Journal

Articles & Field Notes

Published stories, reflections, and research from across the community.

Alladdiction recoverydrugsmental healthpeer supportresearchfamilyyouthhealth
Community
Community·30 March 2026

Celebrity Gambling Influence: How Gambling Is Normalised for Youth

Explore how celebrity influence is shaping young people’s attitudes to gambling, and learn how families and communities can respond with support.

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·21 January 2026

Digital Addiction in Young Australians: Signs, Support & Recovery

Explore Digital Addiction in young Australians – signs, stats and smart recovery tools to help reclaim balance in screen-driven lives.

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·4 December 2024

SMART Recovery Australia Celebrates 20 Years with National Awards Night

SMART Recovery Australia Celebrates 20 Years with National Awards Night as Member Base Triples.

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·22 September 2022

Media Release: SMART Recovery Welcomes NSW Drug-Treatment Funding

Addiction News Media Release: SMART Recovery Australia welcomes NSW drug-treatment funding April Long CEO 22nd September 2022  SMART Recovery

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·20 September 2022

Reflections on Rethink Addiction Convention | SMART Recovery Australia

SMART Recovery Australia Reflections on the Rethink Addiction National Convention 2022 Some members of the SMART Recovery Australia team were privileged

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·26 April 2022

A Letter from Tony Wales AM | SMART Recovery Australia

SMART Recovery Australia A Letter from Tony Wales AM

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·26 April 2022

Bon Voyage, Ryan | SMART Recovery Australia

Bon Voyage, Ryan SMART Recovery Australia Sadly, Ryan McGlaughlin, our Executive Director has moved on from SMART Recovery Australia. Ryan has been

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·7 April 2022

SMART Recovery | Webinar: Global Research Advisory Committee #2

SMART Recovery International SMART Global Research Advisory Committee Webinar #2 https://youtu.be/uM4e_ME5bCY These are exciting times for addiction and

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·17 February 2022

SMART Recovery | Webinar: Global Research Advisory Committee #1

SMART Recovery International SMART Global Research Advisory Committee Webinar #1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyXCldwOzXs If you missed out on the live

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·7 February 2022

SMART Recovery | Global Research Advisory Committee Webinar Series

SMART Recovery International SMART Global Research Advisory Committee Webinar Series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq_075n0sng The SMART Global Research

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·21 September 2021

Webinar: Using cognitive training to improve client outcomes in addiction treatment | SMART Recovery Australia

Webinar Using cognitive training to improve client outcomes in addiction treatment Associate Professor Victoria Manning SMART Recovery Australia Research

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·21 September 2021

SMART Recovery | Motivation: Guiding Clients to Make Beneficial Changes

Webinar Motivational Interviewing: Guiding clients to make beneficial changes Dr Robert Fullerton Clinical Psychologist This webinar was published by the

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·31 August 2021

International Overdose Awareness Day | SMART Recovery Australia

#OverdoseAware2021 International Overdose Awareness Day Staff SMART Recovery Australia International Overdose Awareness Day is held on 31 August every

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·17 August 2021

WEBINAR: Strengths-based approaches: mutual support, youth justice (CRE) | SMART Recovery Australia

Webinars Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Health & Alcohol Presenters: Liz Dale and Dr Sharynne Hamilton WEBINAR: Strengths-based approaches:

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·17 August 2021

Thinking about your smoking? | SMART Recovery Australia

Research Thinking about your smoking? Professor Amanda Baker Clinical Psychologist and proud member of the SMART Recovery Global and Australian Research

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·13 July 2021

A big month for SMART

Research News - July 2021 A big month for SMART

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·16 March 2021

WEBINAR: The role of peer support in treatment | SMART Recovery Australia

WEBINAR The role of peer support in treatment The role of peer support in treatment: The latest on research and practice Watch Associate Professor

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·10 March 2021

WEBINAR: Methamphetamine and Mutual Support | SMART Recovery Australia

WEBINAR Methamphetamine and Mutual Support Presented by Dr Alison Beck Methamphetamine and mutual support: A mixed methods exploration of SMART Recovery

