SMART Recovery® Podcast: Recent Episodes
SMART Recovery
SMART Recovery® Podcast, a library of talks on addiction from the leading self-empowering peer support recovery group in the world. Enjoy entertaining, thought-provoking discussion with experts in the field of science-based addiction treatment and recovery.
SMART Recovery provides services for those overcoming addictions of all types.
Sarah Laurel is the Founder and Executive Director of Savage Sisters Recovery, a nonprofit outreach and education organization focused on reducing the harm created by addictive behaviors. Sarah uses her lived experience to advance the organization’s commitment to providing trauma-informed resources in a judgement-free way.
In this podcast Sarah shares her personal recovery journey and the "happy accidents" along the way that led to the work that she does today. Her hopeful message is filled with practical concern for how things are right now, along with encouragement for all of us to live in a ferocious and loving manner toward ourselves and the world we inhabit.
There is a well documented connection between problematic substance use and mental health conditions. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we asked SMART facilitator Kelly Scullin to join us in a conversation about mental health and recovery. She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and has deep experience in the human resources field.
Kelly brings a unique perspective to her work based on her personal journey with substance use, her status as a "self-proclaimed recovering type A," and the coaching skills involved with facilitating group meetings and helping people make the best decisions for themselves. As a person who stays curious and explores the world around her, Kelly is a positive force in the continued growth and development of SMART.
Further resources:
SAMHSA Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental Health and substance Use Co-Occuring Disorders
National Alliance on Mental Illness
College age youth often experiment with new behaviors when they perceive they have less formal restrictions, and Millie Goins knows all about it. She is a prevention advocate and certified wellness coach that leads student programs at the University of Central Arkansas. In her role she seeks to educate youth about the multiple dimensions of wellness and how substance misuse can negatively affect their ability to stay healthy and succeed in an academic setting. Because she has lived experience, Millie is able to connect with students and offer valuable support as they make choices.
In this podcast, Millie shares her personal and professional background, why she sees SMART as such a great resource for young adults, and how careful planning and strategic deployment of resources benefits the entire academic community.
Additional Resources:
SAMHSA Eight Dimensions of Wellness video
Publications highlighting connection between recovery and wellness
Naltrexone has been used to treat alcohol use disorder for 30 years, ever since researcher Dr. Joseph Volpicelli identified its effectiveness. In this podcast we are joined by both Dr. Volpicelli and Jonathan Hunt-Glassman, the founder of Oar Health, an organization that supports the combination of medication and psychosocial supports to assist people seeking to change their relationship to alcohol.
Dr. Joseph Volpicelli runs the Volpicelli Center and is a University of Pennsylvania’s Medical Scientist Training Program graduate, receiving both his doctorate of medicine and psychology.
In this podcast Jonathan shares his and others personal stories of successfully making changes by using Naltrexone and other supports. For Dr. Volpicelli, it comes down to the medication helping individuals make the best choices for themselves when it comes to alcohol use, and the positive steps that he sees patients make in their recovery journeys.
Carrie Wilkens is the Co-founder and Partner of the Center for Motivation and Change, a group practice of dedicated clinicians and researchers who rely on science and kindness to help people change. She is the co-author of the award-winning book and companion workbook Beyond Addiction: How science and kindness help people change that is based in part on CRAFT, the evidence-based treatment approach to helping families.
In this podcast Carrie talks about her immediate recognition as a young psychologist that she wanted to be part of helping individuals and families who are facing issues related to addictive behaviors, the need to fight stigma, how CMC helps create "conditions for change," and what it means to be relevant in the evolving treatment landcape.
Rebekah Robertson is a SMART facilitator in Columbia Missouri who found the program after a family member entered treatment for an addictive behavior. At first she thought she was different and people wouldn't understand all the circumstances that surrounded her. Then Rebekah experienced "that knowing smile" of others who had gone through similar situations and were able to navigate them in a positive way. She felt connected, learned much, and eventually moved on from attending meetings regularly.
A few years later Rebekah returned to SMART Family and Friends meetings during a challenging time. She quickly reconnected and after encouragement from the group's facilitator, she decided to give back by becoming a facilitator herself.
In this podcast, Rebekah shares some of the powerful moments she has experienced as both a participant and facilitator in SMART meetings, and why the program is valuable for so many.
Nichole "Nikki" Lowder is a Program Manager at the South Carolina Department of Corrections. She brings both her lived experience and professional training to her work with incarcerated individuals who are trying to make important changes in their lives.
Prior to her own recovery journey, Nikki worked in the finance world but realized that she could no longer live the kind of life that was filled with dishonesty and deception. She discovered her passion for helping others who were facing similar crossroads, and made it the purpose of her career change.
In this podcast Nikki talks about her personal struggles, the power of peer support, and how watching the ripples spread from her work brings her incredible satisfaction.
For more than 30 years Dr. Joseph Gerstein has been collecting stories from SMART participants about powerful emotional experiences related to their recovery journey. He has now written a captivating essay about the nature of these occurances that includes examples and analysis of what he calls "secular conversion experiences." His insight into the value of these experiences and the common elements found paints a picture of how our cognitive functions connect with the more emotive features of our lives.
Dr. Gerstein is SMART's Founding President and a retired professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has been instrumental in the growth of SMART in the U.S. and across the globe and has personally facilitated over 4,000 SMART meetings over 34 years.
Dr. Michael DeMarco is a licensed mental health and family therapist and has pursued additional training in the use of psychedelic medicines for those struggling with substance use disorders. He emphasizes that there has been a significant amount of research about the use of Ketamine and other medications over the course of decades, and it's important to know how to put such research in an appropriate context.
In this podcast, Michael talks about his own interest in the recovery ecosystem and the journey he has embarked on in the pursuit of helping others. He also relates his extensive background in cognitive behavioral therapy to his current Ketamine-assisted therapy practice.
Additional information:
Ketamine for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders: comprehensive systematic review
Psychedelic Cognitive Behavioral therapy: On Ketamine, Context, and Competencies in "Assisted Psychotherapy"
Survey of peer recovery coaches' attitude toward use of psychedelic medicines
Dr. Samantha Harte was managing a busy life in recovery when tragedy struck close to home, causing her to question her whole approach to living. She decided to expand her world view and dedicate herself to creating a recovery pathway that is uniquely her own and draws upon multiple approaches to living a big and beautiful life.
Recently Samantha wrote a memoir called Breaking the Circuit that tells the story of her substance misuse, living with a mentally ill mother, facing a variety of trauma and eventually commiting herself to a self-empowered recovery journey.
Her mission is to elevate the fitness and wellness space so that all those who are seeking a pathway to a more healthy and balanced life can consider her lived experience and expertise and potentially find their own best life.
SMART believes there are multiple pathways to recovery...but does that go as far as including the use of intelligent retrieval technology, aka artificial intelligence? According to Zachary Gidwitz, CEO and Cofounder of the company Open Recovery, the answer is a resounding yes.
In this podcast, Zachary shares his personal recovery journey and how he ended up as part of a team that birthed Kai, the AI-powered recovery assistant that is now busy interacting with human individuals seeking recovery.
At this point Kai is focused on 12-Step methodology, but Open Recovery is collaborating with SMART to provide information and resources to expand Kai's understanding that our self-empowered, practical recovery tools are a powerful pathway to change.
Nick Padlo only went to the college recruiting event for the promise of free food at his favorite restaurant. It turned out that no food was served, but a 3 minute video that was shown ended up changing the course of his life. It was a US Army recruitment video and Nick went on to attend West Point, serve in combat overseas, and launch a business career from there.
A good measure of success took place but other aspects of his life disinigrated. He ended up divorced and despondent, his accelerating substance and alcohol misuse part of the downward spiral. Eventually he decided he needed help and found a path that combined SMART Recovery and 12-Step programs. It transformed his view of his life's purpose and he decided to use his entrepreneurial skills to start Sophros Recovery a treatment center in his hometown of Jacksonville Florida.
In this podcast, Nick talks about the quest for perfection that nearly ruined him, his application of recovery tools to the wider realm of mental health, and why he believes everyone can find their way back to health.
Angelo Lagares is the Founder and Director of Latino Recovery Advocates (LARA), a nonprofit organization that works to make policy changes that will increase culturally appropriate recovery services. LARA's vision is of a world where no one suffers from language disparities when it comes to getting help.
Angelo's story includes lived experience and many attempts to change his addictive behavior. His journey convinced him that too often there is a lack of access to relevant treatment and support systems for individuals who want help. That is why he works all over the world, sharing the message of multiple pathways to recovery for all cultures.
In this podcast, Angelo talks about his personal recovery journey, deciding to embrace advocacy, the importance of cultural competency, and his belief that recovery is possible for all.
Additional information:
Video of Angelo's story
SMART Recovery Espanol
What does advocacy mean to LARA?
Yamila Rollan Escalona is the founder of the nonprofit Yaya Por Vida, an organization that helps those struggling with substance use in southeast Florida. Yamila was motivated to start this effort after losing her sister Yaritza (Yaya) to addiction. Yaya was a very talented artist throughout her life and her love of the arts provided a natural path for Yamila to follow.
Yaya Por Vida offers both healing through the arts and practical tools for harm reduction in a wide range of outreach initiatives and community collaborations. In this podcast Yamila talks about turning her rage against the senseless loss of life into a positive direction of hope, the joy that Yaya brought to others through her art, and why connecting with others is one of the most powerful forces to combat negative circumstances.
Links:
Harm Reduction 101 PSA video
Art as Healing
Harm Reduction Explainer Videos
Keegan Wicks brings both lived experience and professional expertise to his role as National Advocacy and Outreach Manager for Faces & Voices of Recovery (FAVOR) In his annual September visit to the podcast, Keegan talks about what is happening on a federal level in the area of recovery, opportunities to get invoved in the upcoming International Recovery Day, and why highlighting successful long-term recovery is important.
Alex De Marco is no stranger to financial distress. Childhood experiences and ill-advised business ventures convinced him that financial education, as boring as that might sound, was a key component for a healthy relationship with money. Eventually he combined his computer software skills with a desire to help those who had run into difficulties with debt--including those caused by compulsive gambling.
The result was the GamFin platform, a no-cost financial counseling service that focuses on solutions to problems caused by compulsive gambling. Alex is now eager to grow the platform and connect with more mental health providers in order to treat the individuals involved in a comprehensive way.
In this podcast, Alex shares his vision of a recovery ecosystem where therapists and financial counselors work together to benefit both individuals and families, and how SMART Recovery fits right in.
Resources
National Council on Problem Gambling
Mayo Clinic Overview of Compulsive Gambling
Gambling Addiction Books
Maureen Greeley's journey to the head of the nationally recognized Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling (ECPG) included stops at the San Diego Zoo, a sanctuary for wolves, and communications work for the Washington State Lottery. This broad range of experience has informed her approach and deepened her ability to relate to a variety of individuals and communities.
In 2018, Greeley received the National Council on Problem Gambling's Lifetime Achievement Award for Advocacy for her dedication to improving the lives of individuals impacted by problem gambling and their families.
Under her leadership, in 2009 ECPG launched the annual Four Directions Conference that brings together representatives of Tribal Nations in the Pacific Northwest and many other communities each fall to focus on holistic health, wellness, and recovery support.
In this podcast Maureen talks about her personal and professional journey, how problem gambling is growing, what building supportive communities can do to address all facets of recovery, and what particpants can expect at this September's Four Directions Conference.
Christopher Toomey is a SMART Facilitator in Gulfport Mississippi. After years spent in active addiction, he realized he needed to make changes. As a Navy Veteran, he decided to go to inpatient treatment at the VA, which is where he learned about some SMART tools.
In this podcast Christopher talks about his journey to becoming a trained facilitator, the support he received from other participants, and the value he finds in SMART.
