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Thank You to Those Who Serve Our Country |
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| November is Veteran's Month, a time to honor those who are currently or have served our country.
Abraham Lincoln said, "to care for those who have borne the battle and for their families and survivors." This is SMART Recovery's privilege.
In this special edition, SMART recognizes several individuals and shares information for recovery dedicated to veterans. |
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The "About Veterans" Video |
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Research shows that an alarming number of veterans returning from military deployment and combat suffer from addiction. The traumatic experiences encountered on the battlefield can overwhelm coping skills and cause mental health conditions.
Veterans who have begun to address their challenges are uniquely qualified to help other veterans. In partnership with Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals across the country, SMART meetings offer veterans the help they need in a safe and supportive environment. |
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NEW SMART Recovery Online Meeting
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Veterans & First Responders SROL Meeting
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| SMART Recovery is happy to announce the newest SMART Recovery Online (SROL) weekly meeting for Veterans and First Responders started Tuesday, November 10 at 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. (EST).
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Veterans Share Their Stores
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Nick Goodwin's Podcast and Spotlight Video |
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| Nick Goodwin is a SMART Recovery facilitator and co-facilitator of the new Veterans and First Responders meeting. He is a former Infantry Officer, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. He proudly served his country, but his reintegration into civilian life had its challenges. Watch and listen as Nick explains how his local VA hospital helped him overcome his alcohol use disorder by introducing him to SMART Recovery.
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You can find all of SMART's podcasts on:
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You can find this video on:
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Mike Hooper's Podcast and Spotlight Video |
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| Mike Hooper is SMART Recovery's State Outreach Director for Ohio and co-facilitator of the new Veterans and First Responders meeting. He is a former Army Specialist in the 2nd/113th 42nd Infantry Division. While serving, he was secretly battling a substance use disorder. Upon his discharge, he sought help from the VA office. There he found SMART Recovery. Listen and watch as Mike talks about overcoming challenges and choosing his path to recovery. |
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You can find all of SMART's podcasts on:
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You can find this video on:
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The "Been There, Done That" Connection Podcast |
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Les Waite is a veteran and clinical psychologist at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York. His struggles with addiction led him to SMART Recovery. Now, he uses the SMART tools daily in his practice for veterans.
In this podcast, Les talks about: - Serving in the military during the first Gulf War
- Why the VA hospitals’ programs dovetail beautifully with SMART’s teachings
- His “been there, done that” connection with patients
- Reconnecting veterans to their own values using the hierarchy of values tool
- His post-COVID goals of launching more SMART meetings for veterans and in his community
- And much more
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You can find all of SMART's podcasts on:
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Additional Tools and Resources
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The Veterans "Muscle Memory" Tools
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Through my journey with SMART Recovery, I have seen certain tools hold immediate weight with the participants of the Veteran and First Responder communities frequenting my meetings. One of the defining reasons why these particular tools ring true to so many of them right away, I believe, is the fact that these tools have the ability to be used in a practical manner almost immediately.
The tools I am including have been proven to not only be useful in a number of different life scenarios (not just addiction related) but can also be used with little to no experience in recovery. Veterans and First Responders adhere quickly to this type of methodology due to our training being similar in many regards. They are expected to comprehend many different training aspects with minimal instruction as these techniques are meant to be used in strenuous situations where cognitive thinking may be impaired. As a result, participants are forced to rely on instinctual reaction or “muscle memory”, so to speak. The following tools can be regarded as the “muscle memory” tools of SMART Recovery as they are easily learned and can be utilized and practiced almost immediately upon assimilation.
Continue reading as Mike Hooper, a veteran and SMART Recovery State Outreach Director for Ohio, shares the tools most helpful for Veterans and First Responders. |
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| The Veterans webpage has been updated with new resources available, including a downloadable PDF about SMART Recovery for Veterans. |
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Become a SMART Recovery Volunteer
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Are you interested in helping others overcome addictive substances and/or behaviors? Did SMART Recovery help you change your life, and now you want to give others the same opportunity? Consider being trained in the SMART Recovery program!
Being a SMART facilitator is an important and rewarding volunteer position. By becoming a SMART facilitator, you support:
- Providing free face-to-face and online mutual-support meetings
- Providing forums for learning about and discussing addictive behaviors
- Advocating for choice in help for recovery from addictive behaviors
Download this e-book to learn about SMART Recovery and if volunteering with our organization would be a good fit for you.
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Subscribe to the SMART Recovery YouTube Channel
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Video storytelling is a powerful tool in recovery, and we are proud to share SMART Recovery content free-of-charge, available anywhere, on any device. Our videos inform, entertain, and inspire.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and click on the Notifications Bell to be alerted every time SMART Recovery releases a video. |
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Subscribe to the SMART Recovery Blog
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| Do you want to see this type of information more often? Subscribe to the SMART Recovery Blog and receive a digest email every Friday with links to the blog articles published during that week. |
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Find Previous Issues of News & Views
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Self-Management and Recovery Training
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Founded in 1994, SMART Recovery uses science-based techniques that have proven to be effective in helping people recover from addiction problems involving any substance or behavior, including alcohol, drugs, gambling, eating disorders, shopping, and internet use.
Participants use SMART to take ownership of their recovery and become empowered through its 4-Point Program®: - Building motivation
- Coping with urges
- Managing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
- Living a balanced life
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Donate to SMART Recovery
with the tools to abstain from any substance or activity addiction.
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