Journal
Published stories, reflections, and research from across the community.
Explore how celebrity influence is shaping young people’s attitudes to gambling, and learn how families and communities can respond with support.
Explore Digital Addiction in young Australians – signs, stats and smart recovery tools to help reclaim balance in screen-driven lives.
SMART Recovery Australia (SRAU) is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and a registered charity with the Australian Charities and not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). SMART Recovery Australia provides evidence-based tools to support individuals and their families and f...
A story of love, loss, and hope on International Overdose Awareness Day — remembering Grandma and highlighting support for older Australians in recovery.
SMART Recovery Australia Celebrates 20 Years with National Awards Night as Member Base Triples.
Find heartfelt tips to offer compassionate recovery support to loved ones and care for yourself along the journey. Your support matters.
Is your colleague struggling with substance abuse? Read our blog to find support & substance treatment resources in the workplace.
Seeking help beyond drug and alcohol counselling? Explore the power of peer support and discover its benefits for lasting recovery.
Discover the vital synergy between mutual support and professional counselling in aftercare for substance abuse. Read SMART Recovery Australia
SMART Recovery Australia and newly established telehealth detox providers, Clean Slate Clinic will join established rural frontline advocates Sober in the Country Ltd (SITC) to form a historic national partnership to reduce alcohol-related harm in rural, regional, and remote ...
Thank you for your support of SMART Recovery Australia, There is great possibility in our country right now and there is great possibility at SMART
Addiction News Media Release: SMART Recovery Australia welcomes NSW drug-treatment funding April Long CEO 22nd September 2022 SMART Recovery
#RecoveryStories Jarrod Shares His Recovery Story Jarrod grew up in rural New Zealand, living the idyllic lifestyle of a farmer’s son - hunting, shooting,
SMART Recovery Australia Reflections on the Rethink Addiction National Convention 2022 Some members of the SMART Recovery Australia team were privileged
SMART Recovery Australia Is it Time to Legalise Drugs? ABC journalist Stan Grant hosted a panel of distinguished experts discussing, “Is it Time to
Podcast SMART Recovery Group Facilitator chats with 3CR Joseph Abdo is an NSW-based clinical social worker who specialises in helping people, using
SMART Recovery Australia Webinar: Dream Big and Imagine the What If https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72tq5KJi-Dg Kylie shares her story and experience of
SMART Recovery Australia Rethink Addiction National Convention Join us to support Rethink Addiction SMART Recovery is proud to sponsor the inaugural
SMART Recovery Australia International Remembrance Day April Long Chief Executive Officer Today is International Remembrance Day for those lost to
SMART Recovery International Introducing Online Training in French SMART Recovery Partner Affiliate Le CAP is proud to announce the launch of its new
SMART Recovery Australia Webinar: Trauma and Substance Use In this webinar, Sally explores polyvagal theory and how trauma impacts the nervous system. She
Support. Don
SMART Recovery Australia Webinar: Emotions of Addiction At SMART Recovery, we help people achieve their behavioural change goals around any behaviours of
Bon Voyage, Ryan SMART Recovery Australia Sadly, Ryan McGlaughlin, our Executive Director has moved on from SMART Recovery Australia. Ryan has been
SMART Recovery International An Introduction to Take On Addiction https://youtu.be/tEjIdyFQui8Officially, meet Take On Addiction and two of the people
SMART Recovery Australia x AFINet Family & Friends Webinar with AFINet This AFINet webinar will look at the SMART Recovery Family & Friends
Webinar Motivational Interviewing: Guiding clients to make beneficial changes Dr Robert Fullerton Clinical Psychologist This webinar was published by the
Webinar Using cognitive training to improve client outcomes in addiction treatment Associate Professor Victoria Manning SMART Recovery Australia Research
#RecoveryStories Mark and SMART Mark Former SMART Recovery Participant I can
Women
Webinars Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Health & Alcohol Presenters: Liz Dale and Dr Sharynne Hamilton WEBINAR: Strengths-based approaches:
Research Thinking about your smoking? Professor Amanda Baker Clinical Psychologist and proud member of the SMART Recovery Global and Australian Research
Research News - July 2021 A big month for SMART
Medically Supervised Injection Centre (MSIC) King Cross Injecting Centre celebrates 20 years of service Sydney
#RecoveryStories Kicking habits the
SMART Recovery Australia Chairperson Introducing new Chairperson, Brett Savill. Emily Carstairs Content Manager Meet Brett Savill. Brett is the new
WEBINAR The role of peer support in treatment The role of peer support in treatment: The latest on research and practice Watch Associate Professor
WEBINAR Methamphetamine and Mutual Support Presented by Dr Alison Beck Methamphetamine and mutual support: A mixed methods exploration of SMART Recovery
#RecoveryStories
SMART Track App New SMART Recovery app to help people manage addictive behaviour AppStore AppStore https://youtu.be/vMo2I-ESKLk Why SMART Track? Track
WEBINAR Walkthrough of new SMART Recovery app - SMART Track Presented Dr Alison Beck VIDEO: Demonstation of SMART Recovery App -
WEBINAR WATCH: Feasibility study of SMART Track App Presented Dr Alison Beck Information on Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) plus feedback in SMART
ENDING STIGMA SMART partners with Rethink Addiction SMART Recovery Australia joins Rethink Addiction campaign With the ground-breaking SBS
RECOVERY MONTH What does Recovery Month mean? September 30, 2020 Emily Carstairs Contributor September is Recovery Month and today is Recovery Day ...
