Subject: News & Views: October 2022

A Ground Breaking Event,
Women United in Recovery, & Sober October

International Event

Veterans & First Responder's Webinar

The world’s veteran, currently serving, and first responder communities are filled with brave, strong, and honorable individuals. They are true heroes and inspirations for all of us.

Some of these individuals also display bravery by their commitment to recovery from substance addiction, mental health disorders, and maladaptive behaviors. To honor and recognize their efforts, SMART has created an International Veterans & First Responder’s Webinar.

This free event is open to all veterans, currently serving, and first responders across the globe—and those who wish to show support and solidarity with these communities.

Saturday, November 12th at 4:00 p.m. EST, 9:00 p.m. GMT, & Sunday, November 13th at 8:00 a.m. AEDT

Guest Blog

Women United in Recovery

I feel honored to be a SMART Recovery facilitator. I facilitate local meetings with a group of warm, supportive, and dedicated individuals, led by “G” (Matamoros), who is impossible not to love at first introduction. While enjoying our SMART Recovery NYC annual Watermelon Social this summer, we discussed the importance of offering two recovery meetings that meet the needs of our diverse population.

I started SMART Recovery NYC’s first women-only meeting, open to all who identify as a woman. My hope is to create a safe space to address the unique biological and societal challenges that women face in accessing addiction treatment and in recovery from substance use disorders and other maladaptive behaviors. I love the space that we have created in our weekly meeting. We celebrate our collective successes, we support each other through challenging times in a nonjudgmental setting, and above all, we use the CBT-based SMART tools so that we may continue to take agency in our lives...

Podcast

Coming to Your Own Conclusions
About Alcohol

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 why and how to get involved with Sober October, the benefits of not drinking alcohol, how SMART became a partner and beneficiary, plus more.

Listen Now

Insiders+ Access

Is There a Magic Pill for Alcohol Addiction?

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 for 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.

Watch Now

Guest Blog

What's on Your Recovery Bookshelf?

Successful recovery from any addiction is a holistic process that involves not just SMART Recovery meetings, but also social support from friends and loved ones, perhaps professional mental health support, and self-guided learning. A great way to learn about your addiction and successful recovery in general, is to read through SMART Recovery’s free online resources and Toolbox exercises, watch our excellent YouTube videos, purchase our Handbook, and also read books.

Whereas in past decades the number of books available for purchase about addiction were less prevalent, today the publishing industry’s Addiction & Recovery genre is a thriving marketplace that features hundreds of helpful books to inform, entertain, motivate, and inspire anyone on their recovery journey.

Here is my list of the “Top-5 Books That Helped Me Recover” and a brief explanation of why I found the book useful and informative...

In Other SMART News

Veteran & First Responders Survey

Your Opinion Matters

If you are a veteran, currently active, or first responder, we encourage you to take this survey about your experience.

The results will be discussed at the webinar.

Take the Survey

New SMART Apparel Sale

Coming in November

Back by popular demand, the SMART Apparel Sale will be happening again in November.

Get ready to stock up on the latest merchandise just in time for the holidays. More details coming soon.

SMART Happenings

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Text INSIDERS to 41444

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As you're shopping online, think of SMART when ordering on Amazon. Select SMART Recovery USA, Inc. as your charity, and AmazonSmile will donate a portion of your eligible purchases to SMART. This also works in the app!

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