Jeff Jones is a licensed professional counselor who focuses on helping families navigate the road to recovery. He firmly believes that when families change, individuals change, and he runs an organization called The Family Recovery Solution

In this podcast, Jeff talks about how he decided to focus on families, what other recovery pathways seem to miss when it comes to families, and the role of recovery nutrition in helping those who want to make positive changes.

Rick Kuplinski credits SMART Recovery with changing his life in profound ways. He says he has never been happier and more satisfied with his life since he started applying the principles and practices of self-empowered recovery. He started writing about his experiences in brief essays and has been a SMART Blog contributor since 2022. Now he has collected his essays and packaged it in a book called Supercharge Your Recovery: 30 Essays on Beating Addiction with SMART Recovery.

In this podcast Rick talks about how he ended up reaching a point where he knew he had to make changes and why SMART worked for him when other pathways didn't. He shares his thoughts on the process of journaling and the need for reflection, and how he believes that you don't have to be a "writer" to benefit from writing.

When it comes to talking about research in the field of substance use and recovery, Dr. Sarah Zemore is always an excellent source of solid information. She has previously appeared on the program and now returns to talk about the latest research into some of the social and psychological aspects of treatment-seeking and recovery. Dr. Zemore has an extensive record of research on mutual-help groups for addiction and has led multiple studies that examine the nature, benefits, and mechanisms of action of all kinds of these groups, including SMART.

Also joining the conversation is SMART's Executive Director Pete Rubinas. He offers SMART's perspective on the latest research and confirms the value of applying this research in pursuit of helping the most individuals possible.

Helpful links:

Alcohol Research Group

Recent Study on Mutual Help Groups

Dre Richards is a SMART Facilitator in Edmonton, Canada. He also is the Executive Director and Founder of Healthy Aligined Living, a community agency serving youth who are facing mental health and substance use issues.

In this podcast, Dre shares his personal journey to recovery, how he decided to address the negative behaviors that were impacting his life, and what he believes are the best ways to help youth who are facing the same challenges he once did.

SMART Recovery's Director of Outreach, Jasmine Hilbert, recently appeared on an Ohio-based podcast to share her recovery journey. In this special collaboration with the Rooted in Hope Podcast and Producer Kurt Kleidon, we proudly offer this episode here on our platform.

About this podcast:

Rooted in Hope is a podcast that shares the real tales of those who are impacted by substance use disorder or mental illness with the intention of breaking the stigma. We are rooted in Ohio and driven to make a difference in and around our state.

Thanks to our allies at Rooted in Hope for permission to share this compelling story of a woman who had reached a point in her life where she didn't want this to be her narrative, so she rewrote her story.

Maureen O'Conner is going through every parent's nightmare--the loss of a child. Her son Cody died after an opioid overdose and her world was shattered. After a time, she decided to write a book about her experience and filled it with prose, poetry, journal entries and stories. The book, titled Shadows of Me, is an honest exploration of what it took her to come back from such trauma and regain hope. It also includes pictures of shadows, which became a powerful metaphor in her search for meaning in the middle of this new, painful reality.

In this podcast espisode Maureen talks about Cody's journey alongside her own, and reads a moving passage about "hoodie girl" from her book, which marked a shift in her perspective. She also talks about the value of SMART Recovery's Family and Friends program, where she found community when she most needed it.

WARNING: this episode deals with traumatic events that may be difficult for some listeners.

Shadows of Me book

Crisis Line--988

Public policy work can sometimes be seen as too theoretical and detached from the real world of concerns about things like addictive behaviors and the consequences. In this conversation with Amber Lashbaugh we find out that practical application of public policy work amounts to more than just ideas. It can result in making resources more accessible and people able to work toward greater health of mind, body, and spirit.

Amber is co-president of the college based initiative Hoyas for Recovery, a SMART facilitator, community outreach worker, and is pursuing her master's degree in addiction policy and practice at Georgetown University. She combines lived experience with policy application with great success.

In this podcast we talk about her interest in political science, her personal recovery journey, working in the addiction field, and her involvement with SMART. We also touch on the concept of "decriminalizing survival," a more nuanced way of looking at how society treats woment who have substance use disorders.

Helpful links: Hoyas for Recovery

Amber's article in Ms. Magazine

Amber Lashbaugh LinkedIn

Dr. Amy Krentzman is an Associate Professor and Director of Research at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Her research interests include alcohol and other substance use disorders, positive psychology, spirituality, and journaling to support addiction recovery. Dr. Krentzman coauthored an article that was recently published in the Journal of Positive Psychology titled, Happiness with recovery from alcohol and substance use disorders predicts abstinence and treatment retention.

In this podcast Dr. Krentzman talks about her interest in the field of recovery, the results of her study of happiness, and the concept of "North of Neutral," which is a core principle in Positive psychology. This principle means that just trying to fix problems is not enough of a goal, instead it suggests that a person's well-being can extend into a state characterized by flourishing, pursuing passions, and finding a sense of meaning in life.

Helpful links:

Summary of Happiness With recovery research study

Positive Recovery Journaling

Dr. Amy Krentzman video on gratitude in recovery

As theory and practice evolve in both the addiction recovery and mental health fields there is a growing recognition of the intersection between treatment in both areas. One organization that has recognized this for quite some time is A Positive Alternative in Seattle. They are all about empowerment and choice for their clients and definitely subscribe to the view that recovery is not one size fits all.

In this episode we talk with their clinical director Kaitlyn Braile. She is a licensed mental health and substance use disorder counselor who received her training at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, developing a psychodynamic perspective that also incorporates her experience in community mental health settings. One fascination of Kaitlyn's is the area of motivation--how people both gain and lose it in the flow of making life changes.

Markita Renee is a dynamic recovery advocate, coach, sought after speaker, and SMART facilitator. She runs the national BIPOC meeting that has positively impacted so many. In this podcast, Markita talks about her personal recovery journey, the happy accident of finding SMART, her quest for knowledge, and the fact that her life is so full she has no time for negative pursuits.