SMART Recovery 101 – The Alternative or Supplemental Resource to 12-Step Programming

SMART Recovery has been an asset in the addiction recovery community for many years now, however, it’s just recently picked up steam in terms of being accepted as a valid resource for peer support and is viewed as a rival to 12-step by many. The positive thing that I’ve found over my years of facilitating SMART meetings is that it is inclusionary as opposed to exclusionary which, I believe, is an extremely important piece in the alcohol and drug recovery puzzle.

SMART began in 1994 from humble beginnings as an alternative to a spiritual program (e.g. 12-step) and focused on a scientific approach to recovery. SMART started to spread throughout the United States and the UK in the late 1990’s and began gaining momentum in the early 2000’s. SMART offered individuals with process addictions a place where they could fit in and that did not focus only on substances of abuse but rather a focus on any behavior that the individual felt was causing an imbalance in their lives.

Today there are over 2000 meetings worldwide and quickly growing. Individuals are able to express themselves and their struggles in community meetings, therapeutic environments, prisons, and online meetings around the world.

The four-point system of the SMART program focuses on:

1: Building and Maintaining Motivation

2: Coping with Urges

3: Managing Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors

4: Living a Balanced Life.

Each of these four points also has materials which coincide with the point to assist the individual in gaining a better understanding of how to live a more balanced lifestyle. These tools help the individual to understand how to live a more balanced lifestyle.