Jody Bechtold is the CEO of The Better Institute and an Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor. She is co-author of the Gambling Disorder Treatment Handbook: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals, and she presents both nationally and internationally about education and treatment for problem gambling.
In this podcast Jody points out that suicide and problem gambling are strongly linked, and with the rise in legalized sports betting the stakes have never been higher. Fortunately, more clinicians are focusing on helping those struggling with problem gambling, and there are practical tools that can help.
David Nooks is Peer Recovery Support Specialist at the Foundation for Recovery in Las Vegas. He is also a musician who believes in the healing power of rock & roll. After many years spent misusing substances and seeking escape David decided to embrace recovery.
In this podcast David talks about his journey to recovery and how he became interested in helping others find their own pathway to a different kind of life. He tells the story of the founding of Recovery Band Camp and how it has grown and developed into a safe space that celebrates the joy of music and the power of mutual support.
The term "wellness" is thrown around in the context of many different things, including in the world of recovey from substance and behavioral disorders. It's meaning can be fuzzy and border on cliche. But when Randy Williams uses the word wellness he keeps it real.
Williams is Founder of Willmore Wellness, and his lived experience with addiction and belief in the interconnectedness between body, mind, and spirit combine to inform an approach to healthy living that takes the entire person into account. Together with his wife Wray, Randy offers strategies to obtain physical, social, and emotional health that includes living life to its fullest.
In this podcast Randy talks about how SMART Recovery took his life to another level, his decision to pursue a degree in professional counseling, and how each of us needs to locate our own personal resilience and grit.
DeeAnna Nichols is a Certified Peer Support Specialist at ChangePoint Behavioral Health in Lewiston Idaho. Her recovery journey changed significantly when she discovered SMART in 2015. After trying to attend a SMART meeting and finding no one there that day, DeeAnna decided to take the training to become a facilitator. In effect, she took charge of her own recovery by taking action and hasn't looked back since.
DeeAnna now provides support and shares her lived experience with others seeking help. After a lifetime of challenging circumstances and trauma of all kinds, DeeAnna has embraced the fact that by changing her thinking, she can change her behavior.
Michael Marcum is a licensed professional counselor at the VA, and a former Army sniper. By his own admission he changed "countries, continents, and careers" to try and escape the reality of his substance misuse which plagued him for decades. After multiple stints in rehab and other pathways to recovery, he found SMART and it transformed his life.
In this podcast Michael shares his recovery journey and explains why the practical tools and future orientation of SMART finally allowed him to choose a different kind of life.
The Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA) is a statewide nonprofit agency that focuses on connection between people in recovery and the wider world. By sharing their lived experience, USARA staff educates, advocates, and inspires individuals and communities to live more hopeful lives.
In this podcast, USARA's Executive Director Mary Jo McMillen and Associate Director Evan Done talk about the agency's growth and development over time, their personal recovery journeys, and why Utah is a great place to recover.
The Minnesota Recovery Options Act has recently been introduced as a means to require courts to provide a secular alternative for individuals ordered to participate in substance use treatment and as a way to provide information and resources to counselors about secular recovery.
Alison Gill is Vice President, Legal and Policy, for American Atheists, one of the organizations involved in the effort to get the bill passed in Minnesota (disclosure: SMART Recovery is also part of the coalition supporting the bill). In this conversation, she talks about the issues involved in advocating for individuals who object to religious-themed recovery treatment, why alternatives are a good thing for society at large, and how this specific bill can act as a nationwide model.
Link to Minnesota bill summary and text
Related court case: American Atheists Wins in West Virginia Religious Coercion Lawsuit
Compassion fatigue is real. It refers to circumstances where caregivers, professional or volunteer, become mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted and start to wear down. It can produce a downward spiral and lead to individual caregivers leaving the work that still means so much to them.
Fortunately, there are organizations who are trying to help the helpers avoid burnout, and one of those is CAPSA. Headquartered in Ottowa, Ontario, they offer all kinds of training and consulting on health related topics, offering courses such as Compassionate Care: Staying Well While Helping Others.
In this podcast we discuss compassion fatigue, substance use health, the danger of expectations, stigma, and more with Shawn Fisk, an educator and partnership lead with CAPSA. Shawn shares some of his personal story and belief in the possibilities of strong connections with others in mutually supportive relationships.
Including lived experience in a recovery ecosystem often adds an effective dimension of support for those trying to make changes in their lives. The field of peer recovery coaching has been growing nationwide and many states now offer certification programs.
In Utah, the Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA) employs a network of peer coaches that work closely with individuals who are seeking recovery. In this podcast, we are joined by two USARA peer coaches, Elizabeth Myers and Kelsey Pierce, who share their lived experience and love of helping others with us.
Special note: SMART looks forward to meeting USARA representatives in April when we hold our 30th anniversary conference in Salt Lake City. More information can be found HERE.
Billy Hoffman works with compulsive gamblers as a certfied counselor. His lived experience and clinical skills combine to provide hope for those who have reached a critical point in their negative spiral of financial and emotional consequences.
In this podcast Billy points out that despite compulsive gambling being recognized as problem for decades, there is still a relative lack of resources for those who are trying to get help. The recent meteroric rise in legal sports betting has only compounded the issues involved.
Here are links to potential resources:
APA article on inclusion of problem gambling in DSM-III
Dr. Valerie Lorenz's book Compulsive Gambling
Arnie Wexler's book All Bets Are Off
University of Maryland resources for problem gambling
International Problem Gambling Center
SMART Recovery is based on cognitive tools rooted in addressing how we think and react to life circumstances. For therapist Bruce Burleson, combining the cognitive aspects of behavior management with staying present in the moment is a recipe for successful treatment of addictions and compulsive behaviors. He calls his approach Mindfulness-Based Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, and he authored a workbook all about it.
Burleson has worked in a variety of mental health and recovery settings in the course of his more than 25 years in the field. In this podcast he explains how he helps clients address their issues and chart their own path to recovery.
Jan Folk was a high powered businesswoman for years, battling sexism in the male-dominated insurance industry. At the same time she was struggling with alcohol-use disorder and kept ending up in crisis.
After a couple of attempts to stop drinking she finally realized that the only way she was going to change her behavior was if she looked deep inside and made the decision for herself. That is when she learned about SMART and has embraced recovery.
Jan decided to share her story by writing a memoir, Hell in High Heels: How I Conquered My Demons, about her life as a business owner, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She chronicles her childhood and rise to prominence, love of dogs, and shares a story about how one might possibly lose a private plane.
Keith Johnston is the Founder and Executive Director of Running2bwell, a nonprofit organization that helps those struggling with mental health and/or addiction issues become more physically and socially active. He decided to start the effort after a friend lost his son to heroin addiction and he wanted to try and contribute something positive to society.
Keith turned to exercise, since it had always been helpful when he was attempting to manage his own meantal health and addictions, and now facilitates walking/running groups and SMART meetings.
In this podcast, he talks about research that links exercise to greater mental clarity and many other benefits. He also shares his belief that not only do we all have issues of some kind, we all have a responsibility to contribute what we can to make the world a better place.
Jonathan Hunt-Glassman struggled with drinking too much for years, and tried many ways of changing his relationship to alcohol. But it wasn't until a doctor suggested he try medication that things got better. Based on his experience, he decided to start a company, Oar Health, which offers a way for individuals to investigate whether medication might be useful in their own recovery.
In this podcast, Jonathan is joined by Oar Health's Chief Clinical Advisor Dr. Josh Lee, an addiction medicine specialist, researcher, and Professor of Population Health and Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Courtney Anderson insists on having plenty of fun in life. After she quit drinking, she wasn't quite sure what that really meant or how to make it happen. Now 11 years later, Courtney not only continues to have fun in life, she coaches others about how to make the most of their new sober lives.
Courtney's website, https://www.courtneyrecovered.com/, includes links to all kinds of resources. In this podcast, Courtney shares how she ended her "toxic relationship with alcohol" and the key role her rescue cat played. She also talks about her new book and the great satisfaction she gets from hosting her own podcast, Sober Vibes.
September is National Recovery Month and we welcome Keegan Wicks to the podcast. Keegan is the National Advocacy and Outreach Manager for Faces & Voices of Recovery (FAVOR) a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington D.C.
Keegan has worked in the recovery field for 10 years as an advocate and counselor, and has been in long-term recovery since 2009. He works with policy makers and legislators at both state and federal levels and speaks regularly on recovery topics before a variety of organizations.
In this podcast Keegan shares some of his personal story of recovery and what keeps him motivated to work in the field. He also introduces FAVOR's new partner organization, International Recovery Day, and shares the exciting global fireworks planned for September 30th.
Besides being SRUSA's Executive Director, Pete Rubinas is a SMART Family & Friends meeting facilitator. He says he reaps many benefits by joining with others to share experiences and work on developing positive responses to challenging circumstances.
SMART Family and Friends meetings are available both in-person and online, and provide participants with the tools they need to effectively support their loved one, without supporting the addictive behavior.
In this podcast Pete talks about the healing that takes place in meetings and the practice of self-compassion, pointing to the work of Dr. Kristin Neff as a great resource.
Dr. Steven Proctor is the founder and principal consultant of PRO Health Group and a Senior Program Director for Thriving Mind South Florida. He is also a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who has studied and written about Contingency Management programs, most notably in his Annals of Medicine article, Rewarding recovery: the time is now for contingency management for opioid use disorder.
Contingency Management, simply put, is rewarding people, often with money, for achieving their recovery goals. While much research indicates that well-structured and adequately funded Contingency Management programs are successful, barriers persist to widespread adoption. These barriers include outdated attitudes, along with ethical and economic concerns. In this podcast, Dr. Proctor illuminates the issues surrounding Contingency Management and advocates for increased utilization of this important treatment strategy.
Tammah Watts is a licensed therapist, certified outdoor guide, and SMART Recovery facilitator in San Diego. Her active lifestyle came to a screeching halt after an unexpected health condition left her homebound. Discouraged and in despair, one day she was surprised by a moving encounter with a small bird. Now she's written a wonderful book that shares lessons from the new direction her life took as a result of embracing the world of birdwatching.
Tammah's book is titled, "Keep Looking Up, Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching." In this podcast she describes how paying attention to life in the skies can keep us firmly grounded in a positive life here on earth.
For more information about Tammah and her new book, visit HERE
Dr. Allison Beck is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist based in the School of Psychology, University of Wollongong in Australia. Her recent work includes research on the effects of online SMART Recovery meetings during the pandemic in Australia. It turns out that many individuals got great benefits from participating, and the Australian government's financial support made a difference.
In this podcast Alison talks about her love of research and belief that by finding things out, we can make things better.
On a related note, Dr. Beck is involved in a new survey about SMART Recovery that is open to all those who have ever participated in a SMART Recovery meeting. Find out more HERE
Carolyn Straub moderates a thriving online community for those interested in SMART on the social media platform Reddit. She enjoys helping others engage around how much SMART's tools and resources help those seeking recovery from addiction.
In this podcast, Carolyn also shares her personal journey of recovery, which she wrote about in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry in the essay Mind On Fire.
The Greater Cleveland Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI GC) has spent years providing education and advocacy on behalf of individuals and families affected by mental health conditions. Increasingly, substance use disorders co-occur in many persons, making treatment more complex.
In this podcast NAMI GC Executive Director Katie Jenkins and Hispanic Outreach and Education Coordinator Monica Olivera discuss their work to bring mental health issues to parity with other kinds of physical illnesses in terms of acceptance and treatment.
Killian Noe and Dr. Ruby Takushi co-founded the first Recovery Cafe in Seattle in 2004, envisioning a healing space for people who have experienced trauma like homelessness, substance use disorder, addiction and other mental health challenges. Today there are more than 60 cafes that work together as part of the Recovery Cafe Network across the U.S. and Canada.
In this podcast Killian and Ruby describe the early days of their movement and how cafes have grown into places of authentic connection and transformed lives.
