Dear SMART Volunteer Community,
I hope this message finds you navigating 2025 as effectively as possible. I’ve found it a bit challenging to maintain my balanced life lately. My weekly 4-Point and Family & Friends meetings have been an important cornerstone for me. I hope they are for you, too.
First, I want to sincerely thank you for growing alongside us as we updated our handbooks to reflect current scientific understandings about behavior change and the importance of supporting others in making positive changes with a harm reduction mindset. It’s not easy to adapt, but I’ve watched our community do just that. And the response has been overwhelmingly positive – to the handbook updates, to the improved training (96% learner satisfaction!), and to how it feels to truly empower and support another human being’s goals without condition.
Next, I want to highlight the hard work of our National Office team over the first half of the year. So far this year, our small team of 12, with support from many of you, has:
Supported over 1,800 meetings across the US and Canada;
Hosted our second successful conference since the pandemic, with 55% growth in attendance year-over-year;
Executed on three grants in Ohio and North Carolina;
Published our first new handbook in over a decade;
Launched a new Learning Management System with awesome updated training;
Represented us at multiple conferences around the country; and
Built meaningful ongoing relationships with new partner organizations.
Not to mention staying on top of a myriad of compliance and regulatory requirements in all 50 states while supporting the successful launch of SMART Recovery Canada. Operating this non-profit is no small task!
That’s why we’re putting time and care into improving the systems and tools our team relies on every day, so we can keep giving you the support you deserve while we scale SMART Recovery nationally. We’re simplifying how we work and implementing new systems, including a help desk to make sure your questions are answered quickly and thoroughly. These changes are all about helping us stay connected with you and making it even easier for you to find what you need. We’re excited about what’s ahead!
One of our five organizational values is Accountability. I want to acknowledge that we have missed some target dates over the last year. As a team, we will get better at estimating the length of time required to make significant changes, and we will continue to provide the most accurate information possible to ensure that we meet our commitments to you.
In particular, I want to acknowledge the delays in the availability of the 2nd edition of the Family & Friends Handbook. As a F&F Facilitator, I am frustrated that they are not yet available to ship. We are pushing hard to get them out the door at our publishing partner. We will provide a firmer date when we have one. I share your frustrations with this delay.
On a positive note, I’m pleased to share that the 4-Point Handbook is now available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Please note that the larger-format color version of the printed handbook is available exclusively through the SMART Recovery Shop on our website. The handbook printed and shipped by Amazon is an 8.5x11 black & white version. Same page numbers, so no problems in that regard. Just a slightly different look and feel.
Finally, I hope that you’ll be able to join us April 9 and 10, 2026 in Orlando, Florida for our next national conference, “Bridges to Empowerment.” While we’d love to see you all in person, we‘ll be making a track of volunteer-oriented sessions available in a hybrid format to increase accessibility for you, our volunteers. I know this will only strengthen the empowering supportive culture we’re co-creating together. Stay tuned for more details and links to register soon.
Thanks, as always, for your commitment to SMART Recovery and one another. The world needs our empowering approach to building balance and wellness now more than ever.
Peace,
