SMART Recovery & SRT

SMART Recovery^® (SR) is an international organization of free mutual-support meetings for overcoming addictive behaviors. SR meetings are usually open-to the public and led by non-professional peers who volunteer to serve as meeting "facilitators." One does not need permission to attend free community SMART Recovery meetings and participants are welcome to 'drop-in' at will. How often and how long one attends is a matter of individual choice.

SR face-to-face and online meetings can be excellent resources for helping clients make subtantive progress while engaged in professional counseling and after completing professional services. Many of my clients find that in addition to professional counseling, participating in peer-to-peer live SMART meetings in the community and/or online meetings helps them improve more quickly and substantively.

Never-the-less, for clients in my private practice, participating in free SR meetings or any other mutual support program is voluntary. It is not my policy to mandate SR meeting attendance as a condition of counseling services. For more information on SMART Recovery®, please see following information and check out the SMART national website: SMARTRecovery.org

PLEASE NOTE: The weekly "ABC" group counseling sessions I lead in my office are not SMART Recovery® meetings
My fee-for-service professionally led "ABC" group counseling sessions often share some similarites to free peer-led SMART meetings but they are also quite different. For example, my professionally led groups are not free nor are they "open" to the general public. Unlike public SMART Recovery meetings, the general public and even clients I see individually cannot just "drop-in" to my professionally led group sessions. The "ABC" group counseling sessions are an option only for clients with whom I have established a professional relationship in previous individual sessions. Yet, participation in these groups is still "by invitation only." Even current clients must have my invitation/permission to attend my professionally led group sessions and candidates for the group must, at a minimum, be willing to make a time limited commitment to attend consistently, demonstrate a good faith effort to maintain abstinence while a member of the group, and to actively participate in group sessions with constructive self-disclosure and interation with peers

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Raleigh SMART Recovery® Meeting

Thurdays, 7:30-9 PM
North Raleigh United Methodist Church

8501 Honeycutt Rd., Raleigh, NC 27616
Email: AndyOrrABC@gmail.com

Phone: (919)274-8001

Go to: TriangleSMARTRecovery.org

for info and directions about the SMART Recovery meetings in:

Cary: (Monday evenings)

Chapel Hill (Tues. evenings)

Durham (Weds. evenings)

Raleigh (Thurs. evenings)

Carrboro (Sat. mornings)

Brief Overview of SMARTSMART is the acronym for Self Management and Recovery Training. SMART Recovery^® is a national non-profit organization that facilitates abstinence based mutual-help groups for recovery from problems related to substance abuse and dependency or other addictive behaviors. The group is free and open to the public. No prior arrangements are necessary to attend.

The SMART approach views addiction as learned behavior, i.e., a bad habit which can be stopped. Consequently, in contrast to "twelve step" beliefs, SMART discourages labeling people as "alcoholics" or "addicts," and prefers to label the addictive behavior patterns rather than the person. Thus, one might say, "I've become addicted to or dependent on alcohol (or drugs) rather than "I am an alcoholic (or addict)."

SMART does not view addiction as a disease that renders a person "powerlessness" to help themselves. Consequently, SMART does not include "spiritual" or religious beliefs. SMART affirms that recovery is a learned behavior that does not require supernatural powers. We view addictive behavior as a human problem with human solutions.

SMART encourages people to accept and practice self-responsibility, and to develop self-motivation and self-discipline as the primary means of stopping one's troublesome substance use. With practice and persistence, one can establish a more balanced lifestyle that enables one to maintain a substance free and satisfying way of life.

SMART's philosophy and techniques are based upon Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, motivational enhancement, relapse prevention techniques, and the scientific research on behavioral change processes. As you can see, SMART is an excellent option for people who desire an alternative, or perhaps even an adjunct, to twelve step programs. Individuals who can adopt a flexible "take what you need and leave the rest" attitude may benefit from participating in both SMART and twelve step groups.

SMART meetings are usually led by volunteer peer “coordinators” who are non-professional members of the group. Most SMART groups have a “volunteer advisor” serving as a resource person for the group. Groups usually “pass the hat” for contributions to help defray group expenses.

Anyone interested in learning about SMART Recovery^® is welcome to attend, visitors are welcome, including professionals who just want to see what it is all about. If you don't plan to visit or attend we hope you will at least pass the word about SMART Recovery^®.