International Facilitator Spotlight August 2024
See How Facilitators are changing the recovery communities all around the world!
VIDEO: 50 Years of Addiction Research and Policy – The Shifting Paradigm Towards Long-Term Recovery Management
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the declaration of the War on Drugs, what has been accomplished? What can we do better? What role do recovery support services such as SMART Recovery play in long-term recovery and the ongoing effort to effectively address the addiction epidemic? John F. Kelly, Ph.D., discusses these questions and much more.
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the declaration of the War on Drugs, what has been accomplished? What can we do better? What role do recovery support services such as SMART Recovery play in long-term recovery and the ongoing effort to effectively address the addiction epidemic? John F. Kelly, Ph.D., discusses these questions and much more.
VIDEO: Words Matter – Addiction Terminology, Accuracy and Stigma
Words matter to Richard Saitz, M.D., who edits medical journals and publications for accuracy surrounding addiction terminology. In this talk, Dr. Saitz discusses substance use disorders as health conditions; how language promotes stigma and affects policy and care; and the emergence of accurate, non-stigmatizing terminology.
Words matter to Richard Saitz, M.D., who edits medical journals and publications for accuracy surrounding addiction terminology. In this talk, Dr. Saitz discusses substance use disorders as health conditions; how language promotes stigma and affects policy and care; and the emergence of accurate, non-stigmatizing terminology.
VIDEO: 25th Anniversary SMART Recovery USA Conference Presentation
Watch Nadene Lee, Chairperson, and Kim McCreanor, Executive Officer of SMART Recovery International, provide an update on the governing body of the global SMART Recovery organisation.
Listen to Nadene Lee, Chairperson, and Kim McCreanor, Executive Officer of SMART Recovery International, provide an update on the governing body of the global SMART Recovery organisation.
SMART in Singapore
On a recent trip to Singapore, SMART Recovery International Executive Officer Kim McCreanor had the opportunity to visit We Care Community Services.
On a recent trip to Singapore, SMART Recovery International Executive Officer Kim McCreanor had the opportunity to visit We Care Community Services. We Care supports people living with all forms of addictive and compulsive behaviour. They take a holistic approach to helping people, using evidence-based counselling and therapy group work and providing a community drop in centre where people find a safe, supportive and non-judgemental environment in which they can stabilise and work on their recovery. SMART Recovery meetings are offered to participants as part of their suite of support tools.
During her visit Kim met with Tham Yeun Han, Executive Director of We Care. Han was keen to share the background of her organisations SMART Recovery meetings and tool use.
How long have you been providing SMART programs to people accessing WE CARE?
We started our first meeting in Nov 2017 and since then we have had more than 100 participants attending the once-a-week afternoon session at our centre. We have received requests for more sessions on other days and in the evenings as well and we hope to be able to introduce more sessions soon as we have more facilitators trained.
How did you learn about SMART Recovery?
We heard about SMART from someone who had attended many years of AA and she wanted to explore a non 12 step based group approach to recovery. We heard good things about SMART from her so we did some research because we wanted to offer more options to our recovering folks.
How many of your staff are trained in the SMART Recovery approach?
Five have completed the training. One is now in the midst of doing her modules.
What do you see are the benefits of the SMART Recovery meetings and tools?
Many of our participants who attend SMART have shared that they appreciate the very practical tools and strategies that SMART offers. They share that these tools are useful not just for recovery from addiction but that they can also be applied to their everyday lives and relationships as well.
It was a great to meet with Han and to hear first-hand how SMART is working for Singaporeans who are struggling with problematic behaviours.
SMART Recovery International formed to support global use of science-based meetings to overcome addiction
In 2019 SMART Recovery reached two major milestones, entering its 25th year and holding more than 3000 meetings worldwide.
Every week, tens of thousands of people attend SMART meetings in 23 countries across the world. They’re engaging in an evidence-based, four-point program that offers people the tools to create a life beyond addiction, within the framework of free weekly group meetings – either face-to-face or online.
