I’m wondering if there’s a groupchat or whatsapp of Smart Recovery folks? I also am having a hard time finding a meeting during later hours (it’s 11pm where I am) and there are seriously NONE happening. I’m used to late night or even 24/hr nonstop AA zoom meetings. I need to get plugged in with Smart Recovery. I’m going to do more research and save links to meetings happening across the globe at more convenient times for me. My handbook arrives tomorrow.

I was sober for 9 months and a couple weeks but I drank 3 days ago. I’m interested in SMART. I think AA creates a lot of shame that I can’t handle.

What tools do people use for really intense cravings? Like the ones that are so intense and so close to you using again?

Today is day 13 for me. For that I am glad. But I feel sort of "meh" is this all there is? Classic. I Went to a free yoga class yesterday even though I can't kneel (knee replacement still new) I managed to get through the entire hour; it felt great, so yoga is back in ...... finally. It's been a good year. Yoga does me good for head and body. Also, I have a Google doc I read when I wake up each day that says:

I am grateful for this new day

I am at peace with myself

I treat my body and mind with respect

I embrace impermanence 

I cultivate compassion for myself and others

Beer is out of the question

I'm 42 days clean after getting high on Just about anything for 28 years. This includes a 24 year stint in prison. Yeah, 24 years straight. During that time I never really thought I would get out or what I would do if I did. I saw my first parole board in 2023 (my sentence was 24 years to life, meaning I had to do 24 years minimum and would see the parole board every two years after). You never really heard of guys with crimes like mine (2nd degree murder) getting out on their first parole board, but unbelievably they let me go!! But instead of getting out and enjoying the freedom I wanted so badly I went right back to smoking crack. 3 days after my release I overdosed and died for 8 minutes. And I still wasn't ready to stop. kept smoking crack, switched to meth. About two months ago something happened that finally made me give up my stupidity. That part I can't /won't talk about on here. I cannot describe how much better I feel both mentally and physically. But with this new found happiness comes the reality of how much I took advantage of the help I was getting, of all the people I hustled or used over the years to support my addiction. This is hard, I won't lie to you. I've cried more in the last two months than I ever did as a baby, I'm sure. But this is a big part of the recovery process, an important one. You do the best you can to apologize to those who will listen, but be prepared because some will not want to hear it. The worst for me is Feeling like someone does not believe me. I'm told I shouldn't worry about what people think, but I can't help it. I want those people who spent their time trying to help me to know that their time was not wasted. I want them to know how much I appreciate them and how sorry I am. And my actions from here on out will reflect those of a man who has finally decided to LIVE instead of just existing. Thank you to whoever reads this, and if you are struggling with addiction or are just curious feel free to write. I'm here to help if I can. Thanks, Wayne😁

Ok so day 10 and not much sleep last night. I hate those days when nothing is really wrong but you just don't have much zest or life seems "meh". But nothing is worse than the physical and mental depression from drinking. I was up most of the night from an 18-year-old terrier coughing from heart failure. She's on four meds and is fine in the day and always hungry. I need to up her medication. I got her at 14; Happy is 15 and the youngest pup us 12, so I think, my subconscious is prepping for a season of sadness. ugh

Hi all,

I sobered up in AA, but I also enjoyed learning more about SMART and attending some meetings. Many newcomers (especially in https://www.reddit.com/r/alcoholicsanonymous/) ask, in effect, "Do I need to stop yet?"

I usually recommend AA's self-analysis link along with a link to the Cost/Benefit Analysis, but the truth is, I've only used the latter tool on "already-sober-life-problems," so I'd be really interested to learn if any of you used it to help you get ready to sober up.

Thanks!

Hi all, just a quick question if that’s okay. Would it be okay to log in to an online meeting about 15-20 minutes late? I’m hoping to attend my first one, but because of other commitments I would miss the start. I don’t want to be disruptive or disrespectful of the facilitator or group. Plus, I’m quite nervous as it is so don’t really want to draw attention to myself either. Would it be a case of just ‘slipping in at back’, so to speak, or would it be awkward? It’s online but not labeled as ‘national’, so I don’t think there’s oodles of people.

Woke up feeling rested and good. It's now a week, and though that week was ROUGH, my plan is to stick close to the SMART principles and post every day. I am immensely grateful for this site.

We had a seriously successful conference in Lisbon Portugal! We even were able to debut our new branch of SMART- SMART Recovery Global! We are dedicated to outreach, training and support to all non- affiliated and emerging affiliated nations around the world! For more details, check out our home page at smartrecoveryglobal.org

On Tool Tuesdays, we take the opportunity to learn new tools from the Handbook together (or refresh our memory). Today we are focusing on the DEADS tool (Delay, Escape, Avoid/Attack/Accept, Distract, Substitute).

Although it can be difficult at first, distracting yourself is one of the best ways to get through an urge. When you're actively doing something, you're thinking about that and not the urge. The more you refuse to give in to urges, the less frequently they occur, and the more quickly they pass.