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·15 February 2021

Have you downloaded our new app, SMART Track? | SMART Recovery Australia

SMART Track App New SMART Recovery app to help people manage addictive behaviour AppStore AppStore https://youtu.be/vMo2I-ESKLk Why SMART Track? Track

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·2 February 2021

WEBINAR: Introducing SMART Track, a new SMART Recovery app | SMART Recovery Australia

WEBINAR Walkthrough of new SMART Recovery app - SMART Track Presented Dr Alison Beck VIDEO: Demonstation of SMART Recovery App -

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·18 January 2021

SMART Recovery App Feasibility Study | VIDEO | SMART Recovery Australia

WEBINAR WATCH: Feasibility study of SMART Track App Presented Dr Alison Beck Information on Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) plus feedback in SMART

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·13 November 2020

SMART Recovery Australia partners with Rethink Addiction | SMART Recovery Australia

ENDING STIGMA SMART partners with Rethink Addiction SMART Recovery Australia joins Rethink Addiction campaign With the ground-breaking SBS

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·11 November 2020

WEBINAR | Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Health + Alcohol | SMART Recovery Australia

WEBINAR Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Health + Alcohol Presenters: Liz Dale and Lynette Bullen WEBINAR: How mainstream approaches work for

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·4 November 2020

WEBINAR | SMART Recovery: A summary of the research (Dr Peter Kelly) | SMART Recovery Australia

WEBINAR SMART Recovery: A summary of the research Presented by Dr Peter Kelly Presented by Dr Peter Kelly, Deputy Director - Head of Research, School of

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·24 September 2020

Feature: Newtown Neighbourhood Centre Youth Group | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·23 July 2020

Video | Interview with Dr Carlo DiClemente, co-creator of The Stages of Change | SMART Recovery Australia

SMART Recovery Australia recently hosted an exclusive live interview with Dr Carlo DiClemente, the co-creator of the Stages of Change Model, which is a key component of the SMART Recovery program.

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·17 July 2020

We warmly welcome Tim Wade to SMART Recovery Australia | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·29 June 2020

Support. Don’t Punish. | SMART Recovery Australia

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
Community
Community·26 June 2020

VIDEO: An interview with Dr Joe Gerstein – Founding President of SMART Recovery | SMART Recovery Australia

VIDEO | An interview with Dr Joe Gerstein – Founding President of SMART Recovery SMART Recovery Australia recently sat down with SMART Recovery Founding

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·9 June 2020

From Motivation to Management: Live Q&A with Dr William R Miller | SMART Recovery Australia

Please join us for this amazing opportunity where we invited co-founder of Motivational Interviewing Dr William R Miller to join SMART Recovery

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·13 May 2020

Group cohesion and helpfulness of SMART Recovery groups | SMART Recovery Australia

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,

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·9 August 2019

SMART Recovery featured in addiction study | SMART Recovery Australia

The SMART Recovery program was one of many mutual aid programs examined in Elizabeth Dale

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·31 July 2019

SMART Recovery

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,

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·24 July 2019

Q&A - Kim McCreanor, SMART Recovery International Executive Officer | SMART Recovery Australia

Kim is an experienced Executive Manager with significant leadership and management capabilities developed over three decades of working in the community

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·17 June 2019

SRAU attends "Half a Million Steps" premiere | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·4 June 2019

Online Solutions for Addictive Behaviour | SMART Recovery Australia

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 -

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·16 May 2019

The truth about "hangxiety" | SMART Recovery Australia

“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
Community
Community·4 March 2019

Trauma, Addiction and the Fall of Cardinal Pell | SMART Recovery Australia

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
Community
Community·21 February 2019

Conference Report: VAADA 2019 | SMART Recovery Australia

SMART Recovery Australia cut a striking, significant presence at last week’s VAADA Conference in Melbourne. The biannual VAADA conference is one of

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·25 January 2019

Tony Wales, SRAU Chairperson Awarded the Order of Australia | SMART Recovery Australia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyj2_8XY3WE Tony Wales, notable Australian philanthropist and businessman, will be awarded the Order of Australia on