Michael Werner is a chemist by background and a philosopher by disposition. He was also the President of the American Humanist Association at the time they were looking for a secular recovery alternative to highlight, and that was how he eventually learned about and fell in love with SMART.
Michael has facilitated thousands of SMART meetings and believes at least one thing with all his heart: everyone can recover. He is the author of the recently published Quit Your Addiction Now, a book filled with practical tools for combating addictions of all kinds.
In this podcast Micheal talks about how changing our thinking can change our lives, how motivation is the key to long-term recovery, and why being bold and direct is the best way for him to facilitate meetings.
Nonie Sims has facilitated SMART meetings for 14 years in Tucson Arizona. Nonie knew that SMART Recovery was the right fit for her in the first 10 minutes of her first meeting. Now she spends her time making sure others get a chance to see if it's the right recovery pathway for them too.
Jay Phillips is the Executive Director and Board President of Seed Sower, Inc., a provider of housing and other support services for women recovering from substance use disorders in West Virginia.
In this podcast Jay talks about his awakening to the great need for recovery services, the decision to leave a comfortable job and commit to a new path in life, the concept of recovery ecosystems, and the daily inspiration he gets from witnessing change in action.
Newly minted SMART Recovery facilitator Tracy Gryp and her mentor Rick Kuplinski share their personal SMART journey and how they created better lives for themselves through the program. In the spirit of paying it forward, they now work together to bring the best support group meetings possible to their meeting participants.
Mary Beth O'Connor went from running from the law as a methamphetamine abuser to handing down the law as a judge. Now twenty nine years in recovery, Mary Beth chronicles her incredible story in her new memoir, From Junkie to Judge: One Woman's Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction.
In this episode, Mary Beth talks about her perspective on multiple pathways to recovery, her work for LifeRing Secular Recovery and She Recovers Foundation, why she claims "Junkie" as part of her identity, and the ultimate beauty of serving those in recovery.
As SMART's Director of Meetings and Volunteers, Melina Gilbert often gets to experience a volunteer meeting facilitator's passion for what they do, and that makes her feel very fortunate. To keep that energy moving, Melina and her team are currently working hard on helping facilitators grow their skills by making the Facilitator Mentoring Program bigger and better.
In this podcast, Melina talks about the purpose, benefits, and future of the Facilitator Mentoring Program, including how meeting specific challenges can increase a facilitator's comfort and confidence.
The question of an individual's ability to control a substance or behavioral addiction has been long-debated. More than 20 years ago Dr. Jeffrey Schaler made his stance clear in his book Addiction is a Choice.
Dr. Schaler remains steadfast in his conclusion that addiction is a behavior and behaviors are choices. The existential therapist and former professor at both American and Johns Hopkins Universities continues writing, speaking and advocating against the medicalization of addiction today, and makes his points with characteristic passion in this podcast.
Historical debate from the archives of Psychiatric Times:
Addiction is a Choice
Addiction is a Disease
Gee Matamoros' journey to recovery included some very dark passages. Now he travels a brighter road, and insists on enjoying life as much as possible. Fortunately for us, one of the things he enjoys most is spreading the word about SMART.
In this podcast, Gee talks about:
- How his substance misuse and poor choices landed him in a psychiatric ward
- Why his life was everything to the extreme
- Walking the tight rope of his identity and doing what he was told
- Using substances to cover and sooth impactful moments in his life
- Always running from his authentic self because it wasn’t acceptable
- Finding SMART in rehab, where he could explore other pathways to aid in his recovery
- Sleeping like a baby because of the changes he’s made in life
- How the COVID pandemic helped launch and grow the online Spanish meetings
- What he’s doing now to advocate for SMART and the Latinx community
- Recovery being a community effort - there is support everywhere
Dr. Stanton Peele is a lawyer, professor, psychologist, psychotherapist, and author. Of all of these titles, he’s probably best known as an advocate and pioneer in the addiction and treatment world. His new memoir, A Scientific Life on the Edge: My Lonely Quest to Change How We See Addiction, is his 16th book that tackles addiction issues.
In this podcast, Stanton talks about:
- The reaction from when his first book, Love and Addiction, was published advocating a new way to conceptualize addiction
- The possibility that Tom Brady is addicted to football and what it’s costing him
- How people can flounder against society’s feedback
- Addiction not being limited to substances
- The basis of Life Process Program
- How SMART correlates to his thoughts on addiction
- The steps cities and states are taking to implement harm reduction
- Not being a joiner guy, but the self-efficacy guy
- The motivation to write his memoir
- The need to make significant headway in the addiction world
Johnny Allison’s substance use started as a way to cope with the trauma of war and chaos of military life. His recovery started as a way to become the soldier and person he knew he was and could be. Today, he is a Veteran, SMART Facilitator, and the Lead of the SMART UK Veterans Program.
In this podcast, Johnny talks about:
- What motivated him to join the British Army
- The ties between his boxing career and serving in the military
- Why his substance use started and not understanding what was happening
- How the COVID isolation affected his mental health and well being
- How he was becoming a shadow of himself
- His drive and commitment to finally getting help
- Finding SMART and how it helped him manage his thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
- Why he wanted to become a facilitator
- Creating the 1st Annual International Veterans and First Responders Webinar
- The best things about attending a Veterans meeting
Years ago, Brett Macdonald and his friends had the time of their lives backpacking across Australia. After many conversations, they realized that heavy alcohol use had become a staple in their lives. This led them to creating a “sober competition” to see who could abstain from drinking the longest. From this, a global fundraising and awareness initiative was born. Brett is now the Managing Director of EzyRaise, a global fundraising platform, whose campaigns include Dry July Australia, Take on Addiction, and the latest, Sober October USA.
In this podcast, Brett talks about:
- The history of Sober October campaigns in other countries
- How SMART Recovery became the partner and beneficiary for the US campaign
- Why and how to get involved with Sober October
- The benefits of abstaining from alcohol
- Coming to your own conclusions about alcohol
- Useful features for participants, including an alcohol calculator and calendar
- There is still time to join Sober October and support those in recovery
Katie Lain is the co-founder of Thrive Alcohol Recovery, an organization that uses the Sinclair Method to help treat alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Katie struggled a decade trying to get her drinking under control, but no programs or treatments worked. In searching the internet for answers, she found a TedX featuring Claudia Christian, How I Overcame Alcoholism, and thought what she was saying was too good to be true.
Developed by Dr. David Sinclair, the Sinclair Method works by taking naltrexone, an FDA approved medication, 1-2 hours before drinking, to block the pleasure receptors in your brain. With long-term, consistent use, it is medically proven effective at changing a person’s relationship with alcohol.
SMART Recovery is a great compliment to the Sinclair Method because it teaches people tools, like the Hierarchy of Values (HOV) and Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), to help them understand why they abused alcohol and how to now live life without it.
Check out this great interview by Luke Frazier, for our show Insiders+ Access, made possible in part by the generous support of SMART Insiders+ participants.
September is National Recovery Month, but many advocates point out we can certainly recognize recovery year-round, including Keegan Wicks. He is the National Advocacy and Outreach Manager for Faces & Voices of Recovery. He works to ensure that the recovery spectrum of services is available and funded for anyone who needs them.
In this podcast, Keegan talks about: * Why it’s okay to say “Happy” Recovery Month * How Recovery Month started and has changed throughout the years * His personal journey with mental health and substance use disorders * How his family network helped him navigate the often-complicated recovery system * Why the systems and access to recovery should never be a result of good luck and privilege * The inner voice that led him to get involved and affect change * Being the voice at the table with lived experience in recovery * Faces & Voices of Recovery’s focus and core messages of accessibility and inclusiveness * Helping organizations be “recovery ready” * How Congress is helping with prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts * Why it’s an exciting time to highlight and show what recovery can look like * How to get involved in Recovery Month initiatives, and why to stay involved
David Koss, JD, is a member of the SMART Recovery Board of Directors and the Director of Government Relations. In his role as director, David monitors what the federal government is doing in terms of addiction and recovery legislation, and advocates for SMART and people with substance use disorders.
David works directly with members of Congress to pass legislation that helps those with substance use disorders receive the care and treatment they need and deserve. For example, the recently passed House Bill HR7666 focuses on mental health funding that directly affects individuals either seeking or already in recovery.
David’s time is also spent on facilitating SMART meetings and coordinating the East Coast Regional Conference. The conference will be held on Saturday, October 22nd in Laurel, Maryland. This year’s theme, Shifting Paradigms, New Opportunities, will focus on new kinds of intervention, treatment, and aftercare – meeting people where they are in their recovery.
Because this is an election year, David urges people to vote and get as involved as possible. He believes it is important to support those in Congress who are fighting to end the addiction epidemic and save lives.
Pam Mulready’s “destruction of choice” started IN her freshman year and continued throughout college. While her friends were graduating, she was in rehab. This was not how she thought her life was supposed to go. Eventually, though, it put her on a path to recovery and led to helping teens and young adults going through the same experiences. Today, Pam is a licensed mental health and addiction recovery counselor, working as a Project Coordinator at Youth Recovery CT and as a SMART Recovery Facilitator.
In this podcast, Pam talks about:
- Continually abusing substances throughout college and going to rehab instead of graduation
- Learning to make her life less complicated by not using substances
- Finishing her education and focusing on helping teens and young adults
- Driving across the state to the only library that carried the book Rational Recovery
- How the recovery needs of young people are different than those of adults
- The rewards of watching young people connect with recovery
- Realization that recovery makes things less complicated
- The impacts of using social media
- Celebrating the many ways people succeed in recovery
- Having multiple SMART meetings available for teens, young adults, and family and friends at Youth Recovery CT
Mercy Bell’s relationship with alcohol started in college as a way to thwart the uneasiness she felt inside. It led her to a “recovery or else” situation. She used multiple paths and experiences along her journey to recovery. Today, Mercy is the co-owner of Sober Voices and Sourcing Voices, with Alyssa Hart. Their mission is “to amplify and celebrate all voices and all experiences on the journey of recovery and mental health”, especially college students, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC.
In this podcast, Mercy talks about:
- Having a “high bottom” that most people couldn’t see and using many paths to recovery
- Serendipitously meeting Alyssa Hart who was creating an online sober event, FLOW
- Being a “buffet grazer” of recovery
- Being impressed with the technology and ecosystem Alyssa was using for a grassroots style recovery movement during the pandemic
- The inspiration to start Sober Voices for online recovery events and Sourcing Voices, the technology platform where recovery content lives
- Why having a diversity of voices and stories is key to having people relate and connect
- The mission of Sober Voices and why they chose to use the words Amplify and Celebrate
- Finding SMART while planning for FLOW 2021
- The future goals for Sober Voices and Sourcing Voices
Alex Colyer realized she really didn’t know about addiction and recovery after losing her best friend Reed McGregor to an overdose in January 2021. To honor Reed’s memory and legacy, Alex started the Albertus Project, a nonprofit organization that is transforming the way the world views addiction.
In this podcast, Alex talks about: * Holding old, stigmatized views of addiction—without knowing the truth * What Reed McGregor meant to so many people around the world * How the world doesn’t show compassion to people with addictions * That addiction isn’t who people are, but something they have * Starting to do research but not finding the answers to her questions * Turning tragedy into action by founding the Albertus Project * The goals and values of the organization * Pulling the Me’s into the conversation * Giving people a voice with the Humans of Addiction stories * Learning about SMART and the Family & Friends program * That money shouldn’t stand in the way of a person’s recovery and the initiatives the Albertus Project have in place to help * How her views on harm reduction changed with a simple analogy
Steve Kind of Mankato, Minnesota, is a SMART Facilitator and new SMART employee. His alcohol struggles began in high school and continued into adulthood. After his second DUI, he was about to lose everything, including his wife. Then an open-minded, forward-thinking counselor suggested he look into SMART as a new path to recovery. Now he is living his Life Beyond Addiction.