What distractions are (or may be) helpful to you? Here is a list of distracting activities to jog your memory.

Hello all! I’m excited to find SMART. I stopped drinking July 26 after a bleeding ulcer put me in the hospital. I have had about a week since going sober of not being sober - a few drinks on a few days. United myself and the guilt from ruining my streak. Wasn’t worth it. Anyhow, that was a few weeks ago. I think SMART can help me stay sober. My question is - is it best to go through the book front-to-back in order? Or can I jump around?

Hi. I'm going to my 1st SMART meeting tonight. It's in person. I don't know what to expect. I have anxiety because what if I'm the only one there?

Do I have to tell my story right away?

Any info would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Back from the SMART Conference in Portugal and we made the world SHAKE! Tuesday Lunch Break Meetings are back on, every TUESDAY 1PM EDT. Work nights? Got time during the day? Come check us out and check in! Link for meeting details is below-

https://www.smartrecoveryinternational.org/meetings

Woke up great, slept like a log and did not drink. For some reason during the first week of not drinking my body/brain feels like it's warm, likely the dopamine from craving. A while back I got head wrappy thing you put in the fridge for headaches and a neck roll (my neck is a mess) you also put in the fridge also. I did not let my blood sugar drop at all yesterday but when I got slammed with the urge late afternoon, I slugged down a baby Coke for some serotonin and put my whole brain and neck on ice, laid down and watched Netflix for hours and it worked ... for me. So maybe for others they can put a wash cloth or rag or two and let it cool in the fridge and then put in on your neck or face. I think it might work something like a mini ice plunge that zaps your nervous system. Hope that helps.

It's Family & Friends Friday!

We often say that we cannot directly change our Loved One's addictive behavior. We can, however, make some changes to our behavior which might affect our Loved One's addictive behavior. Maybe we decide to work on our self-care, which might serve as a model for our LO? Or we might try not to catastrophize when things get difficult? There is a list of things we might change in the F&F handbook (page 3): we might stop protecting, rescuing, nagging or controlling our LO, for example. We might try to stop obsessing about our LO's behavior, or we might stop trying harder ("if I were a better parent/friend/partner this wouldn't be happening").

You might consider taking a look at the Change Plan Worksheet, to help you decide what changes you would like to make and help you plan those changes.

What changes do you think you might make in your own behavior? Is the Change Plan Worksheet helpful for this?

Hello everyone,

I'm a nursing student and I have to attend both an AA meeting and a SMART recovery meeting for one of my classes. Does anyone know of a zoom format meeting I could join that is welcoming of nursing students?

While I understand the value of this assignment, I feel pretty uncomfortable about invading people's space as someone who has not personally struggled with addiction. I can see how it could be upsetting.

I am familiar with SMART and love the program but never really worked it properly. I quit drinking for the six years I took care of my mom in my home so she was sort of a guard rail in that I knew I could not be altered if she fell (or something). When she passed in late 2022, I began to drink "a little" and then when I had a knee replacement recently, I drank every night to get through it. The pain is now gone; so, I am your basic alcoholic BUT this time quitting drinking seems near impossible, specifically on the third or fourth day after the last night of drinking. I feel like I wake up in a state of discomfort/craving. It's maddening and seemingly impossible to not get drunk. What the hell is happening? Is my limbic system screaming at me? I am a nanosecond away from going to AA just to get a sponsor, but I know being around a program that is shamed-based isn't gonna really help. I need some chattin' here until I get some time together to help my brain heal. The craving (I think) isn't a "moment" it feels like a monster screaming at me until I give my brain alcohol. It can last a day. I literally wake up kind of tired and think JESUS what is this? This can't be craving -- and then I realize it is. I don't know what to do. I am reading the SMART book and will start journaling today. I drank last night so I have a few days before this thing descends. Is it OK to post every day for a while?

I log on to the https://smartrecovery.org.uk/online-meetings/ search and have to input my postcode which only bring up in person and online meetings within 50km of my address. So today's search only brings up an online meeting not until 6pm today.

I then entered Manchester which then found different online meetings and then London which found a zoom meeting that had just started. I enquired about this on the meeting and was very rudely advised by the host that I should only be attending local meetings. Surely this isn't correct? It's certainly not that way with other recovery programmes.

I have also tried searching for meetings on https://www.smartrecoveryinternational.org/ourservices which allows me to search for meetings in the US and Australia but again I am being asked to input a state/province and selects only locals meetings to that area.

This doesn't seem right! All other recovery programmes clearly have all available online zoom listing's nationally and internationally to easily select.

Is this right? If so, this might not be the programme for me which is a shame. Especially after the rude lady cutting me off this morning even after explaining it was my 2nd online meeting.

Quite disappointed

Hey everyone,

I'm Bella - I'm almost 6 years sober and a PhD researcher at London South Bank University. I'm researching something that's been overlooked in recovery research: how social class affects our recovery journeys.

