Introduction to SMART Recovery
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- This 20-minute video provides an overview of SMART Recovery. It reviews the origin, components, worksheets, as well as a comparison between it and the traditional 12-step approach to addiction recovery. Presented by Ken Kinter.
As someone who has abstained from alcohol since entering rehab back in 2020, I slipped back into marijuana use 6 months in and became disillusioned by AA. I found myself back at AA recently after realizing the sense of community and suggestions given are immensely helpful. Since then, I’ve picked up two white chips for marijuana use but it still doesn’t make sense to me how one could go to town with one or several of the “okay” drugs (coffee, tobacco, nicotine) but others such as marijuana or prescribed medication are completely off-limits. Now it feels like if I want to stay a part of this club which enriches my life, I have to completely surrender to a set of arbitrary and antiquated principals and turn my life over to a force that, by design, I can’t understand. It’s like I went from one really heavy and uncontrollable situation to another which is hard emotionally. So thank you so much. This video has helped me realize my doubts are not invalid and regardless of how I proceed, knowing that I’m not alone is comforting especially considering I haven’t been able trust my brain for a long time.
Even when a person is clean from their addiction(s) for a long time, the "addict within" is hard at work looking for relapse or a new area of compulsion/addiction to indulge in. Lifelong vigilance is a key to recovery. The 12 steps are one path up the proverbial mountain and SMART Recovery is another. Keep fighting the good fight and thanks for watching and commenting!
@@kenkinter6417 So true. At this point I’ve realized I don’t need marijuana (and even more so don’t like the effect it has on me) so I’m going to seek out a healthier
ritual when hanging out with certain friends. I’m attending both AA and SMART meeting regularly now which I don’t think I would’ve done if not for your video. So another big thank you for the excellent advice and video!
Coffee and tobacco are not mind altering drugs. I wouldn't even call them "drugs".
@@sergeyzolotarev5652 I think I get where you’re coming from - they’re not intoxicants meaning they don’t give you that “wasted” feeling. Some people I know don’t consider marijuana a drug even though it’s mood-altering. That being said, caffeine and nicotine are both stimulants and just like any other substance, they can be abused.
My point is I see a line being drawn between “good” and “bad” drugs with some of these programs and I question it because it seems rather subjective.
@@sergeyzolotarev5652 Coffee and tobacco aren't "drugs" in and of themselves, but they are both delivery vehicles for possibly the two most common stimulants in the world, caffeine and nicotine, respectively. They're both legal and are extremely addictive. If they weren't, they wouldn't be so popular and, in many cases, so dangerous.
Hi Ken, I'm 39 yrs clean & sober but just heard about SMART recovery.. Thank you for this introduction, it's very helpful.
39 years is awesome. I've been in recovery a while (nowhere near that long) and SMART has been a game changer for me.
This is a fantastic intro to SMART recovery! Thank you so much. I look forward to learning more.
Much appreciated. It has been very useful to me and I recommend their trainings.
Twelve-stepper why not give everyone a choice from the beginning, why make them do the 12 step dance before offering SMART Recovery? People do better when they have a choice.
I agree with you. Doing a lot of spiritual work was critical for me in the early stages of my recovery, but I present both options as equals now. Many paths to the mountaintop, right? I love the SMART worksheets and am getting a lot of mileage out of them.
@@kenkinter6417 when I heard of smart recovery the first time, I immediately associated it with CBT. The thing I really like about CBT is that I sometimes see people holding too much stock in God. Whatever works for people to get sober is fine but I definitely think it takes many changes to get sober. No one thing breaks the cycle of addiction usually. This definitely depends on the severity of the addiction as well.
Thanks for the video. I am in school currently to be a SA counselor. I have my own recovery ideas but I am trying to keep an open mind to learn as much as I can.
@@Nomatterwhatclub5150 I'm a big fan of an eclectic approach, kind of a quilt or toolbox. 12 Steps, SMART, CBT, REBT, Stages of Change, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma work (Dr. Mate, Bessel van Der Kolk), Gestalt, and Jungian Psychology are all part of my approach, as everything works for somebody. Good luck on your journey and thanks for watching!
@@kenkinter6417 I agree, take what you like and leave the rest. :)
No one can “make” someone else do anything.