The following is reposted with permission from Newtown Neighbourhood Centre’s mailing list. I love a quiet achiever. If we were to hand out awards
Valued SMART friends, allies, and partners the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council recently published a story on their own website discussing
Partner profile Star Health Silvia Violante Alcohol and Other Drugs Counselling Coordinator - Star Health What does Star Health do? Star Health provides a
We are very excited to welcome two new staff to SMART Recovery Australia. The first interview is with Tim Wade, our new SMART Project Officer. Welcome to
Remember SMART Recovery Australia’s good friends over at the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre? Well, they’re participating in this year’s Global Day
SMART Recovery Australia embraces a harm minimisation approach to the problems of addictive behaviour. This means different things for different people.
A huge part of the SMART Recovery program’s success is our rock-solid research base. This required a deep understanding of what makes the program work,
Australia
You don’t have anywhere to be tomorrow but at home. In fact, the only people you might see are your housemates or your family. Maybe just your dog. Maybe
The past few weeks have felt more like a few months. Is it really only April? Was it really only in March that many of us were confined to our homes? It
Can we be candid with you? We know that social contact will be banned any day now. And we’re a little scared that SMART meetings all over Australia will
SMART Recovery Australia How to transition your in-person SMART Recovery meeting to an online meeting CONTINUE RUNNING YOUR MEETING ONLINE To avoid your
SMART Recovery Australia takes great pride in our status as Australia’s leading evidence-based mutual aid addiction recovery program. A huge part of this
SMART Recovery Australia is Australia’s leading secular addiction recovery program. We do not require that anybody submit to a higher power or any form of
SMART Recovery Australia are very excited to announce that we’re making some changes to the way we are structured. The range of services we provide has
SMART Recovery
Sophie* is standing in line at her local pharmacy. In front of her, an older man is growing increasingly impatient. He shifts from foot to foot; sighs,
SRAU wholeheartedly supports the objectives of the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug ‘Ice’, a sorely needed review of the prevalence, trends and
SMART Recovery Australia has joined forces with the University of Wollongong (UOW) and creative agency GHO to launch Smart Track, an app that helps people
Q: In interviews, you discuss how Anna slipped through the cracks. What changes need to be made to our care systems in order to better help people like
The Baader-Meinhof Effect, known also by its less tongue-tying name the frequency effect, is that feeling when you hear of something for the first time,
Chicago, Illinois. It’s famous for deep-dish pizza, the ill-fated (until very recently) Chicago Cubs, being the home of former US President Barack Obama,
Kim is an experienced Executive Manager with significant leadership and management capabilities developed over three decades of working in the community
Although it might not seem like it at times, Australia
Something we hear a lot at SMART Recovery Australia meetings is the nagging doubt that a person’s chosen path to recovery isn’t the “right” way to do it.