In this podcast, Steve talks about: * His struggle with alcohol addiction and the 12-Step recovery process * How his views on driving under the influence have changed over the years * Being a defensive Christian and then an Atheist * Being introduced to SMART and watching a Jonathan von Breton YouTube video * What came from traveling 70 miles to attend a SMART meeting * Sitting in a meeting room by himself and waiting for participants * The word-of-mouth “snowball effect” * Writing a book about his life: The Inspirational Dissatisfaction * How a job in California almost cost him everything * Getting off the couch and changing your life!
Courts everywhere have mandated that secular, evidence-based addiction treatments, like SMART Recovery, must be offered to individuals as alternatives to 12-Step and other faith-based programs, if they so choose. Much of this is largely thanks to the tireless work of individuals like Sarah Levin.
Sarah is founder and principal of Secular Strategies, a firm specializing in defending the separation of church and state, advocating for religious freedom for all, and empowering nonreligious constituencies. A graduate of American University in Washington D.C., Sarah works on behalf of SMART Recovery on state government relations matters, under the direction of David Koss, SMART Recovery’s Director of Government Relations and current Board Member.
Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), recently published an article in Health Affairs Magazine that many in the recovery community consider “a game changer” in how it challenged received wisdom and old assumptions in the treatment of addicted individuals. In this interview, Dr. Tom Horvath, co-founder of SMART Recovery, assesses the article’s impact and how it may change the face of the recovery landscape forever.
Alex received his first video game station at the age of two. His love and eventual addiction to video gaming continued throughout his life. It wasn’t until recently that Alex found SMART Recovery, and has made positive changes to his life and began managing his problematic behavior.
In this interview, Alex talks about: * His dad buying him a VecTrexat two years old * The progression of gaming systems and how the technology over time * The “water cooler” conversations around new video games * First realizing that there was an issue with gaming when he didn’t “grow out of it” * The “Just Say No to Drugs” PSAs being counterproductive in video games * The opportunity cost of continuing to play video games * Video gaming addiction characteristics * Trying other recovery programs, then finding SMART * The ways SMART talks about addiction and the nuances for helping each person differently * How the pandemic affected his addiction * Knowing he can’t keep throwing his life away
Alicia Renegar is a Certified Addiction Peer Recovery Coach and SMART Facilitator in Columbus, Indiana. As a gay woman, she faced much adversity and discrimination throughout her life. She shares how she has turned this negativity into strength and is helping others on their path to recovery.
In this podcast, she talks about:
- The challenges and discrimination she faced from administrators and peers during her school years
- How people’s fear of change impacts their decisions and attitudes towards what they perceive as different
- Her parents being very supportive and giving her a solid foundation to be who she is
- The journey to becoming herself
- How her deep-seated trauma pushed through and ultimately led to her addiction
- Volunteering then working for ASAP Hub
- Finding SMART and taking the facilitator training course
- Starting an LGBTQIA+ meeting in Columbus, Indiana
- Why SMART resonates with people
- The proudest moment of her life was becoming a Certified Addiction Peer Recovery Coach
- The obstacles and dangers of being an LGBTQIA+ activist
Maia Szalavitz is an award-winning, best-selling author and opinion writer, whose focus is on changing the narrative of addiction and recovery. Two of her books Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction and Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction, are among a long list of publications that address this issue.
In this podcast, she talks about:
- Her New York Times opinion piece about Oregon decriminalizing drug possession
- How external force undermines internal motivation
- How the Black Lives Matter Movement shows the racial disparities in the justice system
- That criminal drug laws aren’t based on science and how emotions are decision algorithms
- The debate over decriminalization is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what actually works
- Explaining the analogy of addiction to that of falling in love or having a baby; people do crazy things
- People with addiction are not lazy, they are hurting
- Trying to punish our way out of addiction is not the answer
- Why it’s important to meet people where they are and welcome them to treatment
- Not calling doctor prescribed medication Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT)
- Why we need more expansive definitions of recovery
- How chronic pain patients are being negatively affected by the opioid epidemic
Dr. Nora Volkow recently spoke to the SMART Recovery community about the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) holistic approach to helping those with substance use issues. As a follow up to that conversation, we talked with Dr. Wilson Compton, Deputy Director of NIDA and Dr. Will Aklin, Director of the Behavioral Therapy Development Program, about research on the health aspects and treatment of substance use disorders.
In this podcast, they talk about:
- How their college professors got them excited and passionate about careers in scientific research
- Medications that help with various addictions, including a new focus on stimulant use disorders
- Bridging the gap between treatment and recovery
- Individualized, personal treatments
- Examples of harm reduction measures
- Creating a net positive to society
- The four pillars of overdose strategy: primary prevention, harm reduction, evidence-based treatment, and recovery support
- Explaining value of CBT and MAT
- How research helps us understand the impact of mutual support and recovery
- The research behind using Contingency Management to shape positive behavior
- Making treatment less intimidating and more welcoming
- Working across boundaries and departments, within the government, to address the drug abuse problems and find solutions
Ted Perkins, aka the “Tips & Tools Guy” is a SMART facilitator and producer of our popular SMART Recovery video series including Tips & Tools for Recovery That Works, Life Beyond Addiction, Facilitator Spotlights, and more. A natural skeptic and avid humanist, he has always been open to ways to better himself, especially in his recovery. One way in which he’s done this is looking into the possible therapeutic value of psychedelic drugs. In this podcast he openly shares some of his experiences with people so they can understand the powerful impact they made in his life.
In this podcast, Ted talks about: * How alcohol was normalized growing up in other countries * His path from college to the entertainment industry being full of parties and substances * Realizing he was living a suboptimal life because of alcohol * Finding SMART and becoming a facilitator * Trying LSD in the 1980’s and integrating the experience into his ongoing relationships * Trying to be the best Ted he can be * Learning about the popularity of psychedelics to aid in recovery * His experience at a psychedelic summer camp in Costa Rica * Being treated with Ketamine by his therapist * The connection between his psychedelic experience and using SMART * Getting what you need, not what you want * Having a deeper emotional connection to the people in his life
Loretta Billingsley has been working in the media industry since the 1980’s and still loves what she does to this day. Another thing she loves is facilitating the SMART Women’s meeting on Saturday mornings. Loretta knows the personal growth and connections formed during those meetings have help changed lives, and for that she is grateful.
In this podcast, Loretta talks about:
- Being one of the pioneer women who started the women’s meeting
- Why the meeting has grown in popularity in the last year
- Notable guest speakers from the recovery community
- Her four levels of collective sharing
- Why inclusivity needed to be a part of the SMART community
- How we’re all recovering from something
- Humanity being the great connector
- Using practices instead of tools
- The journey down a new road of recovery
Dr. Ashley Grinonneau-Denton is the founder and co-owner of Ohio Center for Relationship and Sexual Health in Cleveland, Ohio. She has a doctorate in marriage and family therapy and is a certified sex therapist.
In this podcast, Dr. Ashley talks about:
- Being one of only 16 people certified in sex therapy in Ohio
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The social and cultural aspects of Valentine’s Day
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Not marginalizing sexual background of clients
- Creating a sex positive environment
- Behaviors involved with couples and their sexual health
- Looking at all sides of an issue to see the client’s whole self
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Her soapbox about labels
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Getting to a healthy sexual life
- How the intimacy conversation is changing with each new generation
- The form and function in music and pop culture
- Conducting virtual consultations (even before the pandemic)
- Seeing co-occurring behaviors in clients that are making it harder for them to change
Paul Tieger is the Founder and CEO of Speed Reading People, LLC. He is also a principal of IConnect Health, an international expert on personality psychology, and the author of five bestselling books. Paul’s current project is the lead researcher for the SMART De-Stress RX Study, to determine the connection between personality type and addiction issues.
In this podcast, Paul talks about:
- His extensive background in personality psychology and trying to understand who people are
- His most famous case from when he was a jury consultant
- The new SMART study’s purpose is to determine genetic predisposition to addiction issues based on personality type and how SMART can tailor its approach to different people
- Why personality type trumps all other factors like age and gender
- How to prevent confirmation bias
- Tom Horvath’s enthusiasm for this groundbreaking study
- The three parts of the study the participants will take
- Developing the De-Stress RX personality test as an individualized approach to reducing stress based on the 16 personality types
- The value in receiving personal RX results
- How the COVID era stress has influenced personality types
- How SMART will be communicating how people can participate in the study in the coming weeks
- How to register for the webinar on Wednesday, March 2nd
Dr. Joe Gerstein is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and Founder of SMART Recovery. He is also a retired Harvard University professor and lectures at addiction symposiums. Joe introduced SMART to the world and has facilitated over 3,000 meetings. His passion and motivation for helping others is still going strong after 50+ years. Joe shares some of his thoughts and perspectives and being for staying motivated in your recovery.
Dave Johnson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Fletcher Group, based in London, Kentucky. His background in social work, healthcare, and academia led him to starting Fletcher Group with the help of Ernie Fletcher, the former Governor of Kentucky. A recent grant connected them to SMART Recovery with the Rural Centers of Excellence Initiative.
In this podcast, Dave talks about:
- His journey from Big Sky country to the Motor City
- Flunking retirement after meeting Governor Ernie Fletcher
- Developing and operationalizing the Fletcher Group organization at record speed
- Being the catalysts for change
- Caring about the ones whom no one else does
- Receiving a HRSA grant for the Rural Centers for Excellence Initiative (RCOE)
- How and why recovery homes have gained public awareness in the last decade
- Connecting with SMART and implementing the curriculum and best practices into the houses
- Coaches and motivation
- The benefits for a recovery home participating in the RCOE program
- Gauging success: initiation, engagement, retention
- What recovery capital is and why it’s important
From growing up in small-town Iowa to becoming a military police officer Army Reservist, Holly Paulsen has seen and experienced much in her life. It wasn’t until she woke up still drunk after a night of drinking, that she decided to make changes in her life. Today, she is living her best life and helping other veterans get the help and resources they deserve.
In this podcast, Holly talks about:
- Following in her brother’s footsteps and joining the Army at age 17
- The military being its own world
- The peer pressure of being old enough to serve is old enough to drink
- Being deployed in Afghanistan when she turned 21
- Attributing early addictive behaviors to undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and later to numb the pain from injuries sustained in the military
- The military saying, “Drink About It, Don’t Think About It”
- A friend planting the seed of sobriety
- April 1st is not a joke
- Being supportive by going with a friend to SMART meetings
- Years later, making the choice to attend SMART meetings and finding the Veterans & First Responders inaugural meeting
- How SMART fits into her life and co-facilitating meetings
- Telling others don’t struggle alone; ask for help
Dr. Sarah Zemore is a Senior Scientist at the Alcohol Research Group in Emeryville, California, and the Principal Investigator of the Peer Alternatives for Addiction 2 (PAL2) Study. This is the second phase in the study which focuses on the benefits of mutual help groups in recovery.
In this podcast, Sarah talks about:
- Her background in social psychology, then becoming interested in the addiction recovery process
- Previous studies being too academic with little translation to the real world
- The power researchers have to shape services and make an impact
- The goals, challenges, and findings from the 2015 PAL1 Study
- How the new PAL2 study will provide a deeper understanding the benefits of mutual help groups
- The focus in PAL2 will be on specific subgroups and how participation is different, i.e., in-person versus online meetings
- Mechanisms of action and the key drivers of recovery
- Ways to participate in PAL2 study and how the data will be used to provide recommendations to treatment providers
- The importance of knowing the range of recovery program options available
- Welcoming feedback on the work and study
Sarah Levin is the founder of Secular Strategies. She is also a lobbyist and coalition builder. Sarah has made it her life’s work to fight for legislation protecting secular points of view.
