recovery in his article, considering that he is intimately familiar with it, having once served on its board of directors.

I hereby correct Dr. Horvath's intentional and deliberate oversight by mentioning Rational Recovery as another option, and point out for the record that his "alternative" champion persona could use some work.

That said, I do appreciate your shining the light on the "alternatives," OTT, and I absolutely encourage you to keep doing so. Please don't let my remarks on Dr. Horvath discourage you from doing what you do so well.

I certainly view RR as a valid option regardless of Dr. Horvath's omission of it. Certainly there is a history there and a difference of opinion many years ago. However, I still think the article is worth a read.

Frankly, I view pretty much anything as a valid option, as long as it suits and works for the individual.

Thanks Only--looking forward to reading it! :)

Yeah, I know, OTT. I will say that one of the things I do like about SMART recovery is that they actually take precautions to prevent abuses among and between their members, much like SoberRecovery does with their "Internet Predators" warnings.

Addicted people have a propensity to place undue and unearned trust on others simply on account of the fact that they also got high as a kite. On the one hand, I am inclined to believe that people reap what they sow, but on the other hand, I also know that is their addiction talking, driving them to see other substance abusers as trustworthy, even if they are anything but.

It would probably be good if all recovery groups adopted such precautions.

I liked the parallels drawn between external and internal locus of control, serenity/courage, and powerlessness/empowering ideas. I hadn't made those connections.

Also interesting was the observation that, given the choice between paradigms, the sample observed showed a 50/50 split in their preference. That surprised me, and there is a lesson there for me.

Thank you Only.
I read it and passed it on to others also. Thanks.

It does make me wonder if some people would be as ill-suited to the "alternatives" as the other way around. Some people will never fit into the 12-Step model, but are there those who will never fit into the self-empowering models, as Dr. Horvath calls them?

I think so. In my view it's wrong to assume that everyone wants or needs a particular "model". The reality is that the do-it-yourself method is alive, well and actually quite popular, but of course we never hear the stories of such people because they don't show up at meetings or even online forums. They do show up in studies, though.

I agree.

SMART really does take member safety very seriously. There is a code of conduct, and it is enforced.