Many people in SMART Recovery meetings report how hard it is, when they’re trying their best to stay away from drugs or alcohol, to maintain a social life
A drunken assault. A man left bleeding in the street. Another man, ten schooners and five bourbons deep, walking away, with an empty grin spreading across
In what’s often referred to as the “postcode lottery”, access to drug treatment programs for Australians varies widely based on their location. People in
Odds are you’re reading this on your mobile phone. We don’t know that for sure - you might be reading this on a desktop or laptop computer, or a tablet -
“I need a drink to relax”. You’ve heard it before - you’ve probably heard it this week! Many people report that a drink at the end of a hard week, or day,
SMART Recovery Australia Senior Program Manager Josette Freeman this week joined the panel on Network 10
Last week, the suppression order on Australian media regarding the conviction (currently under appeal) of Cardinal George Pell - once the third-highest
SMART Recovery Australia cut a striking, significant presence at last week’s VAADA Conference in Melbourne. The biannual VAADA conference is one of
A special announcement from Kim McCreanor, executive officer of SMART Recovery International Dear SMART Recovery community, I’m Kim McCreanor, the
Consider English tabloid media’s most recent battering ram. Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has been arrested for public intoxication in the
Sporting life is a vital part of Australian culture. Of course, in such a diverse country, there are those who prefer not to participate in or watch
Australian summer, like clockwork, brings with it sweltering heat, the droning chorus of cicadas, an onslaught of tourist dollars, and our annual
Can you believe we’re only a month away from Christmas? While these past eleven months feel as if they’ve flown by, and millions of people are preparing
We have lost the so-called war on drugs, but the battle rages on and Australians are being made to live in the wreckage. Drug-induced deaths have
I
Guest blogger Marc Elrington has penned the below piece on trauma-informed care in relation to SMART Recovery. You
It’s been a long day. In fact, it’s been a long week. Maybe you were overworked and your boss was too demanding, or your kids have been acting up and
SMART Recovery Australia is very proud to announce the next phase of our Routine Outcome Monitoring project. Building from a previous systematic review,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S8ejuSyz1I&feature=youtu.be Every so often, SMART Recovery Australia runs a webinar aimed at our facilitators
SMART Recovery Australia is committed to the philosophy and practice of harm minimisation. For us, harm minimisation means prioritising and advancing the
Congratulations to the SRAU Research Advisory Committee for picking up the Excellence in Research and Evaluation category of the Alcohol and Other Drugs
Richard di Natale, leader of the Australian Greens and underpayer of staff, recently announced the Australian Greens’ plan for cannabis legalisation – or
Many people suffering from issues related to addictive behaviour have co-occurring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In fact, many people battling PTSD
There are several different stages at which an individual is at in terms of recovery. For SMART Recovery, these are pre-contemplation, contemplation,
SMART Recovery Australia wishes to express our sincere congratulations to Leanne and the WA mental health team for winning the Families – Excellence in
There’s no such thing as an ideal time to quit, or an ideal time to create change in your life. Change can be chaotic and traumatising, and the safety of
Andrew works as a lecturer at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) in the areas of Strategy and Organisational Behaviour, and as an adviser
We
Unless you’re colour-blind or live under a rock, you’ll notice that this weekend features St Patrick’s Day, when the 80-million strong Irish diaspora (and
In this interview, one of our newest members of the SMART Recovery Australia Board discusses gender-sensitive care, her own story, and the #MeNoMore
It’s not uncommon, in the media, to hear certain substances described as “hard drugs”. Some drugs, or so the story goes, are “softer” than others, while
Every modern Australian has seen the ongoing anti-tobacco campaign. The health harms of smoking tobacco are well-known: increased risk of cancer,
When you think of Portugal, you might think of their dominant national football team (or the dominant personality of their star player, one Cristiano
A critical early stage in the cycle of change is the establishment of a discrepancy between behaviour and a person
Unless you live under a rock (or possibly outside Australia), you almost certainly know by now that Australia voted a loud, reverberating “Yes” to
This last week saw the annual Australian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs conference take place in Melbourne. As a leading drug and alcohol
If you
In a dramatic 180-degree turn from his previous position, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews this week announced the government
Josette Freeman, our Senior National Coordinator and pivotal early adopter of SMART Recovery in Australia, recently attended the international Cutting
Matt runs our Northcote meeting, and in this week
For this week
Recently, the tragic case of the young British man who died of a blood clot deep in the midst of a mammoth twelve-hour gaming session hit the news. The
Have you seen Johann Hari
Angela Argent works at SMART Recovery HQ as National Coordinator. Part of her role involves training community members to become SMART Facilitators. She
Citation and Abstract Beck, Alison K.; Forbes, Erin; Baker, Amanda L.; Kelly, Peter J.; Deane, Frank P.; Shakeshaft, Anthony; Hunt, David; Kelly, John F.
