FAQ's About SMART Recovery

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SMART Recovery has a scientific foundation, not a spiritual one. SMART Recovery teaches increasing self-reliance, rather than powerlessness. SMART Recovery meetings are discussion meetings in which individuals talk with one another, rather than to one another. SMART Recover encourages attendance for months to years, but probably not a lifetime. There are no sponsors in SMART Recovery. SMART Recovery discourages use of labels such as “alcoholic” or “addict”. 

 SMART Recovery is a fresh approach to addiction recovery. SMART stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training. This is more than an acronym: it is a transformative method of moving from addictive substances and negative behaviors to a life of positive self-regard and willingness to change.

Far too many people feel powerless over their lives and carry a sense of futility, a dread of staying trapped within an addiction pattern and locked into their circumstances. SMART helps them learn the skills they need to overcome their addictions and transform their lives.

SMART was created for people seeking a self-empowering way to overcome addictive problems. What has emerged is an accessible method of recovery, one grounded in science and proven by more than a quarter-century of experience teaching practical tools that encourage lasting change.

SMART is a powerful recovery community that includes passionate volunteers who recovered with SMART who are driven to help others. Peers and professionals working together fuse science and experience to help people build healthy and balanced lives.

In our mutual support meetings, offered online and in-person, participants design and implement their own recovery plan to create a more balanced, purposeful, fulfilling, and meaningful life. SMART provides specialized meetings and resources for a variety of communities, including Family & Friends, veterans, and more.

SMART Recovery works. Whether an individual has chosen recovery as their path or been mandated to attend a recovery program, SMART provides a path to Life Beyond Addiction.

The addiction epidemic by every measure is staggering. Treatment systems are overwhelmed, without enough programs to help the tens of millions who need help. Drug overdose deaths, after reaching a record 72,000 in 2019, grew by 30 percent in one year to 93,000 in 2020. Three-quarters involved opioids.

In the United States, where only one in ten people with serious addiction problems seeks treatment or mutual support, there is much more work to do. With your help, we can close the gap between those who need recovery and those who benefit from SMART.

SMART Recovery is leading the future of recovery. 

Here’s how:

The power of choice. No single solution will work for everyone, and the availability of multiple options for recovery support makes a critical difference in successful outcomes. SMART is the leading self-empowering program for addition recovery support.

SMART Recovery works for any addictive or negative behavior. In a SMART meeting, participants with various behaviors come together to model and learn new skills for recovery and master their own integrity and willingness to change.

Our meetings are non-judgmental and stigma-free. SMART views addiction as a behavior that can be corrected, not a condition that defines a person’s identity. We discourage the use of labels such as “addict” or “alcoholic.” Research has shown that labels undermine motivation for many people.

Similarly, we don’t label those who have relapsed as “failures.” Almost everyone relapses while trying to recover. We treat these as opportunities for learning how to strengthen recovery efforts and identify what worked during the time before the relapse.

We help people before they hit “rock bottom.” We want to help people before their addiction has grown so severe that it is life-threatening. SMART Recovery for Family & Friends offers support for those with a loved one struggling with addiction. At SMART meetings, participants learn skills for coping with the anger, frustration, and anxiety that many experience. They also learn skills for improving communication, developing compassionate boundaries, and other ways to help their loved ones recover.

SMART welcomes medication-assisted treatment (MAT). SMART recognizes that prescribed medication can be critical for a person’s recovery. For those with opioid addiction, medicines such as methadone and buprenorphine protect people from fatal overdoses while they recover.

Our tools teach lasting change. With SMART tools and support at meetings, people discover the flaws in their addictive choices and behaviors, develop their authenticity, and learn to lead a life that reinforces purpose, integrity, and balance to support long-term recovery.

SMART focuses on what people can do today to create a better future. We don’t dwell on the past, which cannot be changed. Our goal is to help participants build lives with new behaviors that transcend addiction. Life Beyond Addiction is our highest goal.

No, SMART Recovery is a secular, science and research based program that teaches self empowering tools to help members make better choices in their lives.  Religion is seen as a separate and private matter and does not form part of our program.  We welcome people of all faiths or non beliefs, it is just not discussed at our meetings.

No, however we have a 4 point program that we base our tools and meetings around:

1 - Building and maintaining motivation to change

2 - Coping with urges and cravings

3 - Managing thoughts, feelings and behaviours

4 - Living a balanced life

We are a tool based program that has SMART Recovery tools you can use to tackle all 4 points above.  Our tools are based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

We have tools, not rules!

SMART Recovery can help you with any addictive or maladaptive behaviours.  Some examples, but limited to, are alcohol, drugs, prescription medication, screen addiction, gambling, sex, pornography, love and eating disorders.

No, we are a volunteer based organization.  All facilitators complete comprehensive training, but are not professional therapists.

I do, however, have recommendations on a private rehabilitation program.  It is an outpatient program for 23 days, and includes a doctors visit with 5 days off work to detox at home, followed by 3 therapy sessions per week at your home, random drug testing, homework book to do in your own time and check in calls with the rehab director 3 times per day.  With a 79% success rate, I highly recommend Gideon de Wit.

For more information please visit www.recoveryfromhome.co.za 

Please note that this program is not covered by South African medical aids.

Of course! We have people from all over who world who join our meetings. Just check your timezone. Listed online times are in South African time.

No, whilst its to your benefit, you are welcome to just listen in and not participate if you prefer. Many people do this for their first few meetings.