Amherst, OH –  Smart Recovery Meetings

What is Smart Recovery?

Smart Recovery stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART). SMART helps participants work on problems with any addiction including drugs, alcohol or activities including gambling and overeating.

SMART Recovery teaches the participants to find and develop power from within to change their life. Also, the goal is to lead a self-fulfilled life that is balanced and science-based.

SMART recover uses a 4-Point Program which includes:

• Building and maintaining the motivation to change.
• Coping with urges to use.
• Managing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in an effective way without addictive behaviors.
• Living a balanced, positive and healthy life.

The goal of SMART recovery is to support those who have chosen to abstain or those who are considering abstaining from any type of addictive behavior.

Smart Recovery can teach how to change negative thinking, emotions and actions. By teaching this, the person can work towards a long-term satisfactory life.

The efforts used in the programs for the addicted person are based on scientific knowledge and it evolves as the scientific knowledge evolves.

SMART Recovery has meetings scheduled all over the globe and there are many meetings that take place each week in the Amherst, Ohio area.

The meetings are run by trained facilitators and follow a standard structure at each meeting.

There are several different types of SMART Recovery meetings, including:

• Health and Wellness- These meetings look at the power of choice and how living a well-balanced life involves health and wellness. It looks at how health is a state of being and that wellness is a state of living a healthy lifestyle.
• Family & Friends (Concerned Significant Others)– These meetings focus on those who are affected by the addiction of a loved one.
• Daily Check-In, Peer Support Groups – These are message boards and online support areas for participants to get 24/7 support.
• Recovery During Pandemic Groups – This is an online forum just dedicated to SMART Recovery during the pandemic.  This is an open forum where one can express personal experiences through the pandemic.  There is no political speech or posting medical information or advice permitted.

What to Expect During SMART Recovery Meetings

Every SMART recovery meeting type has a similar structure that it follows.

Participants are often concerned about what to expect or if they need to talk when attending a SMART Recovery meeting for the first time.

The new person is free to ask questions or talk about their situation at the first meeting but it is not necessary.

It is important for the new person to understand that participation is not required and that a name does not have to be given.

During SMART Recovery meetings, any of the following may happen:

• The facilitator will introduce themselves.
• There is no charge for the meeting but at some point in the meeting a hat is passed around to collect donations.
• The meeting is centralized on how to abstain from addictive behavior which includes all addictions.
• The meeting will focus on the self-empowering skills that are in the 4-Point Program.
• There is a check-in which is a small discussion on members who want to share any recent changes that are important to a person’s personal recovery process.
• There is an agenda-setting, which sets the order in which people who want to share can share in an orderly fashion.
• There is a working time to listen and understand and give alternative perspectives.
• A prepared topic from the 4-Point Program can be discussed.
• Check out towards the end of the meeting to go over what people found most meaningful from the meeting or if there is anything else that might want to be shared.
• There is a closeout to thank participants and if anyone wants to discuss something with the facilitator one on one that can happen at the end of the meeting.

Why is Attending Addiction Recovery Meetings Important?

It is helpful to attend addiction recovery meetings because it can help people who are recovering from an addiction or know someone that cares for who is recovering. The person can get advice on how to manage the addiction and they might not feel like they are alone as they go through the recovery process. Some of the benefits of attending recovery meetings are:

• Understanding the implications of addiction and how to handle concerns for the person who is on the road to recovery.
• Receiving help on how to handle the anxiety and depression as one manages the addiction.
• Allows one to express their addictive problems without being judged.
• Learning how to control the addiction of themselves or for another person.
• It gives a sense of community of not being alone and being around others to share personal experiences.

Organizations like Smart Recovery make it possible for people to get the help they need by providing scientific knowledge on recovery.

Traveling to SpringBoard Recovery in Arizona for Drug and Alcohol Rehab

People often choose to travel from Amherst, Ohio to SpringBoard Recovery for drug and alcohol rehab. There are numerous reasons why someone might make that decision, including:

• Looking for a treatment program that will work with their personal insurance plan.
• A private setting will allow oneself to get away from their home and focus themself during the recovery process.
• If the person is in the public eye and very visible they might be away from the home area which will give privacy and focus on recovery.
• Looking for an alternative recovery option that is nontraditional such as a holistic recovery.
• Going to an area that will allow them to get away from triggers that might hinder the recovery process.

At SpringBoard Recovery, we offer recovery housing as well as our addiction treatment program. We are here to help. Please contact us today to learn more.

Attending SMART Recovery can be very helpful, and many teenagers and young adults have gotten the support they need for themselves and manage family members. Many have been able to stop being an enabler to the addicted person.