Giving people the tools to take control of addictive behaviours is the foundation of a free community program being delivered in Newcastle. SMART Recovery
An extensive report on addiction in America has just been released by the United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy. The first-ever Surgeon
Addiction to alcohol, drugs, eating, the internet, gambling, cigarettes - you name it - can take its toll. This kind of over indulgence has ruined many
Max* was savouring a cigarette in the sun when he received a phone call telling him not to pick up his seven-year-old daughter Karen* from school. It was
I shot heroin and cocaine while attending Columbia in the 1980s, sometimes injecting many times a day and leaving scars that are still visible. I kept
Rachel McLaughlin is one of our star SMART Recovery facilitators based in Victoria. She has years of great experience running SMART meetings in inner-city
While the majority of the SMART Facilitators in Australia are professionals working within drug and alcohol organisations, we
THE City Mission has established a Launceston support group for 12 to 25-year-olds living with addiction. City Mission youth and outreach supervisor Tyson
SMART Recovery Australia has received a grant from the John T Reid Charitable Trusts for a key upcoming project in Western Sydney. This grant will provide
The effectiveness of an overhaul of funding to target drug use in regional WA has been questioned, as the exact details of the package are yet to be
Medicinal cannabis legalised in Victoria, child epilepsy patients to be given access from 2017 Victoria has become the first state in Australia to
Earlier this month, ABC Radio National program All in the Mind featured an episode ‘Breaking the ice’, where host Lynne Malcolm looked at how the
“You and that phone,” my friend said. Her frustration was palpable, and I didn’t blame her. We were supposed to be getting coffee, but all I could do was
Exercise helps smokers with a high risk for cessation failure due to emotional distress finally kick the habit, according to psychologists at The
Matthew was 14 when he first began using methamphetamine. Sometimes he used it with his friends; other times he would use it with his mother. "I first
A team of doctors is planning to roll out pill testing at musical festivals in New South Wales, but Premier Mike Baird has ruled out ever supporting the
I’m breaking up with the word "addict" and I hope you’ll do the same. "Addict" is one of those words that so many of us use, largely without pausing to
In 1956, the American Medical Association declared alcoholism a “disease.” More than half a century later, the American Society of Addiction Medicine
Results from the 2014–2015 Flux study of legal and illicit drug use among gay and bisexual men in Australia suggest recreational drug use is common but
Seeking validation online doesn’t bring real happiness. In today’s interconnected world, social media is a major channel of communication and an important
A recent article published in The Lancet states that the use of common opioid painkillers such as codeine, morphine and oxycodone more than quadrupled in
Often the simple solutions are the most effective. In the case of Brian Harriman (pictured left) who suffers from depression and alcohol addiction, that
Rapper 360
Discover effective strategies to overcome shopping addiction and manage your spending habits. Read More.