Here's the thing - we know social class impacts everything from education to housing to career opportunities. But somehow, no one's really looking at how it shapes recovery. Some people can access private treatment, while others rely on free community resources. Some have supportive networks and can afford sober activities, while others are building everything from the ground up.

What's this about? Recovery isn't just about willpower and abstinence - it's about what support and opportunities are actually available to us and how we can improve our overall quality of life. I want to understand how our different backgrounds (money, social connections, education, available resources) affect these opportunities for positive change.

Who can take part?

• Anyone 18+ in the UK who considers themselves in recovery or working on their relationship with substances
• ALL paths welcome - whether you're abstinent, reducing use, or just starting out
• No "perfect recovery" required - real experiences only!

What's involved?

• 20-minute anonymous survey
• Questions about your recovery, hobbies, finances and social networks
• Some questions are quite personal, so please make sure you have a private space to complete the survey
• If you're not sure about any answers, just give your best guess

The goal? To understand if recovery looks different depending upon a person's access to resources and to help make recovery support more accessible and fair for everyone. Your experiences could help improve support services for our whole community and highlight that recovery is not only about substance use but a chance for social mobility.

Click here to take the survey

Feel free to ask questions in the comments.

The School of Applied Science Ethics Committee at London South Bank University has granted approval for this study.

Thanks for reading!

(Email: kellyi4@lsbu.ac.uk if you want to know more)

P.S. Everything's completely anonymous and confidential.

Hey everyone- just a reminder: there is no meeting this Tuesday as I am in Portugal at the Lisbon Addictions Conference, representing our great program! We’ll resume with our regular time at 1pm EDT next week. For the schedule and meeting link please go to www.smartrecoveryinternational.org/meetings

Thanks everyone!

I have never been to a smart recovery mtg, but I did just pass 27 years of continuous sobriety through support with a 12 step program. I feel the need to reach out and try something new. Don’t get me wrong I found a way for me that worked, but I have come to understand there are other types of support for recovery and I guess I am looking for that here. Any tips or suggestions for making friends for an introvert? Thanks to everyone that responds

Hello Smartie Friends

I've had a bit of an up and down time over the last few weeks and can't seem to string together a week of soberness.

I just wondered what are the three big things that have helped you in recovery.

Mine are:

1. when I am healthy and fit (not really at the moment so that might be a clue),
2. when I don't go down a rabbit hole of self negativity (that might be another clue to what I need to work on - it spell changed that to "elf negativity" at first - sorry to all you elves on here),
3. checking in here.

Also, was there a particular thing or saying or belief that made you stop?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts:)

I am desperate and full of guilt and shame. Every time I use I convince myself that it's the last one! And it never is! I am a selfish disgusting individual living a selfish double life that's killing me slowly.

I've not managed to get past 4 months without relapsing on another programme and don't think counting days is helping me but maybe that's just a stupid excuse.

I stopped for 7 years on my own without a recovery programme and honesty never thought I would use again until I thought I could handle just a tiny bit. Its now 2 years later and the demon dust has a strong hold of me.

I feel like this is my last chance because I feel absolutely ashamed to keep attending my current recovery programme and saying that I fucked up and relapsed AGAIN.

I'm lost and weak... I haven't even slept but I'm going to log on and just listen. I can't carry on living like this! I don't even know why I'm posting this but needed to get this out.

I know CBA really well, however, i decided to rewatch SMART Recovery YouTube videos again for fun. And something caught my eye. The guy who explains CBA emphasizes not just ST vs LT (short term vs long term), but also real vs imaginary.

I added I and R (I = imaginary, R = real) to my CBA items, and yet again i was surprised by what i saw. Everything that alcohol can offer is not only very short term, but also imaginary. The benefits start when i open the bottle and end when i go to sleep. And these benefits exist nowhere but in my head. Kind of lame.

My FOMO (fear of missing out) is lifted. I feel like alcohol cant offer me anything. I feel content. I am ready to quit again.

There is a new sub that just started for any one interested - r/recoveringwomen

Even though I stopped actively counting years ago, I still have an app running in the background. It just informed me of my nice round number.

I read this elsewhere and immediately saw how it could apply here.

Most of us have encountered a case of the "fuck it's" before. That sense of feeling so overwhelmed that I just want to give up. I experienced it often when first sober and trying to balance my life.

It wasn't difficult to want to give in when all I was dealing with was the nameless, faceless "it". So, let's take our HOV's and put it to the test.

Fuck my family, I'm drinking. Fuck my job/career, I'm drinking. Fuck my health, I'm drinking. Fuck my self esteem, I'm drinking. Fuck my finances, I'm drinking.

I can't speak for anyone else but it's a lot more challenging to give up when I can plainly state what I'm sacrificing.

What do you value that you're willing to lose?

I am really interested in this community and communities of recovery in general. I love the anonymous nature of Reddit and how conversations can flow because of this fact.

But I also am interested if many of you have your own private / micro SMART communities where you find support with each other outside of meetings? If not how do you think that would go? What would make you keen?