Subject: SMART Recovery News & Views

Smart Connection Stories

Today we begin a month-long series of stories about how individuals first got connected to SMART Recovery and how it continues to positively impact their life. These brief vignettes demonstrate that no matter what one's background might be, being part of the SMART community has great benefits.

We hope these stories offer some inspiration as you navigate your own life in whatever way it might intersect with the topic of recovery. Look for new stories published in our blog every Tuesday and Thursday during December. You will also have an opportunity to support SMART financially through our 2023 Year End Appeal donation link provided after each story. Enjoy!

Stories of Connection

A Springboard to a Better Life

Chris Gatewood was born and raised in Ashland, Virginia, where he says he drank only two times before college. In college, however, he slid into a kind of “this is what you do” pattern of heavy drinking and things didn’t go well. He ended up dropping out and moving to Blacksburg.

In Blacksburg, Chris fell into another negative pattern of drinking a lot of alcohol and not bothering to eat. This wreaked havoc on his stomach, and he ended up in the hospital after vomiting blood. But it wasn’t just the physical problems that sounded the wake-up call for him. It was also the fact that, as he lay there in the hospital, nobody came to visit. “I had pushed everybody who cared about me out of my life.”

This brutal realization led to his deciding to get help. Now, 10 years later, he helps others who are headed down that lonely path themselves...

SMART Recovery's 30th Anniversary Conference

Registration is now open for our 2024 conference in Salt Lake City, Utah next April! This conference will be focused on how we can take further action to make SMART's self-empowering approach accessible and available to all.

We are pleased to announce that three dynamic keynote speakers have been confirmed: best-selling author and journalist Maia Szalavitz, prominent addiction researcher John Kelly, and collegiate recovery expert Jarmichael Harris will all be sharing their insights at the conference.

Join us for two full days of networking, thought-provoking presentations, and more as we create new energy to support everyone pursuing a balanced life beyond an addictive behavior.

Find Out More and Register!

Podcast

Making The Decision For Myself

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.

Listen Now

Blog

Repaying the Goodness

Megan Goodrich figured she’d just efficiently check all the boxes the court insisted on by attending SMART meetings and taking the SMART facilitator training too. The meetings covered the group requirement and the training earned her community services hours. What she didn’t count on was identifying so strongly with the people that she met at SMART that she would end up making it a big part of her life...

Podcast

What is Mindfulness-based

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy?

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.