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Newsletter of the Self Management And Recovery Training
network of self-help groups in the Silicon Valley
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encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own actions. These churches recognize that they hand out blankets at disasters with no questions about religious orientation, and the same respect and compassion is due when someone is trying to make a better life for themselves.
SMART would like to express appreciation for the churches that see we are receptive to them and have been in turn receptive to us. They are true leaders in teaching tolerance.
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SMART and Religion
or Spirituality
The thoughts in this column are left with us by Becky Dornon whose move to southern California is a great loss to us.
The United States was founded on the concept of freedom. One of the core freedoms we cherish is freedom of religion. That includes the freedom not to be religious, too. We are respectful of our friends, neighbors, and coworkers with regard to the choices they have made about religion and spirituality.
In the haste to contrast SMART with 12-step programs, many often presume that SMART is against any form of religion or spirituality. Not so. SMART is pro choice in how one chooses to recover. If someone chooses a higher power model and attends 12-step meetings for life, that is their choice, and we are happy for those who successfully attain a happier life in this way. Similarly, many people in SMART are church goers and spiritual people. If it helps the individual take the ACTION they need to abstain and start living a better life, SMART is there to support them.
This "faith", in the individual's ability to choose the path to recovery best suited for that individual and an uncompromising insistence on the individual's right to choose WHATEVER program works for them, is what several religious organizations are noticing. SMART meetings have been welcomed by the Unitarian Universalist and the United Methodist Churches just to mention two. Such churches understand the need for balance. Praying to God is great, but they also recognize the value in supporting a program that
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SMART Recovery®
Announces Formation of an
International Advisory Council
"We are delighted at the incredible response from the distinguished and reputable individuals we invited to participate", states Dr. Tom Horvath, President of SR. Eighteen renowned professionals have accepted the invitation to participate on the International Advisory Council, which is responsible to review and provide feedback on SR publications.
A list of the members of the Council and their credentials accompanied the announcement and a copy may be obtained by calling or writing to us. It is too long for this newsletter.
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Getting a new SMART group going calls for a great deal of patience and dedication. Past efforts to establish a group in Santa Cruz have failed as persons sat in wait for anybody to show up. They gave up in lonely frustration. The new effort is being made in affiliation with but not in the Smith-Page Residence House.
In Silicon Valley we have had many inquiries from Santa Cruz and there usually has been no non 12-step group to which to refer. We wish good attendance and persistence for the new effort. For information, call Bob: 408-923-8533.
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