I am currently in an inpatient rehab and was given a SMART recovery handbook and this video popped up on my CZcams. Thank you for explaining it.
I'm so glad it helped. All the best to you on your journey. Whatever program you are working when you get out, work it like your life depends on it! I'm also a huge fan of Patrick Caries' Gentle Path through the 12-Steps as a step guide. A video about that is upcoming as well. Good luck!
Recovery Dharma is good too
Smart Recovery is the future of addiction!!! Sooo much better than AA!!!
What do you like better about it? I'm curious. As I said, I'm a fan of both but each has its strong points.
Whether you get sober and stay sober with A.A. or smart recovery............just stay the course and do it. No more excuses for drinking and drugging. Lots of ways to stay sober
1,000 paths up the mountain but we must walk it. Great points!
Excellent intro to a great tool for the toolbox. Thanks Ken!
Much appreciated!
Excellent video. Thank you so much!
Glad you liked it!
Love looking into all options 😊
It has been really helpful for us, both inpatient and in private practice.
Thank you very much for your presentations as i am preparing for my exam to get my license in FL. Very helpful!
You are welcome! The SMART site is great, with a lot of videos and, of course, the toolbox. Good luck with the licensure and beyond.
Thanks for the video. Just got out of rehab and going to AA now. Going to try Smart too. Luckily there are a couple meetings by me.
All the best to you at a critical part in your journey. SMART has been helpful for me professionally and personally, as has been the 12-step model. I'm also a huge fan of The Gentle Path through the 12 Steps by Patrick Carnes, which is a great step guide. You and your life are worth it!
Thank you for this video. I do believe SMART recovery is for me. I have tried CA but some elements I do not agree with and I will not be told I have to blindly follow it. However, I will still go to the CA meetings because they do help especially when I have the urge.🥰❤🙏🏿
You're welcome and I agree with you 100%. I'm a faithful "12-stepper" but there are parts of the program I struggle with. I love the SMART worksheets and the cognitive/MI approach. I think the expression "take what you need and leave the rest" works here. Glad you're getting what you need and good luck on your journey!
Thank You! I appreciate you knowledge
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Thank you, really helpful 🤗
Glad you liked it. New recovery oriented stuff coming out soon. Stay tuned!
Thank you for this informative video
Glad you liked it. I have some new addiction recovery stuff coming out soon. Stay tuned!
In my trivial opinion, AA is basically a process of building your own religion. You decide who your Higher Power is and how it will help you.
That argument is a common one and not just a trivial opinion. There is a blur between what is spirituality and what is religion. The "God wound" is a real thing that many work through to deepen one's own spiritual beliefs. It is also a struggle to not become "evangelical" about something that has been very helpful to you. "It saved my life and can save yours too" is a rough temptation.
@@kenkinter6417 Some might even say that the urge to share the method that made you sober is unstoppable. "I'm so happy. I want everyone to feel as [ good! ] as I do now."
Thank you
I'm glad to see how SMART Recovery branched off from Rational Recovery. Jack Trimpey had some great ideas but spent too much time on bashing AA. His negativity was toxic.
The relationship between AA and SMART Recovery is definitely a hot topic. I dislike it when different 'ideologies' of recovery conflict when there are so many people who need help. There's a similar issue in sex addiction recovery between Sex Addicts Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous, and Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous. As the Hindu proverb says, there are a hundred paths up the mountain. I discovered AA decades before SMART Recovery but SMART has definitely enhanced my work.
I think he’s comparing AA to smart as opposed to simply bashing AA
@@jillneeld477 Jack was pretty critical of a few core components of AA (reliance on HP, you're always an addict, disease model) but he became very critical of rational recovery as well. If there is a good book on that topic, I'll get it and if not, someone should write it. There are similar controversies between the various sex or "s" fellowships as well.
AVRT made quick work of my addiction decades ago. Sadly, there's no money in it as I just summarily quit and went on with life. Non-profit doesn't mean people aren't making good $$ it just means the mother organization follows NP rules
AVRT is pretty interesting. Neat overlap with SMART, 12-steps and good old-fashioned Jungian psychology. Hope life is going well and thanks for watching. Good point also about nonprofits. Ive worked for some that have done very well.