In 2019 SMART Recovery reached two major milestones, entering its 25th year and holding more than 3000 meetings worldwide – a figure that has quintupled over just eight years.
As addiction has grown into a global epidemic, SMART Recovery International (SRI) has been formed to provide worldwide oversight and support to SMART Recovery operations in all of its member countries, as well as to create and implement a strategy to grow the program worldwide. An important part of SRI’s mission is to introduce SMART Recovery to people in many other countries who could benefit from its self-empowering program and meetings.
SMART Recovery’s evidence-based approach is informed by leading researchers who are affiliated with the organisation, and is endorsed by leading government health authorities worldwide, making it the only mutual support group of its kind.
The program, led in small groups by trained facilitators, is based on motivational interviewing and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), which have been proven to be effective in helping people overcome addiction. It includes numerous tools to help people cope with urges and to build new lives based on balance, purpose and connection with others.
SMART Recovery was founded in the US in 1994 and it has a significant presence there with 1800 meetings. It is also well established in the UK (530 meetings), Australia (300) and Canada (240). SMART group meetings are also held Iran, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, and to date the SMART Recovery Handbook has been published in 13 languages: Arabic, Danish, English, Farsi, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Vietnamese. There is also a culturally appropriate version for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia.
Additionally, SMART Recovery has a dedicated Family and Friends program for people affected by the addictive behaviours of significant others, while the Inside Out program is specially designed to provide assistance for inmates within correctional facilities across the globe.
The addiction recovery field's best kept secret
Best program you’ve never heard of.
Every week, tens of thousands of people attend SMART meetings in 23 countries across the world. They’re engaging in an evidence-based, four-point program that offers people the tools to create a life beyond addiction, within the framework of free weekly group meetings – either face-to-face or online.
While SMART Recovery has long been the quiet achiever of the recovery field, this week we recognise the growth to 3000 meetings worldwide with the launch of a global website.
SMART Recovery International is designed to be an invaluable resource for both the SMART Recovery community, and for anybody interested in the way that SMART Recovery works. The new website points people seeking meetings towards their nearest region, but is also a home to the facts and figures we can be proud of, including our history and a timeline. It's a place to meet the SMART Recovery International team, read media stories about SMART Recovery, and get a sense of our advocacy against stigma.
To date, the SMART Recovery Handbook has been published in 13 languages: Arabic, Danish, English, Farsi, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Vietnamese. There is also a culturally appropriate version for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia.
Additionally, SMART Recovery has a dedicated Family and Friends program for people affected by the addictive behaviours of significant others, while the Inside Out program is specially designed to provide assistance for inmates within correctional facilities across the globe.
Welcome
A special message from Kim McCreanor, executive officer of SMART Recovery International.
Kim McCreanor, SMART Recovery International Executive Officer
Dear SMART Recovery community, I’m Kim McCreanor, the executive officer of SMART Recovery International.
Today sees the launch of the SMART Recovery International website, designed to be an invaluable resource for the community, and for anybody interested in the way that SMART Recovery works. The need for a central hub seemed vital, as there are now 3000 SMART Recovery meetings across 23 countries, helping tens of thousands of people globally with their addictive behaviours.
The new website will point people towards their nearest region, but is also a home to the facts and figures we can be proud of, including our history and a timeline. It's a place to meet the SMART Recovery International team, read media stories about SMART Recovery, and get a sense of our advocacy against stigma.
I urge you to share on social media this blog post [link to come] that introduces the site to the wider public. I’d also love to hear your feedback about the new site, so feel free to email me back with your thoughts. There’s additionally a new email address for media enquiries, should you ever need to pass that on to a journalist: media@smartrecoveryinternational.org
Lastly, we have established some new SMART Recovery International social media pages to coincide with the launch, and we’d very much appreciate you Liking the Facebook page and connecting with our LinkedIn page. An Instagram page will eventually follow. If you have any relevant photographs – perhaps associated with your group or training, please feel free to email them to me for possible inclusion. We also encourage social media users to use the tag #smartrecovery when posting about the organisation via their own accounts.