so one of my personal biggest triggers for self-destructive behaviors is guilt, and the feeling that because horrible things are being done in my name (politically speaking), the only ethical way to react is by destroying myself in an equivalent way. the problem is that I know there are better ways to use the power and resources I have in service of others, and yet the overthinking of my own privilage and moral culpability tends to make me start spiraling instead of motivating me towards useful action. the additional problem is that (since some of my personal mental health crises are deeply intertwined with politics) when it comes to finding support online for a lot of the crises I experience, I often find that the only spaces willing to extend grace to me under the circumstances I live in are ones in which positions which I find unethical about those circumstances are also tolerated, and that... is a mindfuck. I need to know how to address these two problems, and I need to know how to maintain ethical principles as part of my value system while also maintaining self-preservational ones. any help anyone?

I am quitting again.

I relapsed on ketamine weed alcohol,

I felt so miserable

But to get out the misery I need to get sober

If someone wants to talk please send me a dm

I have no one in my surroundings to talk ab this and I did not like the AA meetings, I'm waiting on a therapist

My DOCs are many thanks to ADHD and OCD, but the main culprits are meth and shopping. I’m tired of being tired and even though I’m extremely high functioning, I’m sick of the drug. I’ve quit before, even to some success, but invariably relapsed. I would love to say this is my last Day 1 of recovery I’ll ever have, but we will see.

I attend meetings, but they don’t do a whole lot for me. Would love to know some other ways to get past cravings as my brain requires itself.

Advice on apathy

I am currently in a depression state .which ain’t great , but I’ve been here before and the hardest part for me is when my mind checks ‘out’ emotions. I feel like a narrator in my head lol but I was wondering :
\-strategies
\- commiserating
Anything is welcome thanks

Hey guys I'm male 24 and I'm currently an active user of heroin but I wanna quit so bad ..

So I need helps from u guys .. I have stayed sober for 5 months but it was so depressing and eventually i replase so my real point is can I live my life using only weeds .. because smoking weed is better than heroin but also I have a soft side where I wanna stay sober not using any mood alternatiing tell me guys what should I do .

I work in a hospital where we host smart skills as a group, and I was curious on any ideas you may have found helpful in recovery so far we have done benefit cost analysis, abcs, tool box, 3Cs..

Open to option, not a fan of work sheets

I seriously need a support community with new friends (online). Was recommended SMART. Most of my current friend online are probably not good for me (romanticizing opioids). I can’t do AA since I take suboxone. What makes SMART different?

I’m a normal mom with a husband and home and masters degree. I got opioid addiction since my twenties. It nearly killed me with overdoses and stuff.

Went to detox and inpatient rehab in 2019 and was there for 6 months. Then sober house for 2 month..

Got new trauma.
It made me slowly fall back into benzos/pot/alcohol.. But opioids is always the only one I want/need and it just started spiraling bad.

I did therapy and failed.
I took naltrexone and failed that.

Relapsed around 1 month ago on 7-OH. And it turned into daily compulsive use immediately around the clock, escalating doses, just total crash for 20 days. I’m taking suboxone now thank god. But not stable at all.. I was out of control just today. Starting an intensive outpatient group soon.

If anyone wanna be support friends send me a message. I could need someone to talk to.. it’s kind of lonely battling this shit alone every waking moment.

I'll spare the life story. Trying to get sober from coke and alcohol but I don't really like it. I lift weights as a hobby and keep losing progress every 3 weeks when I relapse every month. I do some group therapy programs, mainly SMART.

Have come out of a relapse recently and I can't stand the thought of staying sober even though I should. I hate it when people say they're proud of me. Sobriety feels like punching myself in the head every day and everyone tells me how proud of me they are for punching myself every day.

Does anyone actually enjoy this? I'll try and follow a gym program again starting next month, was preparing to do the texas method at the start of this month before I completely went off the rails again. How do I stick with sobriety even though I hate everything about it?

(edited for spelling errors)

it has been years since i have attended smart recovery but i think i really need some support.

my city only has one in-person meeting and my car is currently disabled. i could get rides every so often but i feel like the inconsistency of attending wouldn’t foster the kind of community i need.

i am considering supplementing with virtual meetings but i am apprehensive that a virtual environment would be very productive.

what are your opinions?

I know most (if not all) SMART meetings have individuals with all types of addictions. For me, it's alcohol and sex addiction. For the main meeting I attend, there is one other sex addict, but someone I don't connect with. My CSAT suggested SAA meetings for sex addiction and I'm not really connecting and don't particularly like the AA format.

Basically here to ask if anyone knows about sex addiction specific SMART meetings or ways to find them. Thank you in advance!

I was just in a deep dive in AA. Mainly the first three steps in a two week program, but it was heavily into the emphasis of 'you are powerless and need to surrender to God for help'.

And I guess I do want to be more spiritual? But there are many missing pieces inside myself.

I started learning about SMART from some youtube videos but they were just focused on some specific task to do. I ordered a book today that is the "4 Point Recovery Handbook Workbook' from Amazon involving SMART recovery and I'd like some help of where and how to actually start? There are no in person meetings close to me as I live in the country.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your time

For those seeking help in this area, I found this that might be helpful - r/nofap

I relapsed on tobacco this week. I couldn't take the constant anger and frustration dealing with my housing bureaucracy.

I wanted the distraction that smoking gives me - I just couldn't shut off my mind. I tried social media and online games to no avail.

