The Opening Statement should be read at every SMART Recovery meeting.
Welcome to this SMART Recovery® meeting for Family & Friends.
In these meetings we help ourselves and each other live more fulfilled and safer lives.
We will focus on solutions or what will make our lives better and happier, rather than bad things that have happened in the past.
We will keep in mind that we are not responsible for the behaviour of our Loved Ones.
We believe that although people may have a problematic habit, they are more than just their behaviour so we avoid labels, such as alcoholic or addict in our meetings.
We do not see ourselves or our Loved Ones as “powerless” over addiction. Instead we focus on the power of choice, our ability to change our lives and make them better. There are no guarantees, but we often find that changing our behaviour has a positive effect on our Loved Ones.
We strive to be patient but persistent in our efforts to improve our lives. It takes time to change beliefs and develop new ways of behaving around our Loved Ones.
Please attend meetings for as long as they are helpful. In our meetings you will find people in all stages of recovery. As no two meetings are ever alike, do try to come to a few before you decide how helpful SMART can be for you.
There is no charge for attendance at these meetings, but a hat will be passed around for donations to cover the costs of running this meeting. We are grateful for your support.
Thank you all for being here and we look forward to your participation to make this a great meeting.