Posted by antigua on March 15, 2005, at 9:06:57
In reply to Re: what's a smart meeting? (nm) » antigua, posted by AuntieMel on March 14, 2005, at 17:22:09
It's that "other" group. Geez, I can't remember what it stands for. www.smartrecovery.org has all the info. Self-Management and Recovery Training, I had to look it up. Some groups are more structured than others (it's based on Ellis' Rational Recovery, I think). There's only one meeting every night of the week in my area, and only one that I can get to.
It's based on group therapy; there's cross talk and in our group there is a whole lot of banter going on. The focus in on changing our addiction patterns by changing our behavior. No great science. Most of us don't count days and there is no finger pointing over relapses. But we do hold each other accountable and our willing to point out weaknesses, in the cleverest way possible of course. We have a facilitator and the first part of the 90 min meeting is checking in and letting everyone know how we're doing. The latter part of the meeting (if there aren't too many people), we focus on issues that were brought up that might need further discussion. We share our ideas for getting through the day, or a particular event that may be troubling us. We let newcomers know that they aren't alone and what they may face in recovery. Oftentimes, people show up once and you never see them again, but as I said, we have a core group of about 10-12 people who come regularly.
A lot of people come because there is no spiritual component, but I personally believe that spirituality is a huge part of my recovery so I just leave that at the door.
Anything else you'd like to know? It has been a lifesaver for me.
antigua
poster:antigua
thread:469603
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20050129/msgs/471229.html