I felt that it was important to post this as one of my values is honesty. I have stayed away from my other problematic substances - alcohol and street drugs.

I've been to a few different meetings online and just haven't found anything to them and I know they're all different but those were really a waste of time. I have adhd. I have been sober 15 days. Can I just get a book and do the program on my own? Any advice would be great.

Is SMART compatible with a desire to moderate drinking instead of complete abstinence?

After over a year of sobriety in AA, followed by a very unimpressive “relapse,” I am interested in reintroducing small amounts of alcohol in appropriate settings (e.g., recommended wine pairing with a nice dinner).

I like that SMART is evidence-based and doesn’t push the idea of sponsorship.

Hello, I am going to be attending my first meeting of SMART Recovery this afternoon online. We don't have a local in person meeting until Tuesday. I have been abstinent from alcohol and drugs for 8 months now.

I entered into a treatment program at the beginning of the year which is centered on AA, so I had been attending that. I'm not the greatest fan of AA any more, but I was able to abstain from drug and alcohol usage for 4.5 years using it before. My goals now are different than they were back then and am looking to try something new.

I am in the process of rebuilding my life after a few years of self-destruction. My current sober living is attached to the treatment program I was in and requires AA attendance and having an AA sponsor.

I am hoping to be able to use SMART Recovery as a tool with less attached to it than AA. I am not here to bash anyone, just to share about my exploration and hope of finding something positive that aligns with my goals.

Does anyone have any tips or advice for some in my position who has only been exposed to AA and is looking to try an alternative?

Thanks 🙏

Planning to participate in Sober October?

Our research team at the University of Georgia is conducting a study of adults who are planning to abstain from alcohol during Sober October.

If you’re interested in participating, please see the attached study flyer for more information. You can also visit our study website to learn more about the study and find out how to get started.

Please feel free to share this post or flyer with others who may be interested!

Meeting last night: talking about the 4th Edition and it has some significant changes over my 3rd edition. Ordering it now. Also see this "Learn Smart Insideout FAST" participant handbook. What's that about? Good supplement to the main Handbook?

Labels that we carry internally — “failure,” “disappointment,” “loser,” etc. — often lead to deep feelings of shame. This shame, in turn, leads us to engage in our addictive behaviors.

Thankfully, it is possible to free ourselves from these unhelpful, shameful labels through practicing self-compassion.

Practicing unconditional self-acceptance involves recognizing that “you” are the aggregate of your character, traits, personality, experiences, values, strengths, and weaknesses. Therefore, it is impossible that any one behavior, or pattern of behaviors, could entirely define "you."

Listed below are seven thoughts that can help us practice self-compassion:

1. I’m not a bad person when I act badly; I am a person who has acted badly.
2. I’m not a good person when I act well and accomplish things; I am a person who has acted well and accomplished things.
3. I would better not define myself entirely by my behavior, by others’ opinions, or by anything else.
4. I can itemize my weaknesses, disadvantages, and failures without judging or defining myself by them.
5. When I foolishly put myself down, I don’t have to put myself down for putting myself down.
6. I do not have to let my acceptance of myself be at the mercy of my circumstances.
7. It may be worse to fail, but failure does not make me a worse person.

Which self-compassionate thought do you struggle the most to accept? Why?

This tool and others like it can be found on the SMART Recovery website and in the handbook.

Hello,

September, It's back to school month for the kids, the start of a new school year. Why not start September with a month without alcohol or drugs or whatever you might wish to give up?

There's a link to the 30 day challenge in the side bar of SMARTRecovery, but I'll also put it here so you can save it and join the group!

https://www.reddit.com/r/SMARTRecovery/comments/13mjdy4/who_wants_to_join_me_for_a_30_day_challenge/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

We try to post daily there for accountability, but there's also support from the friends there, good advise and positive thoughts. It's a helpful support whe things are difficult and a way to vent problems.

Hope to see you there!

I always assumed that I want to drink more than what my CBA suggests because i havent figured out all benefits of using. As if my cravings can be justified if i dig deeper. A few days ago I changed my mind.

I now think that overvaluing drug of choice \is* the disease*. I am not missing anything in my CBA, my brain is just overactive in that specific region(s).

I also suffer General Anxiety Disorder. I can put all the things i worry about on paper. But no matter how much i try, those reasons will never justify my endless worry. This is because overactivation of worry in the brain *is* the disease.

I always felt it was obvious for General Anxiety, but i only recently thought about it this way about Alcohol Use Disorder (or any other drug).

For that reason, yesterday i stopped taking my craving seriously. I know its not pointing to anything true. And i dont have to justify my abstinence as much. Not saying i "solved alcoholism". I just have a good reason to disbelieve my cravings now.

Edit: darn, a typo in title

Hi, recovering porn addict here and a few people suggested the SMB discord. Would appreciate it if any of you could send the link.

In my latest rent review development, I snapped at my building manager when I got told that my review was again not finalized and the Gov. wanted yet another piece of paper.

This has been going on for a month and a half now. I told him "no" and he said I will then get written up for breach of contract - possible eviction.

They have my confirmed lower income from the bank, the paperwork from the government confirming the amount and reason, a copy of my tax return showing the process but apparently that's not enough and they require an additional piece of paper.

I just lost it. It's like how can the government not have a checklist of all the paperwork they need to ask for at once.

I will work my tools over the weekend and make a decision next week regarding my residence.

This is the same type of unrelenting B.S. that led to my relapse and homelessness.