Thank you for this. I am the Regional Coordinator of New Jersey SMART Recovery. I'd love to speak with you more about SMART here in New Jersey. Please reach out. Thanks!
Can anyone with experience in SMART recovery help me? I’m trying to learn more and be a part of this but I don’t know anyone else and can’t find any online meetings
Meetings locator is at meetings.smartrecovery.org/meetings/location/. The materials are downloadable from www.smartrecovery.org/smart-recovery-toolbox/. Reach out to me at kenkinter@gmail.com and let me know your (approximate) physical location and I'll see what I can find if that doesn't work.
I came to SMART via Family and Friends
Anything that can help someone without hurting others is God blessing
I'm not the most religious person in the world, but anyone who is helping others (particularly with things like mental illness/addictions) is doing God's work, IMO. SMART Recovery possesses a lot of great tools to do exactly that. I can tell you, there is no greater feeling for me than helping someone back from the edge of that abyss.
Where can we print these worksheets?
I,ve just read the introduction to smart. Whats the second part called please?. I,ve typed getting SMART into the search bar but nothing comes up?
I don't remember saying there was going to be a second part but I'm not ruling it out. Either way: I'm currently working on a video for something called Inside Out, which is a forensic version of SMART recovery, which should be out in a few weeks. That may serve as a part 2. This video is really intended to direct people to the SMART Recovery website (SMARTrecovery.org) for additional info, tools, and training.
Hello my name is Dawn and i am new to SMART. Im trying to find someone who can help me get started and some guidence. Didnt know were to ask so im just reaching out.
Hi Dawn! I loved the SMART Training that they offer on their site. Then do all the worksheets for/on yourself to see how they work for you. There are groups looking for facilitators/backups and you can get a feel for it there. I think it is totally worth it. Good luck!
Perfect for an overthinker like me. I think I will stick with the 12 steps that have given me 37 years of Happy sobriety.
"Don't fix what ain't broke". Congrats on 37 years.
Why waste peoples' time and maybe negatively affecting their recovery by heving them try AA first, then if they don't like it, suggest that they try SMART? Why not tell them about SMART and the choices they have in the beginning? SMART is not just for people who don't like AA or are non-religious.
AA is usually people's first experience due to it being more well-known and pretty much universally available but the whole point is to have more than one approach. When someone wants help, there should be no barriers from the helping side. At the hospitals where I work, both are offered as equal options, but are subject to availability. There may be only a handful of staff trained in SMART and volunteers from AA come in to run groups. Great point.
Going to keep looking into smart recovery in order to help others, but generally speaking those who have a problem with the higher power concept are usually those who need it the most.
The more tools you have, the better off you are, IMO. Also, I would say that carrying anger toward God is a poison that hurts the person and their recovery. I'm less concerned that they reconnect with God than they address and reconcile the anger in their "God wound". After that anger is dealt with, they are free to be open to whatever form of religion/spirituality they wish. My own journey involved a lot of this in Steps 2 and 3. A former client of mine who was traumatized by his family's conversion to Jehovah's Witnesses when he was a child, came in with a lot of resentment toward God and multiple addictions. He could/would not embrace the concept of a Higher Power because it was too close to the "God" of his childhood. After many false starts, he learned to embrace a Higher Power because of all people Matthew McConaghey. In an awards speech,, Matthew dedicated his success to 'the man he will become in 10 years'. My client used this concept and his recovery became much stronger as a result. The father, husband, and man he could become in 10 years became his Higher Power and to my knowledge, still is.
Sounds like you would benefit from the tool DIBS : disputing irrational beliefs.
I think availability is a huge Factor, how available is smart recovery I have only seen one meeting and it's about 20 mi from where I live yet there's AA meeting every 5.
Availability is the primary issue. There is the same problem in the 12-step community where there are AA meetings everywhere, NA meetings in most places, and precious few other meetings. COVID has put an emphasis on online groups which aren't the same as in-person but greatly increases availability. SMART is spreading, as I remember when most meetings were in correctional settings. Hopefully, it becomes more convenient for you.
There are zoom meetings many times a day, every day. Thinking about switching to smart from AA myself.
Ugh, as soon has he said he was "big fan" of AA, I had to stop listening. What a disappointment.