• The technology underlying the SROL platform is out of date and unsupported by vendors. The platform will be retired on June 30, 2023. 

• All SROL meetings will be migrated to either National or Local online meetings in the SMARTfinder meeting management system. 

• Message Board and Chat users are encouraged to use the next 6 weeks to explore other options for staying in community with their SROL connections.

At the time that it was developed, SROL was a community ahead of its time, allowing individuals to come together with one another online as they worked to overcome problematic behaviors. Built and maintained by many volunteers and external contractors, it has served as an important source of support for many over the past decades. We know that many of you have put a lot of volunteer time and energy into this platform over the years. That effort was vital and appreciated. Thank you!

Much has changed since SROL was developed. Social media and interactive technologies have advanced while SROL has not. The technology underlying the platform is now out of date and unsupported by its vendors. The world has moved on to hosted technology solutions that are maintained as a service for multiple organizations rather than costly homegrown software like SROL that is built and maintained for one organization.

We also find ourselves participating in a global SMART Recovery community that is looking to leverage our scale internationally to not just provide for our needs here in the United States, but also make it easier for new affiliates around the world to get SMART Recovery started in their countries. Technology investments are needed to support SMART Recovery International’s Global Digital Strategy, which we will both contribute to and benefit from. Inter-participant communication is being considered as a part of that strategy, but no decisions have been made about when or how such functionality might be provided in the future.

As a result of these changing circumstances, the SROL platform will be retired on June 30, 2023.

Between now and June 30, our Meetings and Volunteers Team will be working with all SROL meeting facilitators to migrate their meetings to either National or Local online meetings listed in the SMARTfinder meeting management system. There are certain requirements for National meetings, including a requirement that the meetings stay focused on SMART Recovery rather than other topics. Best practices for National meetings have been refined over the last several months, and support will be provided to all facilitators to help them get their new meetings established effectively.

Users of the message board and chat functionality in SROL are encouraged to explore other platforms that are designed specifically for these types of social interactions with others. A message board thread will be started to facilitate those conversations. Active SMART Recovery communities exist on Reddit, Facebook, and other platforms. Individuals could also choose to start their own communities with others they’ve become connected with through SROL. Please note that SMART Recovery cannot be responsible for what takes place in third-party spaces, but we do expect that they NOT be used in a way that impairs the confidentiality of any SMART Recovery meetings.

We understand that this change will be hard for some in our community. However, it’s important to keep innovating as an organization so that we can continue meeting the needs of future generations of individuals looking to build balanced lives free of problematic behaviors. Thank you again for your support of SROL over the years.

Sincerely,