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·9 January 2019

The Facts About Pill Testing | SMART Recovery Australia

  Australian summer, like clockwork, brings with it sweltering heat, the droning chorus of cicadas, an onslaught of tourist dollars, and our annual

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·25 October 2018

SMART attends Fair Treatment launch with Sir Richard Branson | SMART Recovery Australia

  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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·27 July 2018

Irrational Beliefs, Anger, and Getting to Know Yourself | SMART Recovery Australia

Have you ever been angry with yourself? A frequent experience for those in recovery when unravelling their beliefs and behaviours is to think "I shouldn

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·19 July 2018

NADA Conference, ROM Project, and how you can get involved | SMART Recovery Australia

SMART Recovery Australia is very proud to announce the next phase of our Routine Outcome Monitoring project. Building from a previous systematic review,

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·6 July 2018

Tips, Tricks, and Vital Information for Facilitators | SMART Recovery Australia

As you may know, we run annual Refresher training for our facilitators to compare experiences, discuss strategies, and troubleshoot any issues they might

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·4 July 2018

Webinar: The Research Evidence for SMART Recovery | SMART Recovery Australia

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
Community
Community·26 June 2018

SMART Recovery Australia

SMART Recovery Australia is committed to the philosophy and practice of harm minimisation. For us, harm minimisation means prioritising and advancing the

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·20 June 2018

SMART Recovery Australia Research Advisory Committee Wins Award | SMART Recovery Australia

Congratulations to the SRAU Research Advisory Committee for picking up the Excellence in Research and Evaluation category of the Alcohol and Other Drugs

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·22 May 2018

Our Scheduled Webinar Has Been Postponed | SMART Recovery Australia

Our scheduled webinar for today has been postponed. You can register for the new date here:

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·17 May 2018

AOD Webinar: PTSD and substance use | SMART Recovery Australia

Many people suffering from issues related to addictive behaviour have co-occurring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In fact, many people battling PTSD

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·11 May 2018

Guest Blogger, Marc Elrington: Giving things a go | SMART Recovery Australia

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
Community
Community·19 April 2018

Is There an Ideal Time to Make a Change? | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·27 March 2018

Guest Blog: Lapse, Relapse, and Moving Forward | SMART Recovery Australia

We

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·6 March 2018

Meet Jenny Valentish: Board member, author, journalist and woman of substance | SMART Recovery Australia

In this interview, one of our newest members of the SMART Recovery Australia Board discusses gender-sensitive care, her own story, and the #MeNoMore

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·16 February 2018

Is There Any Such Thing as a "Hard" Drug? | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·9 February 2018

Where There

Every modern Australian has seen the ongoing anti-tobacco campaign. The health harms of smoking tobacco are well-known: increased risk of cancer,

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·14 December 2017

How Portugal Put People First and Stopped an Epidemic | SMART Recovery Australia

When you think of Portugal, you might think of their dominant national football team (or the dominant personality of their star player, one Cristiano

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·20 November 2017

Nangs, Stigma, and Finding the Motivation To Change | SMART Recovery Australia

A critical early stage in the cycle of change is the establishment of a discrepancy between behaviour and a person

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·18 November 2017

SMART Recovery Australia Celebrates The Yes Vote | SMART Recovery Australia

Unless you live under a rock (or possibly outside Australia), you almost certainly know by now that Australia voted a loud, reverberating “Yes” to

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·17 November 2017

SMART Recovery Australia goes to APSAD Conference | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·8 November 2017

The Importance of Youth Groups to Addiction Prevention | SMART Recovery Australia

If you

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·2 November 2017

What You Need to Know about Richmond

In a dramatic 180-degree turn from his previous position, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews this week announced the government

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·30 October 2017

Peter Bly: Tips for Group Fundraising | SMART Recovery Australia

I recently sat down with our Fundraising & Donor Liaison Manager, who wanted to share some fundraising tips with our facilitators across the country.