Gerardo (Gee) Matamoros is president of the SMART NYC Board, and self-described newfound activist. He is impacting his community through his passion and dedication to ensuring SMART is an option for everyone in recovery.
In this podcast, they talk about:
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Sarah growing up in a political family that loved to talk about religion and politics at the kitchen table
- Sarah being introduced to SMART when she worked for the Secular Coalition for America
- Being the engine of the secular movement
- Gee grew up in different countries and came to the US for college
- Gee’s stint with “naughty” substances and finding SMART
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What brought Sarah and Gee together
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Advocating for separation of church and state and evidence-based policy
- Explaining to law makers why Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) should be supported in recovery
- Ending the stigma of addiction for people in recovery
- The First Amendment cases that protect choice in recovery pathways
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Shifting the burden to the courts to ensure secular recovery options are given to people
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Gee’s outreach and awareness efforts in NYC
- Newfound energy in rallying people to get involved in SMART’s legislative changes
- Why it’s important to learn the ecosystem of decision makers in your community and make SMART known
- Telling your story because your voice matters to lawmakers at all levels
Dave Jansa is a SMART Facilitator in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and someone with lived experience with the Family & Friends program. He also serves on the board of Face it Together (FIT), whose mission is to solve the nation’s greatest health challenge drug and alcohol addiction.
In this podcast, Dave talks about:
- Resolving his struggles with addictive behaviors on his own and by observing what others were going through as guidance
- Being curious and confused about his addiction experience and recovery transformation
- Face it Together being disturbing innovators
- The similarities between SMART and FIT and implementing SMART into their recovery options
- How using the Family & Friends program transformed the way he interacted with his son
- The needs of teens and young adults differs from adults in recovery
- The Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) method
- FIT’s Recovery Capital Index
- How addiction affects everyone in the family
- Being part of the solution in people’s recovery
- Finding the diamond in the rough
Since 2016, Lorie Hammerstorm has been the lead onsite trainer for SMART. She also facilitates the teen and young adult meetings. Her passion for working with teens and young adults is evident in the hundreds of people she has helped in their recovery journey.
Rae Grady is an onsite trainer and Family & Friends facilitator, who has been with SMART since 2019. Her prior experience working with adolescents as a guidance counselor and crisis coordinator has given her the tools and empathy to support the those in need.
In this podcast, they talk about:
- Lorie’s need to find life goals beyond drugs and alcohol in high school and how it shaped her future
- Rae’s career working with adolescents and finding SMART as a resource
- How Lorie found SMART and why the tools were crucial in her life
- SMART’s principles are things kids can grab onto
- Why the school approach makes the teens more comfortable in meetings
- Lorie and Rae’s experiences with their own children’s struggles
- Why it’s important that teens learn to communicate
- The skills that trainers and facilitators need to work with teens and young adults
- The value in creating relationships with people
- Using music as a way to connect and relate to recovery
- Planting the seeds for recovery
- A mistake isn’t a failure, but an opportunity to learn
- The parents’ need to understand the recovery process
Chuck Novak’s life hasn’t always been easy. A substance use problem led to five years in prison. While incarcerated, Chuck decided to use his time to change his life for the better. He earned a paralegal certificate and started on a path to recovery. Today, Chuck is a Master Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor and a SMART Recovery Regional Coordinator in New Hampshire.
In this podcast, Chuck talks about:
- His experiences with addiction and being incarcerated
- How simple decisions were difficult after being released
- Changing the vocabulary for returning citizens
- How he became interested in becoming a counselor
- Using SMART tools within the tools during his meetings
- The role of regional coordinators is morphing
- Implementing “Operation Bed Bug”
- How the InsideOut: A SMART Recovery Correctional Program® aligns with the Federal Bureau of Prisons programing
- Consulting for the Drug and Mental Health Courts in New Hampshire
- Learning how to do life
- Discovering there is Life Beyond Addiction
Barry Grant’s experiences being incarcerated over 20 years ago changed and shaped his future forever. Today, Barry is the owner of S.A.F.E Counseling Services, Director of Outpatient Services at Hope House, and SMART board member. His tireless championing of the SMART program has helped countless people in their recovery journey.
In this podcast, Barry talks about:
- His history of being incarcerated and finding SMART while in prison
- Using his time in prison as an opportunity to grow and share experiences with others
- SMART being in the here and now, not the past
- Examining and evaluating the human experience
- His meaning of recovery
- Choosing your behavior means choosing your consequences
- Becoming an autodidactic counselor
- The difference between being ready and being prepared
- Changing the vocabulary for incarcerated people
- How SMART principles are applicable to life situations
- Asking “Who Are You?”
Matt Frank has been a SMART Facilitator for over seven years. His uses his experience and LGBTQ+ perspectives to shape the tools and conversations to be most effective for his meeting participants.
In this podcast, Matt talks about:
- How pride can be a problem emotion
- SMART discourages using labels
- Practicing recovery actively
- Focusing on behavior versus identity
- The difference between self-esteem and self-acceptance
- Using Motivational Interviewing in his Sexual Maladaptive Behavior meeting
- What people need is a good listening to
- The pros and cons on online versus in-person meetings
- Not letting pride lead you astray
- Appreciating the small things in life
Brett Saarela’s personal and professional experience led her to find her passion in helping older adults with mental health and addiction issues. She is a licensed clinical social worker in New York and has devoted her time and efforts to ensuring the older population is seen and treated properly. Brett is the Vice President of the SMART Recovery Board of Directors and serves on the SMART International Board of Directors.
In this podcast, Brett talks about:
- Why the word geriatrics is a challenging term
- Her heart and passion is working with older adults
- Her personal and family history of mental health and substance use
- Discovering SMART Recovery and ultimately changing careers
- Modifying SMART tools for each client
- Barriers to detection among the geriatric population
- Motivational interviewing being a cornerstone of SMART
- Guidance for family and friends whose older loved ones have a substance use problem
- Goals for SMART for helping older adults
- Future of mental health and addiction services for older adults
Mike Massey has been facilitating SMART Recovery Online (SROL) meetings since 2013. His professional experience as a former teacher and union leader, as well as his personal experience with substance use, gave him the skills and abilities to help meeting participants. When many of the participants said they also were dealing with a mental health disorder, he struggled with how best to help them and decided there needed to be a reference guide for facilitators on how to handle this aspect of recovery. So, he and several others created one: Facilitator Best Practices for Addressing Mental Health Disorders and Suicide in SMART Recovery Meetings.
In this podcast, Mike talks about:
- What led to writing the Facilitator Best Practices for Addressing Mental Health Disorders and Suicide in SMART Recovery Meetings
- Most facilitators are not experts or professional therapists, but should have a familiarity with mental health disorders
- People coming to the meeting for hope and inspiration
- Reframing the terms of mental health
- Two types of stigma – self and society
- Searching for patterns and reasons for addictions
- Asking participants, “What do you need to get through this?”
- The mystery and magic of being in a meeting
- Doing a better job of helping others help themselves
- How to handle the mention of suicide
- Contributors in writing the guide, including the QPR Institute
- Finding the guide on VolunteerHQ
Bill Greer came up through the ranks of SMART Recovery. He started as a participant in 2012, then became a facilitator, then Regional Coordinator, and joined the Board of Directors in 2017. He is currently the President of the Board. As SMART releases its 2021-2022 Strategic Plan to the community, he knows the importance of implementing goals that will shape SMART’s future.
In this podcast, Bill talks about:
- The 2021-2022 Strategic Plan
- Coming up through the ranks of SMART
- The lived experience of SMART
- What the Strategic Plan means
- How the Strategic Plan achieves the SMART mission
- How the Strategic Plan is aimed towards supporting our volunteers
- A decade of incredible growth and why the Strategic Plan is necessary for continued growth
- Addressing uncomfortable and challenging questions
- Why it’s critical to shift to a fund development culture
- Making SMART a household name
- His meaning of Life Beyond Addiction
- What the Strategic Plan means to you and how to take action
Eboni Jewel Sears’s life has been full of unique and interesting experiences and opportunities. Growing up, her military family moved throughout the country; today Las Vegas, Nevada, is home. Her professional journey has taken her from being a Navy Seabee to a long-haul truck driver to currently a peer recovery support specialist at the Alternative Peer Group Las Vegas. It’s here that she counsels teens in recovery using the SMART Recovery tools and principles.
In this podcast, Eboni talks about:
- Being a SMART facilitator and peer recovery support specialist
- Using exchange vocabulary with the teens to bridge the gap between AA and SMART terminology
- Why she was reluctant to become a SMART facilitator and what changed her mind
- Ways she makes learning the SMART tools fun for her teen participants
- Keeping her recovery and sexual identity hidden while in the Navy
- That it’s okay to have fun in recovery
- Wanting a better life for herself and daughter
- Facilitating a SMART Recovery Online (SROL) meeting for Maladaptive Behaviors
- Working with the Las Vegas School District to get SMART Recovery into the Mission High School curriculum
- Being an African American, LGBT, Female
- SMART concepts fitting well into spiritual concepts
- 2020 being a year of change
Henry Steinberger, of Madison, Wisconsin, is a long-time, trusted advisor and facilitator for SMART. His extensive educational credentials and background have been invaluable in shaping SMART Recovery into the organization it is today.
In this podcast, Henry talks about:
- Working with Albert Ellis
- The fork in the road with Jack Trimpy
- The psychology of understanding why people “are so messed up”
- Discovering SMART and serving on the Board of Directors
- Contributing to the SMART Recovery Handbook
- The seven therapeutic lifestyle changes
- The Japanese concept of Shinrin-Yoku (translated as Forest bathing)
- Using CRAFT and the SMART Family & Friends Handbook
- Meeting people where they are and varying degrees of religiosity
- Rebuilding the trust bank
- Incorporating the SMART Facilitator Training for Professionals into your practice
- His definition of Life Beyond Addiction
- Being present is part of being in love, romance, and intimacy
Dr. Reid Hester is a psychologist and researcher. He is the founder and director of the science division of Checkup & Choices. Reid’s extensive research in alcohol abuse has led to professional opportunities and collaborations with many experts in the field. One long-standing partnership has been with SMART Recovery.
In this podcast, Reid talks about:
- His educational background and path to earning a doctorate in psychology
- Meeting the “rising star” William Miller in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1978
- Finding a kindred spirit in Tom Horvath, a founding member of SMART Recovery
- Publishing findings from a drug and alcohol abstinence focused protocol, in conjunction with SMART, in the Journal of Medical Internet Research
- How the pandemic is affecting recovery
- The Checkup & Choices approach and app
- Receiving funding for continued research through Small Business Innovative Research Grants
- Carpe diem is the term when looking for web-based applications to make changes
- Future innovators including Chess Health and Vorvida
- Reasons to be hopeful and optimistic in recovery
- The positive ripple effect
Shawn Fisk is an addiction treatment counselor in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His lived personal and professional experiences have led him to challenge cognitive discrepancies and chart a new path for his and his clients’ lives.
In this podcast, Shawn talks about:
- The privilege of working at Serenity House, an intensive, in-house men’s recovery home
- Giving the residents the opportunity to model and practice new skills to replace old behaviors
- His life as a competitive athlete and sports psychology coach
- Getting the opportunity to hit the reset button
- Taking Carl Young’s advice to find the courage to look at the dark things and find freedom
- Learning to value himself enough to take care of himself
- Applying SMART tools to behaviors like over-eating or spending
- Understanding labels
- Freedom from judgement
- His perspective on Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
- Helping people see their value
- Finding a new hobby every year
Stacey McKeever is a librarian in southern California. Her lifelong struggle with food addiction has led her to use SMART Recovery as one pathway to maintaining balance in her life.
