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| Last updated on March 5, 2008 |
SMART Recovery® recruits and trains people to facilitate mutual support groups with a science-based program to help meeting attendees to gain independence from harmful addictive behaviors. SMART Recovery meetings are an excellent alternative or supplement to 12-Step / Anonymous groups like AA.
Description:
SMART Recovery volunteers offer people who attend our meetings (face-to-face or on-line)a science-based, secular, non-confrontational program. SMART Recovery is a not-for-profit educational organization run by volunteers who developed the program and who recruit and train volunteers facilitators. Volunteers find the experience to be VERY REWARDING!
You do not need to have "recovered" or be "recovering" with or without SMART Recovery in order to facilitate our meetings. You may be recovered or you may be a person who has never had an alcohol or other drug problem. All you need is the desire to help and basic agreement with our mission and principles as described here and at http://www.smartrecovery.org our web site .
Those principles may be briefly summarized as follows: The program is based on choice, personal responsibility, proven principles of change and unconditional self-acceptance. What is important is that Facilitators approach people with empathy and acceptance, without pressure or confrontation, and help people to find and learn about the well researched tools of our program.
SMART is an acronym standing for: Self- Management And Recovery Training. We help people empower themselves to change.
Within our 4 Point Program we teach people how to:
- enhance and maintain motivation to abstain;
- cope with cravings and urges;
- better manage thoughts, feelings and behaviors to solve life's problems;
- find a balance of short and long term satisfactions and achieve a balanced lifestyle.
Once people have gained independence from harmful addictive behaviors they are invited to stay and help, but may graduate and move on with their lives if they prefer.
You may also volunteer to help SMART Recovery in other ways like helping with arranging talks, distributing literature, finding funding sponsors and other aspects of community relations.
Our program has been culled from research on addictions and developed for group implementation by the volunteer National Board of Directors. The program has been reviewed by the experts on our International Advisory Panel. See our web site for more details.
Research shows that people recover best when they know about their options for treatment and self-help. People will choose the group that they are best able to use.
Some people seeking help with substance or activity addictions prefer our evidence-based program which evolves as scientific knowledge advances. Some appreciate that our program is secular, (spirituality-optional); neither demanding or demeaning spiritual or religious beliefs. If that sounds good to you, you can help us bring this option to the community.
We invite you to become one of the volunteers who facilitate our meetings. You may sit in on a meeting to see what it's all about. We will show you how very easy it is to facilitate these groups and you will learn a lot. Your efforts will be appreciated and your skills will grow.
History:
Henry Steinberger started a Rational Recovery meeting in Madison WI in 1991. When RR became a for-profit that rejected and disavowed all self-help groups that competed with RR's books and seminars (even though the research supports self-help groups), the RR Board of Directors resigned and in 1994 they established SMART Recovery® with its current name, maintaining the network of self-help meetings. They developed the Four Point program, and received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to publish an initial SMART Recovery Member's Manual (now The SMART Recovery Handbook - available at the Madison Public Library or for sale at our meetings for $10). We have since established a web page, on-line meetings, and an on-line community of support. There are now meetings in several other countries, a program for prison inmates called Inside/Out (development funded by NIAAA) and Scotland has adopted SMART-UK within their corrections system. We have been endorsed by: NIDA, ASAM and AAFP. We added a toll free line (866-951-5357) though one can save us the cost by phoning 440-951-5357 (FAX: 440-951-5358) or write to: info@smartrecovery.org .
We have a funny and fascinating DVD, “SMART for Life” which covers our program in an entertaining 33 minutes, available at our web site, and training videos funded by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) which you can buy or borrow from our local group.
SMART Recovery also advocates for freedom of choice in the selection of treatment and self-help options, and this has been supported by a series of court decisions, all of which ruled that mandatory AA/12-Step attendance violates the Establishment (Freedom of Religion) Clause of the US Constitution.
Contact people:
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Henry Steinberger, Ph.D., Volunteer Advisor & Member Of The Board, (608) 238-5176 ext. 365, (email)
Shari Alwood, Executive Director, (866) 951-5357, (email) |
Office fax number: (608) 238-2727
Address:
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440 Science Drive, Suite 200
Madison, WI 53711
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.smartrecovery.org
Directions:
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Please note that meetings are NOT held at this MAILING address. The free self-help meetings are held at the Wil-Mar Center, 953 Jenifer Street on Madison's eastside. Please call Madison Metro for directions. Two buses stop across the street from. . . (more)
Nearest Bus Stop: to Wil-Mar Ctr. #3 & #4, 3 minute walk |
Miscellaneous Information
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