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·4 October 2017

Josette Freeman attends Cutting Edge Conference NZ | SMART Recovery Australia

Josette Freeman, our Senior National Coordinator and pivotal early adopter of SMART Recovery in Australia, recently attended the international Cutting

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·9 September 2017

Meet Peter, our facilitator from Kogarah | SMART Recovery Australia

For this week

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·6 September 2017

What China

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·4 September 2017

Johann Hari: Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong | SMART Recovery Australia

Have you seen Johann Hari

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·15 August 2017

Matt Scarce Arrives Safely in Townsville after 1300km Paddleboard | SMART Recovery Australia

You may remember Matt Scarce from an earlier blog post about his recently completed adventure across the Queensland coast. Matt, armed only with a

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·14 July 2017

National Coordinator Profile: Angela Argent | SMART Recovery Australia

Angela Argent works at SMART Recovery HQ as National Coordinator. Part of her role involves training community members to become SMART Facilitators. She

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·14 February 2017

Addictions addressed through SMART Recovery program in Newcastle | MEDIA | SMART Recovery Australia

Giving people the tools to take control of addictive behaviours is the foundation of a free community program being delivered in Newcastle. SMART Recovery

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·23 November 2016

'Australia has a serious gambling problem': The New York Times | SMART Recovery Australia

Australia tops its fair share of lists, including hosting the deadliest animals on earth and, perhaps paradoxically, some of the world’s most livable

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·5 August 2016

OPINION: Is addiction really a disease? | SMART Recovery Australia

What is addiction? For the majority who have strong opinions on the matter, addiction is a disease. In fact it’s “a chronic relapsing brain disease”

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·28 June 2016

OPINION: Can you get over an addiction? | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·27 June 2016

Facilitator profile: Rachel McLaughlin | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·23 March 2016

Mutual aid, CBT effective for ice addiction | ABC Radio National | SMART Recovery Australia

  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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·15 March 2016

Exercise helps adults with high-anxiety sensitivity quit smoking | Research | SMART Recovery Australia

Exercise helps smokers with a high risk for cessation failure due to emotional distress finally kick the habit, according to psychologists at The

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·11 March 2016

Methamphetamine use among troubled teens doubles in five years | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·17 February 2016

Recreational drug use high, but dependency low among gay and bi men in Australia | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·20 January 2016

One in five consuming three quarters of alcohol sold in Australia, report finds | VIDEO | SMART Recovery Australia

NATIONAL HEALTH SURVEY: FIRST RESULTS As part of the survey, the Australia Bureau of Statistics produced this animated video to highlight findings on

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·14 January 2016

SMART Recovery reduces NSW reconviction rates | Research | SMART Recovery Australia

Following a thorough four-year study involving NSW inmates, the SMART Recovery program (and its prison-adapted equivalent, Getting SMART), has proven to

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·2 November 2015

Everything We Think We Know About Addiction Is Wrong | Video | SMART Recovery Australia

When we consider addiction, many people

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·20 October 2015

Finally – a change in course on drug policy | SMART Recovery Australia

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·19 October 2015

Waleed Aly methodically slams government

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

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·6 October 2015

Ice addicts need more help | SMART Recovery Australia

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
Community
Community·3 September 2015

S.O.B.E.R. | SMART Recovery Australia

Dr. G. Alan Marlatt is the founder and director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, where he developed the

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·3 September 2015

SMART Recovery Australia representation at conferences | SMART Recovery Australia

The SMART Recovery Australia team has participated in and attended several key drug and alcohol forums and conferences across Australia over recent

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·3 September 2015

Should you cut down or quit? | SMART Recovery Australia

One in five of us - around 3.5 million Australians - will have problems with alcohol abuse and dependence at some point in our lives, according to new

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·3 September 2015

SMART Recovery - Students In China | SMART Recovery Australia

A group of students studying SMART Recovery in China created a movie that dramatizes addictions and behaviors that are of concern to young people, and how

SMART Recovery Australia
Community
Community·3 September 2015

SMART Recovery Australia update – New faces, clear direction | SMART Recovery Australia

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
Community
Community·3 September 2015

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet | SMART Recovery Australia

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 Australia