PERSONAL VIEWS ON RECOVERY

PERSONAL VIEWS ON RECOVERY Personal Views Page

(This page will carry from time to time the personal views of some of our members on issues which they believe are important in the recovery process. Our present policy is that these authors will remain anonymous and will be limited to members of the Washington, D.C. Area SMART groups. They do not necessarily reflect positions either of the Washington, D.C. Area SMART groups, nor its National Headquarters. Comments are welcomed.)

Excerpt from May 23 Pacifica Radio Interview on SMART Recovery:
Can People Who Are Not Committed to Abstinence Attend SMART Meetings?

Dr. Pamela Brewer, host of Myndtalk: In a sentence, either one of you, describe SMART Recovery. SMART Recovery is..............what?

Mike: Teaching people to make rational choices about their use of drugs and alcohol.

Dr. Brewer: Okay. And, again, if somebody is sort of thinking about maybe stopping a little at some point, can they come to a SMART Recovery meeting?

Mike: Yes. I think it's important that we emphasize that SMART Recovery is a program of abstinence. That is, we think that the simplest decision for people to take, is simply that if they're having problems with drugs and alcohol---and in many cases with drugs it's illegal what they're doing anyway---but in any case the simplest decision is simply to quit, rather than to constantly come before the decision, should I have a drink or shouldn't I have a drink and so forth.

But for people that are debating the proposition, I think that what they can do is to come to SMART Recovery. We certainly invite them, we encourage them---to come and find out what we're all about and what the advantages of abstinence are. And, incidentally, even for those that are interested in moderation in drinking, that involves a decision to abstain, if you think about it carefully.

Dr. Brewer: That's very true.

Mike: They may have one or two drinks, but then they've got to say, I'm not going to drink anymore.

And, while I repeat we're an abstinence group, but we think that people that are trying to make up their minds honestly, if they have an open mind about it, are more than welcome at our meetings and I hope they can learn something there.

Dr. Brewer: You know, I think that's just so important, which is why I keep getting back to that issue, because I think there are so many people who stay away from programs because they're not necessarily sure that they're ready to make that full commitment. And what I hear you saying is that you're not going to be penalized if that's where you are. What you're encouraging folks to do is to come and get information and, again, still make your own decisions about things.

Mike: Exactly.

This is an excerpt from an interview on Pacifica Radio's local station in Washington, D.C., WPFW-FM, broadcast on May 23, 1999 as part of the regular Sunday evening program of "Myndtalk," hosted by Dr. Pamela Brewer, a professional psychologist in the area. A recording of the full interview should be available through archiving via the WPFW internet site . Participating in the interview were Dr. Joseph Sanders, Professional Advisor to the Northern Virginia SMART Recovery groups, and Mike, chairman of the Washington Area Coordinators Group.

This is Essay No. 10, issued July, 1999.

Previous Essays

March, 1999--Recovery Is Not a Four-Day Course

January, 1999--SMART Recovery in a Nutshell

November, 1998--Other Roads to Recovery

September, 1998--How I Re-Thought My Beliefs on My "Alcoholism"

July, 1998--Why Do People Join SMART Recovery?

May, 1998--A Critique of PBS' Bill Moyers on Addiction

March, 1998--Should People With Gambling or Overeating Disorders Be Welcome At SMART Meetings?

January, 1998--Differences Between SMART and AA

November, 1997--Fifty Ways to Recover

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