Following a thorough four-year study involving NSW inmates, the SMART Recovery program (and its prison-adapted equivalent, Getting SMART), has proven to
Binge or daily drinking increases your risks of developing alcohol dependency, the clinical term for alcoholism. Eventually, if you continue these
Author: Fiona Nash, via smh.com.au Ice is a huge problem, and it will take help from the whole community to solve it, writes Fiona Nash, Minister for
This article first appeared in www.smh.com.au on Dec 3, 2015. Author: Amy Corderoy. The federal government
A day’s drive from Sydney and hundreds of kilometres from the nearest cinema, the picturesque town of Murrin Bridge, with its population of 200, doesn’t
This article first appeared on SMH.com on November 29, 2015 Author: Adam Morton It was the experience of an 18-year-old kid – drug-addled, broken and
Author: Fiona Smith Ruth was forced to leave her high-paying job in the Sydney finance industry because she wanted to stop snorting coke. Her entire
When we consider addiction, many people
By Richard Branson It’s good to see UNODC have now engaged in this issue. However, I hope that they will remain strong in defending and implementing what
The Project’s Waleed Aly has pointed out why the Australian government’s tough stance on ice was never going to work and why we’re losing the war on
Following the tradition of SMART Recovery staff, particularly facilitator trainers, running their own voluntary SMART Recovery groups in the community,
THE national ice taskforce will reportedly recommend drug treatment and education over drug policing to deal with the problem. FORMER Victoria Police
The consequences of alcohol, substance use and other addictive behaviours are far reaching. The yearly cost to Australians from harms associated with
This article first appeared in The Guardian Australia on 22 September, 2015 The author Alex Wodak is the president of the Australian Drug Law Reform
This article appeared in the Manly Daily, Hornsby and Upper North Shore Advocate, and the Liverpool Leader in September, 2015 Author: Rebecca Isaacs
SMART Recovery Australia staff took part in this year’s Sydney Recovery Walk, an all-ages free event helping end the stigma of addiction and celebrating
SMART Recovery Australia invites participants, facilitators, friends & family of anyone touched by addiction to join us at the Sydney Recovery Walk
Last month, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced a National Ice Taskforce would be established to co-ordinate local, state and federal efforts against the
Free 8 Week Family & Carer’s Support Program for people affected by the addictive behaviours of someone close to them. Being in a close relationship
The SMART Recovery Australia team has participated in and attended several key drug and alcohol forums and conferences across Australia over recent
SMART help for overeating - and over-drinking Where do you go for help if overeating has become a habit that
Professor David Clark has launched Recovery Stories, a new website that is focused on helping individuals and families recover from substance use
Resource Update: Vietnamese SMART Recovery manual now available on DAMEC website The Vietnamese translation of the complete SMART Recovery manual is now
SMART Recovery is Launching a New Program for Teen/Youth Smart Recovery Australia (working in collaboration with Juvenile Justice NSW) will soon be
An article that appeared in Madison Australia in May 2006.... Click here to read it
SMART RECOVERY APPOINTS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR November 21 2013: Not for profit organisation SMART Recovery, whose programs focus on providing support to
Since commencing in the role of Executive Director of SMART Recovery Australia in late 2013, it is clear to me that SMART Recovery has significant respect
SMART Recovery Australia featured prominently in a recent article ‘It’s a dry argument: abstinence versus management in addictions’, by Ross Fitzgerald,
A little over two years ago I came to SMART Recovery Australia a broken and shamed man. My life had spiralled out of control on both drug and alcohol
Tom Larkin, a licensed psychologist and long-time SMART Recovery Facilitator, was recently interviewed by Mara Dolan on her show Right Here Right Now.
Recently Josette Freeman and Jim Villamor travelled to Alice Springs to conduct a series of SMART Recovery workshops.
Dr. G. Alan Marlatt is the founder and director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, where he developed the
Programs and projects Self Management and Recovery Training (SMART Recovery) is a community based, not for profit charity, set up to promote and support
“SMART Recovery is recommended as an evidence based program, please read on for further information.” . The National Institute for Health and Clinical
The NSW Alcohol and Drug Information Service website has had a makeover and is now called yourroom.com.au!
Australian Broadcasting Corporation FOUR CORNERS -- Investigative TV journalism at its best. Read the edited transcript of Janine Cohen’s interview with
Josette Freeman and Jody Lloyd (Wandarma Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Service) went to Gippsland to conduct training on the 17th and 18th of February,
An article by Angela Rossmanith that was in Of Substance, vol.9 no1 2011 Click here to read
Josette did training in Griffith last week below are a couple of photos and nice email that she received from one of the participantsDear josette Thankyou
By Ryan McGlaughlin, Executive Director, SMART Recovery Australia It was a privilege to attend the SMART Recovery Annual conference and the 20th
Hi folks, I just wanted to drop you all a quick message to say Thank You. Thank you Russell, Chitiur and Jerran for being silly enough to say yes when I
Addiction is just not a problem for the young, writes Shane Green, in the Sydney Morning Herald December 21-23 2012, to read click here
Posted on 6th October 2014 in Addiction Treatment Methods by Tom Horvath Click here to read
SMART Recovery Australia is pleased to announce it has received a generous grant from the Sisters of Charity Foundation for its Peer Facilitator Training