SMART Recovery

Addiction is a complex affliction that is defined by symptoms such as compulsive use of a substance that further induces behavioral patterns and affects mental health. Many people suffering from addiction often feel like they are trapped and express desperation to get rid of it. However, when talking about addiction treatment, it is unique to every individual as it depends on factors such as the substance abused, the duration of abuse, or the severity of the addiction.

Amidst all, SMART Recovery for addiction can be an effective treatment for many as it encourages the patients to develop skills to fight addiction. The treatment method works to bring positive changes in the lives of the patients making them take charge of their behavior and encouraging them to focus on improving their overall mental health.

Self-Management and Recovery Training, or SMART Recovery, is an internationally renowned non-profit organization that works towards helping patients with addiction achieve self-empowerment. The program uses a scientific approach to achieve recovery from addiction.

The organization started in 1984 with a non-profit called Rational Recovery. It was very successful through the 1990s and incorporated ADAHSN (the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Self-Help Network) in 1992 and got rebranded as SMART in 1994.

SMART Recovery program focuses on transforming the patients’ mindset from addiction to taking charge of their own life and developing self-control. It also helps patients improve their mental health, which in turn helps them manage the triggers and abstain from drugs or alcohol. SMART drug recovery provides patients with a sense of self-empowerment by showing them practical ways to bring long-term positive changes in their behaviors and lives.

The program takes practices from other successful disciplines such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational enhancement therapy (MET), and rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) to create a combined technique to help one sustainably make the shift to a lifestyle of more positive choices, develop the desire to take total responsibility for his/her feelings, behavior, and lifestyle.

Being a completely science-based approach, techniques used in the SMART Recovery Program evolve continuously as scientists advance their research and develop better strategies. SMART drug recovery program has received recognition for its effectiveness from notable institutions such as the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

SMART Addiction Recovery centers primarily aim to achieve self-empowerment. Meetings and other support resources train individuals to remain motivated even after rehab and reinforce a well-balanced life with healthier choices.

SMART Recovery programs include the following topics:

• Focusing on self-development by showing self-responsibility, self-motivation, and self-discipline throughout the recovery process.
• Switching from self-destructive thoughts to healthy thoughts and more rational thinking.
• Setting smaller goals and short-term milestones as stepping stones to achieve the bigger goal of sobriety
• Recognizing when cravings arise and managing them directly in the moment is a crucial part of the recovery process.
• Resisting urges to drink, use drugs, or act in a negative pattern.
• Maintaining patience throughout the recovery journey.
• Applying learnings and resources from SMART Recovery for addiction program to daily life situations.

SMART Recovery meetings in rehabs do not consider relapses to be failures or necessitates patients to restart the treatment from scratch. Instead, the program focuses on the trigger that causes relapse and the reason behind it and proceeds to identify the way forward. Treating relapse as a mistake instead of a weakness motivates the patients to get back to abstinence

The treatment in SMART alcohol Recovery program is based on a 4-Point Program. Each point in the program helps a person to step by step move forward towards sobriety.

The following is a detailed look at each point of the 4-Point Program:

• Build and maintain motivation: Recovering from substance abuse or addiction can be hard, but it is often harder to continue sobriety. The willingness and desire to maintain sobriety have to come from within. Otherwise, long-lasting recovery is not possible. One of the effective ways to strengthen motivation is to list down all the pros and cons of continuing drug use versus a life of sobriety. Repeatedly affirming the benefits of a sober life and remembering the downside of addiction can be an effective tool to keep one motivated.
• Cope with cravings: It is very natural to experience an urge to drink or use drugs during the process of recovery. SMART alcohol Recovery programs help one to build strategies to tackle such situations and overcome cravings. Strategies may include steps like figuring out the root cause of the triggers, being mindful of every action and decision and identifying and deflecting irrational thoughts on time to avoid relapse episodes
• Managing thoughts, feelings, and behavior: This point is more about knowing yourself better by exploring irrational thoughts in detail. There will be many ups and downs on the path to recovery; SMART addiction recovery centers help you to view these difficulties in a different way by emphasizing techniques to tackle them. Their tools make the participants feel empowered to control and surpass difficult situations and cravings which might otherwise lead them to give in to drugs.
• Pursue a balanced life: Sobriety is not a single point of success. Maintaining sobriety requires consistent and continued effort. SMART drug recovery program helps the participants to find out what is more important to them in life and work to safeguard those interests. Setting achievable short-term and long-term goals contribute to living a balanced life free from alcohol and other substances. Healthy lifestyle choices like exercising, good diet, and having fun hobbies also help.

• People who do not want religion, beliefs, or spirituality to interfere in their treatment or vice-versa will find SMART Recovery for addiction to be a perfect tool to fight substance abuse. SMART Recovery uses purely science-based techniques and focuses on mental health and overall well-being. That makes SMART appropriate for atheists as well as anyone who follows some religion or any set of philosophies because the program does not intervene with those ideas
• Those who are seeking proactive change in their life with a deeper understanding of their situation will find SMART Recovery to be a suitable option. The program refuses to label addiction as a disease and does not see the participants as addicts or alcoholics. SMART drug recovery understands that each individual has a different past and takes care of them accordingly. The course of action to be taken is decided on basis of one’s experiences in the past week and what they wish to change in the coming week. People who enter this program get a judgment-free environment and the power to take complete control of their lives while being fully responsible for their behavior.
• SMART Program allows use of medications if they are prescribed by trusted sources and maintenance therapies if they are well monitored. Those who are already on or want to go for pharmacotherapies will find SMART Recovery programs supportive of their choices and needs.
•  It is not only those who are directly affected who can participate in the SMART Recovery program for addiction. As there are no prerequisites to join, family and friends can also participate in SMART Recovery programs to learn how to manage and support loved ones who are going through alcoholism or drug abuse. While The SMART recovery centers educate addicts on how to progress towards sobriety and handle negative behavior, caregivers can also find their own support groups to share their feelings for the sake of their own mental health.
• Other addictions or disorders like eating disorders, gambling addiction, sexual addiction, nicotine addiction, illicit and prescription drug abuse, and internet addiction along with alcoholism can find a solution in SMART addiction recovery centers. The SMART meetings in rehabs can be helpful to gain the strength to combat such behavioral addictions and disorders.

Developing skills to prevent relapse

SMART addiction recovery centers educate individuals to prevent relapse and also how to minimize the impact of such episodes. These skills are useful throughout one’s life. They will know what to do to avoid mistakes by managing triggers and learning self-control and not just relying on hope.

SMART Recovery meetings in rehabs run on the principle of mutual support among the participants. The meetings are organized and are based on the four main points of SMART Recovery. The motive of the SMART drug recovery meetings is to focus on the present and on making better choices for the future. Meetings help participants learn to cope with emotional hardships like low self-esteem, guilt, anger, and fear of being trapped in addiction while working on self-acceptance.

The final goal of SMART Recovery for addiction program is to help participants to lead a life free from addiction by instilling a sense of control and the will to abstain from negative behavior. Their idea is to not use labels such as “addict”, or “alcoholic” as these terms snatch away the motivation to make progress towards sobriety. SMART Recovery from addiction program offers various in-person meetings and online meetings all over the world.