New Face-to-Face Meetings for People Affected by the Addictive Behavior of a Loved One

Nov. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- For over two years, SMART Recovery (Self-Management and Recovery Training) has offered a weekly online meeting to provide support for concerned significant others who have a loved one with an addiction.

These meetings use a combination of SMART Recovery tools and CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) concepts. Response to the online meetings has been outstanding, and has resulted in a demand for face-to-face community meetings in addition to the online meetings.

In order to meet that demand, SMART Recovery has announced that facilitator training is now available for those desiring to start a Family & Friends meeting.  A new Family & Friends Facilitator’s Manual is also available.  Prior to publication, the manual was beta-tested by SMART-facilitated Family & Friends meetings in Columbia, MD, Chicago, IL, and San Diego, CA.

The Manual includes 14 sections of meeting outlines and tools.  The wide range of meeting topics includes: Change and Motivation, Positive Communication, Safety and Support, Healthy Boundaries, Coping with Lapses, Disable the Enabling, Trust and Forgiveness – and much more.  Also just published is a Family & Friend’s Handbook, which includes the same topics and tools and is designed to be used as a resource by meeting attendees between meetings.  (138 pages, ©2012, $10.00.)

Individuals interested in starting a Family & Friends meeting are invited to purchase the Facilitator’s Manual and register for the SMART Recovery FAST Distance Training -- http://www.smartrecovery.org/facldtrain/index.htm.

SMART Recovery Family & Friends is a science-based alternative to Al-Anon and Johnson Intervention. It uses methods based on the tools of SMART Recovery and CRAFT to provide resources and support for those who are affected by the addictions of a loved one.

The Facilitator’s Manual can be ordered via the SMART Recovery Online Bookstore, via http://smartrecovery.org/SMARTStore/. 144 pages, ©2012, $10.00.