In this podcast, Stacey talks about:
- How she was a librarian even before she earned her degree
- Being put on diet pills at eight years old
- Using food to cope with her feelings
- Finding out she had a food addiction Her inability to feel space or boundaries
- The blocked memories from her childhood
- Growing up in a household of women, where everyone was continuously dieting
- How needing food to live makes the struggle more difficult
- Learning how to have boundaries with words not food
- Incorporating SMART Recovery and Weight Watchers programs into her life
- Finding balance on the beam and knowing when enough is enough
- Making excuses because it’s the holidays
- The sexiness is all about the planning of the meal
- Going into the holidays with eyes wide open
- Trying other programs
- Learning how to be a whole person with SMART What is most valuable about SMART meetings
- Advice for staying on the balance beam
- Learning recovery is an individual journey
- Ways of supporting others without accepting their burdens
Les Waite is a veteran and a clinical psychologist at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York. His struggles with addiction lead him to SMART Recovery. Now, he uses the SMART tools daily in his practice for veterans.
In this podcast, Les talks about:
- His educational resume that includes learning the teachings of Alfred Adler
- Serving in the military during the first Gulf War
- Seeing his comrades come back from deployment with trauma issues and finding limited professional resources to help them
- How trauma and substance use disorders are linked
- His own struggles with addiction
- Being introduced to SMART and why he fell in love with the program
- Why the VA hospitals' programs dovetail beautifully with SMART's teachings
- His “been there, done that” connection with patients
- Why the structure and order of the SMART program is effective for veterans
- Playing Jonny Appleseed in the VA hospitals by starting SMART meetings everywhere he goes
- Motivational interviewing and the stages of change model
- Having honest, genuine dialog with his patients about the reasons they are seeing him
- Reconnecting a veteran to their own values using the hierarchy of values tool
- His post-COVID goals of launching more SMART meetings for veterans and in his community
Nick Goodwin is a SMART Recovery facilitator and co-chair of the new Veterans and First Responders meeting starting on November 10th. He is a former Infantry Officer, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines.
In this podcast, Nick talks about: * What led him to join the military * His commission in the Marines * What triggered his alcohol use disorder * Finding SMART Recovery through the Veterans Addiction Recovery Center * Why military veterans gravitate towards SMART * Why battling himself was the hardest battle * How crosstalk is effective in SMART meetings * Substance abuse as a symptom of a mental health problem * What failure means to him * Finding a new life purpose * Starting the first SMART Recovery Online Veterans and First Responders meeting
Kevin Minnick is the SMART Recovery Regional Coordinator for Indiana. He is also a probation officer for Hancock County.
In this podcast, Kevin talks about:
- How being a professional golfer paid for his master’s degree in counseling
- Seeing an ad for SMART Recovery in an underground newspaper in the 1990s
- How working in the chemical dependency unit was luck of the draw
- Recognizing that many aspects of recovery were not being addressed in 12-step treatment programs
- Challenging his supervisor that multiple options for recovery needed to be offered
- Taking a client-centered approach to the person’s recovery
- Being a clinical coordinator in the drug court
- How SMART Recovery’s program shows results
- Incorporating the Successful Life Skills book into meetings
- Why to become a SMART Recovery facilitator
Peter Finger is a SMART Recovery Regional Coordinator in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He is also an advocate for the drug courts in his state.
In this podcast, Peter talks about:
- Why partying like Frank Sinatra was the way his family coped with issues
- What caused tremendous anxiety during childhood and carried into his adulthood
- Who held an intervention for him when his drinking habit was out of control
- How he found SMART Recovery and Alltyr
- Why he never drank again after taking the SMART Recovery Training program
- How he became involved with the South Dakota Drug Courts
- What people are searching for and why the search over when they find it
- Taking the National Drug Court Institute training
- Using the Successful Life Skills book in his SMART meetings
- Why it’s important to extend compassion and empathy to everyone
- Where life goes from here
The SMART Community had the opportunity to hear from Board President Bill Greer and Executive Director Mark Ruth as they shared their perspectives on what the SMART community has accomplished in 2020 and where they are headed in 2021.
In the United States Army, he was an E-4 Specialist with the 42 INF Div., serving in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. As a private person, Michael Hooper was a man struggling with alcohol abuse and depression. He didn’t know where to get help until he called the Veteran’s Crisis Hotline. From there Michael was introduced to SMART Recovery through the VA Hospital. He knew from the first meeting it was “going to be a life changer,” but it wasn’t until a four-month intensive, inpatient program, that Michael realized how valuable the SMART Recovery program was for his survival.
The program was effective for Michael because there was a direct sense of purpose and self-empowerment, which resonated with his military training. After completing the facilitator training, he felt compelled to pay it forward and started facilitating his own meetings to share SMART with more people in his Hackensack, New Jersey, community.
Now, in his new role as the Ohio State Outreach Director, Michael will bring his authenticity, passion and lived experiences to new audiences that might otherwise never hear of SMART. He says, “having grown up in a minority neighborhood, the need for non-profit services in these communities is great. The individuals suffering in these communities deserve the same opportunities as everyone else.” He hopes to get more communities involved with meetings and available resources. Michael will also continue to expand outreach within the VAs, schools, and prison systems in Ohio. This is a “boots on the ground position,” he says, that will take him where he is needed because “outreach is here to help save lives.”
Growing up, Betty Jacobs knew her family and the community would not be open and accepting of her sexual orientation, so she hid her true identity. She followed the “normal” route and got married and had children because being a mom was something she always wanted. But there was more to Betty that people needed to know and she was finally ready to tell.
Betty has used her story as motivation to change the game for the LGBTQ community in Lake County, Ohio. She earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Youngtown State University, and taking the experience she received from her internship at the LGBT Community Center Greater Cleveland, she founded LGBTQ+ Allies Lake County.
In just a year, the non-profit organization has grown and accomplished a great deal. Betty offers Safe Space training to teach businesses and organizations to be welcoming to the LGBTQ community. The SMART Recovery National Office Team will be taking this training in August.
With the climate in the country forcing people to look at things differently, Betty says “it’s easier to have the hard conversations lately.” This is about mutual respect and breaking down barriers. No one wants to live in fear. Betty and the LGBTQ+ Allies Lake County organization are working to end fear and create allies in the community where everyone is welcome.
Charles True has been building the kind of life he doesn’t want to relapse from for many years. His project work has taken him around the world including China, Russia, and the United Kingdom. One of his most impactful projects is the InsideOut® program. InsideOut is a cognitive-based therapy (CBT) program for substance abuse treatment (offender rehab) in correctional settings and is based around the 4-Point Program® of SMART Recovery.
Charles partnered with Ron Lott and together they facilitate the InsideOut program in the Houston, Texas, prisons. They have also co-authored the book Successful Life Skills, which they say is the epitome of what the recovery movement represents. Charles and Ron are adapting the book to reach a broader audience beyond those struggling with addiction. Charles said people have been asking for a new version of the book and he and Ron are making it happen.
Charles lives by the motto, “turn your life into a project, always have a purpose, and wake up grateful.” The SMART community is very grateful for the work he and Ron are doing.
Molly Magill’s interest in psychology and social work started in high school and grew into her passion and ultimately, her career. She earned her B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Boston and she earned her M.S.W and Ph.D. from Boston College. Dr. Magill is an associate research professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences and the Director of Biostatistics at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University. In 2019, Dr. Magill was awarded the Independent Scientist Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Her current research is focused on therapist or counselor training methods that are based on common factors of established behavioral interventions. The training method that is most exciting to Dr. Magill is motivational interviewing (MI). This technique recognizes there are multiple avenues to change and that the therapist’s job is to activate the natural process for clients. Dr. Magill believes the “gifts” that MI gave to addictions research and the clinical field are, love, appreciation, acceptance, and compassion for clients and a way to operationalize and train people how to do it. The training culture had gotten away from providing on-the-spot feedback to therapists. Now, because of motivational interviewing, instant feedback becoming popular again. According to Dr. Magill, MI forces you to stop, be present, and listen and believe what the clients says matters and is of value. This is a good practice for people everywhere to follow.
The results speak for themselves. Alternative treatment programs are as effective as traditional 12-step programs for alcohol recovery. These results have been identified thanks to Dr. Sarah Zemore’s 2018 research project, A longitudinal study of the comparative efficacy of Women for Sobriety, LifeRing, SMART Recovery, and 12-step groups for those with AUD, published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.
The findings were positive and confirmed that the same level of involvement has the same level of benefit no matter which program is used: people have a choice of treatment. This research has set the foundation for future studies.
Dr. Zemore is the Senior Scientist, Center Associate Director, and Training Grant Director, for the Alcohol Research Group in Emeryville, California. She is also the 2019 SMART Recovery Science Award recipient. In this podcast she talks with SMART Recovery about her project, the findings, and what it means for the future of alternative treatment options.
Hear the full conversation with Dr. Zemore and to learn about her meaningful work in advancing addiction recovery.
Words matter to Richard Saitz, M.D., who edits medical journals and publications for accuracy surrounding addiction terminology. In this talk, borrowed from our collection of 2019 SMART Recovery National Conference presentations, Dr. Saitz discusses substance use disorders as health conditions, how traditional language can promote stigma and affects policy and care, and the emergence of accurate, non-stigmatizing terminology.
While this terminology change may seem minimal to some, it is certainly not to Board President Bill Greer. To provide some added context to an important announcement the organization has recently made, we sat down with Bill to discuss SMART's larger focus on reducing stigma that often comes with addiction terminology, why SMART's new stance in moving toward abstinence-oriented is so important, and the impact we hope it will have in helping those who utilize or wish to utilize medication-assisted-treatment (MAT) in their recovery.
To read the full article, please visit: https://www.smartrecovery.org/smart-abstinence…recovery-support/
Stanton Peele and Archie Brodsky joined SMART Recovery for a webinar discussing concepts of addictions with a focus on love and relationships. At the the forefront of redefining addiction as something that goes beyond any particular substance and is, rather, a human phenomenon that can develop along a spectrum of severity in the relationships we form with others, with substances, or with behaviors and activities.
In 1975, the ideas in their ground-breaking book, Love and Addiction, were shocking. More recently, much of their work has come to be accepted as common knowledge in the fields of psychology and addiction treatment professions. As the general public recognizes that emotional, cognitive, social and cultural factors all play a role, we will continue to see an evolution in thought regarding addiction, and the best approaches to helping people.
Stanton Peele, Ph.D., J.D., is a seminal figure in the field of addiction and recovery. Dr. Peele is a pioneer in applying addiction concepts to include self-cure, harm reduction, and social-environmental causes of addiction. His online Life Process Program has been developed to extend availability of treatment by leveraging technology. His most recent book, with Ilse Thompson, is Recover! Stop Thinking Like an Addict and Reclaim Your Life with The Life Process. Since publication of Love and Addiction in 1975, he has written twelve books and over 250 professional and popular articles. He continues to lecture internationally on the meaning, treatment, and future of addiction. Additional information and a huge archive of articles can be found at Dr. Peele’s online addiction recovery treatment program website: www.lifeprocessprogram.com.
Archie Brodsky is co-founder of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law at Harvard Medical School. In addition to Love and Addiction he has co-authored 15 books, including The Truth about Addiction and Recovery (with Stanton Peele), Preventing Boundary Violations in Clinical Practice, and Clinical Supervision in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling. Mr. Brodsky is on the board of directors of The Influence Foundation, which recently launched the website www.filtermag.org to advocate for rational and compassionate approaches to drug use, drug policy, and human rights. He is a former chair of the Human Rights Committee at Massachusetts Mental Health Center.
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© 2018 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2017 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
SMART Recovery was thrilled to host Dr. Don Sheeley, in a conversation about MAT: Medication for Opiates, Alcohol and More, the medical options now available to help address opiate and alcohol use disorders. Don is uniquely positioned to speak with us, as a long-time volunteer at SMART, as an Emergency Room physician, and as a practitioner in his own practice: www.actsmartnewyork.com.
