How to participate in SMART Recovery meetings

by Julie Myers, PsyD

Volunteer Adviser, SMART Recovery San Diego

SMART Recovery stands for “Self-Management and Recovery Training”.  In other words, it is about how YOU can take control of yourself and your recovery.     Sometimes, participants forget that self-help meetings (like SMART Recovery meetings) inherently include “self”.  What does this mean about your participation in meetings?  It means that you, not the facilitator or the other participants, are the master of how much you get out of a meeting.  If you participate consistently, openly discuss your issues, listen to others, and help set the tone for the meeting, you will be taking control of your own recovery and become the “self” in self-help meetings.    I encourage everyone to participate more fully (with courtesy and kindness) in our local SMART Recovery meetings, helping all the meetings to become more self-sufficient and more directed by participants.   I also encourage anyone to consider becoming a facilitator!

Copyright 2011 Julie Myers, PysD:  Psychologist in San Diego.  All Rights Reserved.