Donald Sheeley, MD, ABIM, ABEM, ASAM, is currently principal of an outpatient practice for Addiction and ACT Psychotherapy in Saratoga Springs, NY, utilizing a unique combination of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and addiction counseling based on ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy).
Don’s contributions to SMART Recovery have been immense in his 8 years of service. He has facilitated the SMART Recovery meeting in Saratoga Springs, NY since 2010 and has been a frequent contributor to SMART's Blog, a voice for SMART excellence, and mentor to the facilitator community. He was awarded the Joseph Gerstein Award for Exemplary Service to SMART Recovery in 2017, SMART's highest honor.
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© 2018 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2017 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
SMART Recovery was pleased to welcome back Michael Edelstein, Ph.D., author of Three Minute Therapy, who presented to us the surprising truth about self-esteem.
Dr. Edelstein is beyond compare for his ability to explain the concepts of CBT and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). These, at their core, hold that faulty thinking and beliefs, such as using self-esteem as a measure of “self,” can adversely affect our mood, well-being and ability to enjoy life. Examining our thinking and actively questioning our assumptions allows us to stay aligned with our personal values and goals and live lives that are full and satisfying.
These are the same topics that are the very foundation of SMART and Dr. Edelstein did not disappoint in a webinar that will be highly interesting to SMART participants, facilitators and friends.
Dr. Edelstein is a licensed clinical psychologist in San Francisco. He offers in-person as well as telephone and Skype sessions. He is famous as the author of Three Minute Therapy: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life (1997), with David Ramsay Steele. Recently, Dr. Edelstein created a YouTube channel with Tommy Bateman, featuring podcasts on topics of interest in REBT He also has a long-running website at threeminutetherapy.com.
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© 2018 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2018 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
A fascinating conversation on Addiction & the Brain: A Focus on Opiates,with Dr. Christopher J. Tuell, Clinical Director of Addiction Services at the Lindner Center of HOPE of UC Health in Cincinnati.
This was an interesting and far-reaching discussion, beginning with a look at today’s opiate epidemic. Dr. Tuell highlighted the relationship between mental health and addiction and how they intersect. We also discussed a whole range of questions around opiate addiction and addiction in general, approaches and some solid advice. We hope the conversation will add to awareness of the ways in which addiction shows itself – in today’s opiate crisis, but more broadly as well.
Most important, we hope to carry a message of hope and encouragement, and to shine a lens on compassionate and respectful ways to engage people when they have trouble dealing with the pressures of our complicated society. Enjoy!!
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© 2017 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2017 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
Ivette Torres, Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs in SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment for almost 20 years, joins SMART to discuss community engagement.
In this lively and engaging talk, Ms. Torres discusses some of the topics of concern today in behavioral health related to addiction, and she shares how SAMHSA can help communities gain access to the resources they need. Within that, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) promotes community-based substance abuse treatment and recovery services for individuals and families in every community.
One of our favorite initiatives, National Recovery Month takes place in September, and this is a great time to start planning. Ms. Torres is an ardent and enthusiastic supporter and promoter of this initiative and discusses how to get involved. We hope to see more SMART local National Recovery Month events than ever before in 2017.
Ms. Torres has been with SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment for almost 20 years. She oversees the CSAT team responsible for generating and disseminating substance abuse treatment information to SAMHSA’s mission-related constituents. She also develops national communication strategies and campaigns including the observance of the National Recovery Month, celebrated each September.
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© 2017 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2017 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
SMART Recovery hosts Reid K. Hester, Ph.D., Creator of Checkup & Choices, SMART's companion web course.
He presents a fascinating overview and discussion of recent scientific findings on addiction treatment and support, including work from his own lab as well as that of others. There are valuable lessons to be learned and new strategies that have real implications for people struggling with their use of alcohol, drugs and behaviors as well as the professionals and families who want to help.
Dr. Hester is the Director of Research at Checkup & Choices and creator of SMART’s Checkup & Choices companion web course. His professional career has included clinical work, program consultation, research, and training in empirically supported approaches to substance abuse treatment. His research focus has been in the development of digital tools to help people with alcohol and drug problems.
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© 2017 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2016 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
Listen to Joseph F. Gerstein, MD, FACP, SMART’s founding President, share ideas and examples of how to use the SMART tools to get through the Holiday Season -- enjoyably and with as little stress as possible.
Dr. Gerstein will also spend some time discussing the fundamental importance of motivation in the recovery process and ways to enhance that, and he will introduce an interesting phenomenon observed in study of the change process. It will be a wide-ranging conversation with lots of interesting food for thought.
Dr. Gerstein was just awarded the 2016 Harvard Humanist of the Year Award “for his work over the last 25 years as the founding president of SMART Recovery, which we view among the greatest examples of community service in the history of modern humanism.”
As a practicing internist, He helped establish SMART Recovery and became its founding president in 1994. He has facilitated over 3,000 meetings and counting, with over 800 in correctional settings. We are honored to have him, and we are so pleased to be able to share this very special Holiday podcast with you.
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© 2016 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2016 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
SMART Recovery is pleased to present a talk with John Kelly, Ph.D., the Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
He emphasizes the need for addiction recovery support programs based on science, such as SMART, as well as the science on traditional and other recovery support services.
In recent years, the models for addiction treatment and support have seen innovation and expansion beyond traditional options. Dr. Kelly shares with us what the research says about some of the options becoming more available, such as recovery community centers, sober housing models, recovery high schools/collegiate recovery programs, recovery management check-ups, recovery community organizations, and of course, peer support/mutual-help organizations including SMART Recovery.
Dr. Kelly is the Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, which is the first professorship in Addiction Medicine at Harvard and will carry his name thereafter. He is the founder and Director of the Recovery Research Institute at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Program Director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service (ARMS) and the Associate Director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at MGH.
Dr. Kelly is a former President of the American Psychological Association (APA) Society of Addiction Psychology, a Fellow of APA, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has served as a consultant to U.S. federal agencies such as the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH); to non-Federal institutions, such as the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and Caron Foundation; and internationally to foreign governments. He is also on the editorial board of several addiction journals.
In addition to publishing more than 150 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and chapters in the field of addiction, his clinical and research work has focused on addiction treatment and the recovery process which has included specific research on the effectiveness of mutual-help groups such as SMART Recovery, as adjuncts to formal care.
He has also served as SMART’s Director of Research for the past 5 years. Additional research endeavors have focused on the implementation of evidence-based practice, addiction and criminal justice, and reducing stigma associated with addiction. John is also a licensed clinical psychologist actively working with individuals and families with alcohol and other drug use disorders.
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© 2016 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2016 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
SMART Recovery is honored to bring you Dr. Carlo DiClemente, PhD, ABPP, co-creator of the the Stages of Change, speaking about how people maintain change and ways in which to support that in the field of addiction and recovery.
Carlo C. DiClemente's Stages of Change, or the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change (TTM), are foundational to SMART's approach to supporting people where they are as they embark in the process of change with regard to addictive behavior. Dr. DiClemente is most widely known for his co-authorship of the self-help book, Changing for Good.
Dr. DiClemente's career-long passion and dedication to create and research a functional, multidimensional and integrated care model for treating addictions has influenced the practice of providers from multiple disciplines. His thoughtful articles are highly cited in the field of addictive behavior. His pioneering views on motivation, mechanisms of change and natural recovery have transformed clinical practice and influenced research in psychology, health and mental health.
He has used stages and processes of change to understand how risk and protective factors influence initiation and recovery from addictions and created an innovative framework for linking prevention and treatment. In this talk, he emphasizes that the locus of change lies within the individual's personal processes, even while counselors, therapists, and facilitators may offer a variety of helpful methods and choices for healthy change.
Dr. Carlo DiClemente is currently University of Maryland, Baltimore County presidential research professor of psychology, Director of MDQuit, Tobacco Resource Center, the Center for Community Collaboration. For his work in the addictions, Dr. DiClemente was given the Innovators Combating Substance Abuse award by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the John P. McGovern Award from the American Society on Addiction Medicine (ASAM), and a Distinguished Contribution to Scientific Psychology award by the Maryland Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association Division on Addictions. He has served as president of the APA Division on Addictions (50) and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. In 2007 he was named the first Lipitz Professor of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at UMBC, in 2011 he was named as Presidential Research Professor at UMBC. He serves on SMART Recovery's International Advisory Board.
SMART Recovery was privileged to host this private presentation with Dr. Carlo DiClemente for professionals in mental health and addiction treatment: Graciously, Dr. DiClemente allowed us to record and present that talk, free, as a service to the general public.
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©2016 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2016 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
Nicole Kosanke, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Family Services at the Center for Motivation and Change, and she speaks to SMART about the issues faced by those whose partners or other adult loved ones may be having trouble with addiction
What partners and concerned signifcant others can do to help themselves while encouraging loved ones to seek help. The discussion was open, friendly and informal, and packed with information, reassurance, and exciting new ways to think about our interactions with those we love in order to be truly helpful.
The CRAFT approach emphasizes kindness and compassion rather than coercion, tough love or aggressive confrontation. It is an approach that is refreshing, hopeful and proven by science.
Nicole Kosanke, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Family Services at the Center for Motivation and Change, where she specializes in working with family members of people abusing substances and in the assessment process for families and individuals with substance abuse issues.
Dr. Kosanke has been working in the research and clinical practice of substance abuse treatment for many years and recently co-authored an award-winning book called Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change that is a compassionate and science-based family guide for navigating the addiction treatment world, understanding motivation, and training in the use of CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) skills.
Check out the20minuteguide.com for additional information for Partners and Parents. And of course, join us in our Family and Friends meetings listed on the meeting schedule.
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© 2016 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2016 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
SMART Recovery® is pleased to present a talk with author and developer of The Seven Challenges® Program, Dr. Robert Schwebel.
We are interested in learning how to engage youth who have problems with drugs in meaningful conversations and to support them in taking power over their lives. Dr. Schwebel’s work is designed for counseling settings, and we think you’ll find his approach highly complementary with SMART in the continuum of care.
In implementing The Seven Challenges Program, many practical lessons have been learned that are helpful in thinking about how to best to serve and collaborate with youth. The conversation focuses on attitudes, strategies, and messages that engage and empower youth, and there will be plenty of time for questions and answers.
The Seven Challenges are:
We decided to open up and talk honestly about ourselves and about alcohol and other drugs.
- We looked at what we liked about alcohol and other drugs, and why we were using them.
- We looked at our use of alcohol or other drugs to see if it has caused harm or could cause harm.
- We looked at our responsibility and the responsibility of others for our problems.
- We thought about where we seemed to be headed, where we wanted to go, and what we wanted to accomplish.
- We made thoughtful decisions about our lives and about our use of alcohol and other drugs.
- We followed through on our decisions about our lives and drug use. If we saw problems, we went back to earlier challenges and mastered them.
The Seven Challenges provide a framework for helping youth think through their own decisions about their lives and their use of alcohol and other drugs. Counselors using The Seven Challenges Program teach youth to identify and work on the issues most relevant to them. In sessions, as youth discuss the issues that matter most, counselors seamlessly integrate the Challenges as part of the conversation.
The Seven Challenges is listed as an evidence-based program in the SAMHSA National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.
Robert Schwebel, Ph.D., a psychologist specializing in couples and family issues and in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, provides lectures and training sessions to professional and community audiences around the country and abroad. Please see his website: http://sevenchallenges.com. Dr. Schwebel has developed and directed prevention and counseling programs for schools as well as public and private agencies. He has published numerous articles and is the author of several books including Saying No Is Not Enough: Helping Your Kids Make Wise Decisions About Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs; Keep Your Kids Tobacco-Free; and Who's on Top, Who's on Bottom: How Couples Can Learn to Share Power. In addition, Dr. Schwebel has appeared on The Oprah Show, The Today Show, in numerous CNN interviews, and The CBS Early Show, and currently writes for thefix.com and Pro Talk at rehabs.com. Robert lives with his family in Tucson, Arizona.
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© 2016 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2016 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
This is a wide-ranging talk about addiction and today’s youth and teens. Dr. Horvath, SMART’s President, interviews Dr. Stanton Peele on what is needed in society, in public policy, for parents, and for those in the caring and justice professions, to better help our young people. For young adults, we want to show you the power of making your own choices and having solid resources for decision-making readily available, so you can assess what’s best for you and live lives of freedom and power.
How do we know if our children are in trouble or not? How does support fit into the picture of addiction? How does treatment and support for teens and young people differ from that for adults? What about social media, smartphones, video/games? How can we incorporate sensible, helpful, empowering approaches into our homes and our parenting? Dr. Peele has turned his attention over the years to a number of areas in the field of addiction. In 2007, he described that while “addiction can be especially debilitating for the young, young people are more likely than not to outgrow it. The way out of addiction is to develop a range of skills and engage fully in life.”
Stanton Peele has been in the vanguard of advocating for science-based addiction policy, treatment recovery approaches for over 40 years. (His breakthrough book Love and Addiction, was published in 1975!) His views have gone from highly controversial to widely accepted, and we are grateful for his continuous efforts to provide context and facts, always facts, to his examination of addiction. He wrote Addiction-Proof Your Child in 2007 and most recently wrote: Recover! An Empowering Program to Help You Stop Thinking Like an Addict and Reclaim Your Life. His Life Process Program is available online.
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© 2016 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2016 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
SMART Recovery finds itself facing the exciting challenge of a phenomenal increase in awareness, acceptance and demand for SMART meetings. SMART’s meetings are based around a standardized format for open discussion and group interaction, guided by a trained facilitator, and based on CBT, motivational interviewing skills, and exploration and examples of SMART Tools. In order to be a SMART facilitator, one must complete significant training through SMART’s Get SMART FAST -- Facilitator and Support Team Training program. The training is phenomenal and in-depth BUT demand is outpacing our ability to get new facilitators established as quickly as is needed.
SMART recently announced a brand-new option, Hosted meetings. Hosted meetings allow SMART to establish face-to-face meetings much more quickly and easily. Hosts are provided a minimal amount of training, but operate under the mentorship of a trained facilitator. Hosted meetings are conducted following a carefully crafted meeting script and enforce three basic rules: no lengthy statements, no advice, no off-topic discussions:http://www.smartrecovery.org/host-training.
Dr. Horvath also spends some time discussing the upcoming holidays -- tips, thoughts and some words to take into the New Year.
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© 2015 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2015 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
Dr. Bill Knaus is the foremost authority in the field of overcoming procrastination, and he is also renowned for his work in practical application of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety and has written extensively on the subject, most recently in his newest revision of: The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety: A Step-By-Step Program (2014).
Many of those recovering from substance abuse or other addictive disorders experience anxiety and panic. These “are intense emotions, and in the moments that you experience them it may seem like you are powerless, but nothing could be further from the truth.” Dr. Knaus will discuss practical ways to lessen anxiety and continue to build a strong, satisfying life. Dr. Knaus will also share a few insights on how to use procrastination technology to reduce anxiety and substance abuse simultaneously.
Dr Knaus is known by many in SMART Recovery as the author of The SMART Recovery Primer, a manual that helped launch SMART. In total, Dr. Knaus has authored more than 20 books. His latest book, End Procrastination Now (McGraw-Hill, 2010), is his fifth and most up-to-date book on how to overcome procrastination. The Procrastination Workbook (New Harbinger, 2002) came from his group work with people suffering from debilitating procrastination. Dr. Knaus is also a regular contributor toPsychology Today.
This free webinar is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Lucida Treatment Center of Lantana, Florida.
The focus is on using simple evidence-based tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), specifically the tools of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) as conceived by Dr. Albert Ellis, to help anyone, not just those struggling with addiction. SMART focuses its application of these tools on addictive behavior, specifically, but we can use those same tools to help us learn to better cope with underlying issues – stress, worry, anger, anxiety – and free us to create and enjoy the lives we want.
Dr. Michael Edelstein is a SMART favorite for good reason. His direct, elegantly simple guidance and kind, wry humor have delighted his audiences for years. We think you’ll find, as one book reviewer noted, that: “Michael Edelstein cuts through the psychological jargon and makes clear how all of us can effect powerful changes in our psyches, in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.” This will be an interview-style webinar, and we will be soliciting questions in advance.
Dr. Edelstein, a licensed clinical psychologist with over 30 years’ experience, has a private practice in San Francisco, offering in-person as well as telephone/Skype sessions. He is famous as the author of Three Minute Therapy: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life, with David Ramsay Steele, a self-help book for overcoming common emotional and behavioral problems.
More recently, he published Stage Fright (2009), with Mick Berry, Therapy Breakthrough: Why Some Psychotherapies Work Better Than Others (2013), with Richard Kujoth and David Ramsay Steele, and Rational Drinking: How to Live Happily With or Without Alcohol (2013), with Will Ross. You can find all his books on Amazon.com: www.bitly.com/michaele (and donate to SMART through that link.)
Dr. Edelstein is also a long-standing SMART Recovery Volunteer and Explore his website, www.ThreeMinuteTherapy.com and contact him directly.
This free webinar made possible with the generous sponsorship of Lucida Treatment Center
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© 2015 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2015 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
Stanton Peele returns to SMART Recovery to discuss Recreating Addiction Treatment in the 21st Century with Dr. Tom Horvath, SMART’s President.
Thought, attitudes, and the treatment of addiction is shifting. Choice and empowerment have slowly become the accepted wisdom as the keys to personal change. This event’s wide-ranging discussion includes discussion on these changes, as well as a look back on the past and a bold look into the future.
“Look beyond the walls of therapy, towards independence and empowerment.” ~ Stanton Peele
As arguably the most compelling speaker on addiction in the world today, Dr. Peele has been on the forefront of these sweeping changes. He has devoted his career to providing people with facts about addiction, regardless of their popularity, and salient approaches, for both individuals and policy, based on those facts. His views are sweeping, and he provides a revolutionary framework that encourages people to look at addiction in the context of their lives, rather than limiting themselves to any single label.
Addiction is never the totality of one’s being. Here is where so many of Dr. Peele’s views intersect with those of SMART. Dr. Peele and SMART strongly agree that when an individual’s choices become self-destructive, they can learn to make better ones.
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© 2015 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2015 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
As friends and family, our intimate connection should make us natural allies. However, we often don’t know how to talk with each other or work together when it comes to the emotionally intense issue of addiction.
SMART believes that Family & Friends deserve high-quality, compassionate and optimistic support of their own. We know it is possible to get sober. We believe loved ones can help, without becoming codependent, resorting to tough love or enabling. The tools of SMART and CRAFT work beautifully to encourage healthy, productive efforts towards an improved quality of life for all.
Dr. Robert Meyers has pioneered the study of how families can help support those with addiction and is a creator of CRAFT – Community Reinforcement and Family Training, a scientifically validated and widely acclaimed approach. He is currently director of Robert J. Meyers, Ph.D., & Associates.
Dr. Jeffrey Foote has over 25 years of extensive, well-recognized clinical research and is Founder and Director of the Center for Motivation and Change (CMC).
Dr. Tom Horvath has been President of SMART Recovery for 18 of its 20 years. His addiction treatment practice, Practical Recovery, just celebrated its 30th anniversary.
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© 2015 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2015 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
Dr. Hank Robb is an expert in both ACT and REBT, and in this podcast he shares ways in which some of the insight from ACT complements the tools of SMART Recovery.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, or ACT (pronounced as the word “act”) is one of several acceptance based, 3rd generation cognitive behavioral therapies. ACT has been helpful with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other psychological conditions, all of which can contribute to substance use behavior if not managed well. ACT is currently being studied directly in populations with addictive behavior. SMART Tools use the ABCs in REBT as well as Acceptance of Self, Life, and Others, and it is a natural step to incorporate deliberate self-awareness, and emphasize valued living and purpose in our daily lives. ACT is about moving along and doing what's important, even if it means being aware of, or tolerating uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. ACT is about maintaining our action focus as well as our perspective on what we value and where we are going.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy is a “psychological flexibility model” with 6 key concepts:
1) Self as Context2) Acceptance3) Defusion4) Commitment5) Values6) Present Moment Awareness
These six can be captured in the question,
“Given the difference between you and the stuff you are struggling with (thoughts and feelings), are you willing to have that stuff as it is, rather than what it seems to be – monstrous; and right here, right now, act in the service of the Big Picture you choose for your life?”
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© 2015 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2015 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
Stanton Peele, Ph.D., J.D., is a seminal figure in the addiction field. Dr. Peele has been a pioneer in applying addiction beyond the area of drugs and alcohol, social-environmental causes of addiction, harm reduction, and self-cure of addiction. If you spend some time with Stanton Peele, it won’t take long to realize that he asks a lot of questions! Here we have taken the opportunity to turn the tables, and Dr. Horvath will be the one with the questions.
There are several areas in which SMART’s focus and opinions and those of Dr. Peele differ. For instance, according to W.R.Miller "The best predictors of relapse for people treated for alcohol problems are lack of coping skills and belief in the disease theory of alcoholism.” Tom focuses on the former, Stanton on the latter. Listen to these two colleagues and friends discuss this difference in their focus -- and watch the fur fly!This is an unparalleled opportunity to hear a truly broad-based discussion on addiction in the context of the latest in research and treatment by two unsurpassed experts. We have no doubt that this will be a lively and intriguing discussion, and there will be plenty of time for questions from the audience as well. This is a don’t miss!
Dr. Peele has developed the online Life Process Addiction Program. His most recent book, with Ilse Thompson, is Recover!: Stop Thinking Like an Addict and Reclaim Your Life with The PERFECT Program, available at Amazon. Since the publication of Love and Addiction in 1975, He has presented these ideas and data in a series of twelve books and over 250 professional and popular articles. All Treatment awarded him the Best Academic Addiction Blog for 2012. Recognition for his academic achievements in addiction has included the Mark Keller Award from the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drug Policy Alliance. Dr. Peele lectures internationally on the meaning, treatment, and future of addiction.
Tom Horvath, Ph.D., is a California licensed and board certified clinical psychologist (ABPP). He has been President of SMART Recovery® for over a decade and is the founder and president of Practical Recovery, a self-empowering addiction treatment system in San Diego. He is past president of the American Psychological Association’s Society on Addiction Psychology, the world’s largest organization of addiction psychologists. He is also the author of Sex, Drugs, Gambling & Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions (listed by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies as a “Self-Help Book of Merit”).
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© 2014 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2014 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.
SMART Recovery's Tools can be applied to any maladaptive behavior. There are characteristics, however, that distinguish some addictive behaviors from others. Eating disorders and gambling addiction are examples that can involve cognitive, psychologic, and behavioral issues common to other disorders in the SMART community.
Chris Tuell, Ed.D., LPCC, LICDC has worked as a professional counselor in mental health and addictions for the past 30 years. He holds a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor. He currently serves as Clinical Director of Addiction Services at the Lindner Center of HOPE in Mason, Ohio, and is a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati.
Ann Hull, MSSW, MBA, LICSW is Founder and President of The Hull Institute. She is a Licensed Independent Social Worker with over 22 years of experience, specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, obesity and addictions. Ann received her Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, graduating cum laude. She also served for 4 years on the Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board of Governors, chairing the Planning, Programs and Oversight Committee. She facilitates free groups in the community previously worked at the Cleveland Clinic's Eating Disorders Program.
SMART Recovery depends on your donations!Please visit SMART Recovery or Click the Donate button below.
© 2014 SMART Recovery®. Music created and copyright 2014 Donald Sheeley with unlimited use as is donated to SMART Recovery.