SMART Recovery® Podcast
Episodes
A Brave New World of AI Recovery
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The range of recovery support has been expanding rapidly at the intersection of an individual's personal experience and the larger world of AI recover...
Considering Problem Gambling Awareness Month
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
March is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month, an annual campaign aimed at increasing awareness of gambling-related risks, reducing stigma, and p...
Helping Family & Friends in Recovery
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Karen Bernetti is founder of Mindful Family Recovery, an organization dedicated to family recovery coaching, workshops, and building a supportive comm...
SMART Tools Changed My Life with Joel Walkowski
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Joel Walkowski facilitates SMART meetings in New York city, and is a huge proponent of using the practical tools that SMART provides as an effective w...
All About the New and Improved SMART Facilitator Training!
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After a ton of hard work, SMART Recovery completely revised our training program under the leadership of Gus Curran, SMART's Senior Director of Traini...
All in the Family Recovery
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Jones is a licensed professional counselor who focuses on helping families navigate the road to recovery. He firmly believes that when families c...
Supercharge Your Recovery with Rick Kuplinski
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 sinc...
Talking Research with Dr. Sarah Zemore and Pete Rubinas
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 informatio...
I Look People in the Eyes...
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dre Richards is a SMART Facilitator in Edmonton, Canada. He also is the Executive Director and Founder of Healthy Aligined Living, a community agency ...
Rooted In Hope Podcast featuring SMART's Jasmine Hilbert
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
SMART Recovery's Director of Outreach, Jasmine Hilbert, recently appeared on an Ohio-based podcast to share her recovery journey. In this special coll...
Hope Wasn't Done with Me
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 shattere...
Public Policy is More Than Just ideas
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Dr. Amy Krentzman Aims For North of Neutral
28 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Amy Krentzman is an Associate Professor and Director of Research at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Her research interests inc...
A Fascination With Motivation
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As theory and practice evolve in both the addiction recovery and mental health fields there is a growing recognition of the intersection between treat...
Creating a Life That Doesn't Have Room for Substances
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Markita Renee is a dynamic recovery advocate, coach, sought after speaker, and SMART facilitator. She runs the national BIPOC meeting that has positiv...
What are SMART's Volunteer Support Coordinators?
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Great question! In a nutshell, Volunteer Support Coordinators (VSCs) are experienced SMART Recovery volunteers dedicated to mentoring and supporting m...
We're Here for You When You're Ready!
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wheeler is a nonprofit agency that provides comprehensive human services across the state of Connecticut. Their vision is, "All people will have the ...
SMART Recovery is Not Cringey or Lame
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When college student April Lombard first considered checking out a SMART Recovery meeting on her LSU campus, she worried that it would be both cringey...
Love Yourself Ferociously
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Laurel is the Founder and Executive Director of Savage Sisters Recovery, a nonprofit outreach and education organization focused on reducing th...
Holding Space For Choice
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There is a well documented connection between problematic substance use and mental health conditions. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we ...
The Many Dimensions of Collegiate Recovery
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
College age youth often experiment with new behaviors when they perceive they have less formal restrictions, and Millie Goins knows all about it. She ...
Making It YOUR Choice
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Naltrexone has been used to treat alcohol use disorder for 30 years, ever since researcher Dr. Joseph Volpicelli identified its effectiveness. In this...
Science Plus Kindness Equals Change
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Carrie Wilkens is the Co-founder and Partner of the Center for Motivation and Change, a group practice of dedicated clinicians and researchers who re...
That Knowing Smile
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rebekah Robertson is a SMART facilitator in Columbia Missouri who found the program after a family member entered treatment for an addictive behavior....
Where Passion and Purpose Collide
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nichole "Nikki" Lowder is a Program Manager at the South Carolina Department of Corrections. She brings both her lived experience and professional ...
SMART Spirit: Dr. Joe Gerstein on Secular Conversions
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For more than 30 years Dr. Joseph Gerstein has been collecting stories from SMART participants about powerful emotional experiences related to their r...
Psychedelic Assisted Therapy: Research and Practice
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Michael DeMarco is a licensed mental health and family therapist and has pursued additional training in the use of psychedelic medicines for those...
Living a Big and Beautiful Life
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Samantha Harte was managing a busy life in recovery when tragedy struck close to home, causing her to question her whole approach to living. She d...
Can AI Be A Pathway To Recovery?
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
SMART believes there are multiple pathways to recovery...but does that go as far as including the use of intelligent retrieval technology, aka artific...
Everyone Can Find Their Way Back
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Padlo only went to the college recruiting event for the promise of free food at his favorite restaurant. It turned out that no food was served, b...
A Revolución in Recovery
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Angelo Lagares is the Founder and Director of Latino Recovery Advocates (LARA), a nonprofit organization that works to make policy changes that will ...
Yaya Por Vida: Healing, Honoring, Helping
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Yamila Rollan Escalona is the founder of the nonprofit Yaya Por Vida, an organization that helps those struggling with substance use in southeast Flor...
National Recovery Month Overview With Keegan Wicks
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Keegan Wicks brings both lived experience and professional expertise to his role as National Advocacy and Outreach Manager for Faces & Voices of Reco...
Getting Help for Financial Stress Caused by Problem Gambling
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alex De Marco is no stranger to financial distress. Childhood experiences and ill-advised business ventures convinced him that financial education, as...
Many Directions Lead To Recovery
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Maureen Greeley's journey to the head of the nationally recognized Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling (ECPG) included stops at the San Diego Zoo, a...
Tools For Change
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Christopher Toomey is a SMART Facilitator in Gulfport Mississippi. After years spent in active addiction, he realized he needed to make changes. As a ...
Problem Gambling--The Stakes Are Getting Higher
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jody Bechtold is the CEO of The Better Institute and an Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor. She is co-author of the Gambling Disorder Tre...
Recovery Band Camp: A Moveable, Musical Feast
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
David Nooks is a Peer Recovery Support Specialist at the Foundation for Recovery in Las Vegas. He is also a musician who believes in the healing power...
Searching for Resilience and Grit
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The term "wellness" is thrown around in the context of many different things, including in the world of recovey from substance and behavioral disorder...
Learning to Change My Thinking
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
DeeAnna Nichols is a Certified Peer Support Specialist at ChangePoint Behavioral Health in Lewiston Idaho. Her recovery journey changed significantly ...
Taking Back Our Power of Choice
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Marcum is a licensed professional counselor at the VA, and a former Army sniper. By his own admission he changed "countries, continents, and c...
Meeting People as Individuals
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA) is a statewide nonprofit agency that focuses on connection between people in recovery and th...
Because Recovery is Not One Size Fits All
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Minnesota Recovery Options Act has recently been introduced as a means to require courts to provide a secular alternative for individuals ordered ...
Holding Hope For Your Wellness
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Compassion fatigue is real. It refers to circumstances where caregivers, professional or volunteer, become mentally, emotionally, and physically exha...
Peer Recovery Coaches in Action
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Including lived experience in a recovery ecosystem often adds an effective dimension of support for those trying to make changes in their lives. The f...
Getting Treatment for Compulsive Gambling
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Billy Hoffman works with compulsive gamblers as a certfied counselor. His lived experience and clinical skills combine to provide hope for those who h...
What is Mindfulness-Based Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy?
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SMART Recovery is based on cognitive tools rooted in addressing how we think and react to life circumstances. For therapist Bruce Burleson, combining...
Making the Decision for Myself
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jan Folk was a high powered businesswoman for years, battling sexism in the male-dominated insurance industry. At the same time she was struggling wit...
Activate Happy
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Keith Johnston is the Founder and Executive Director of Running2bwell, a nonprofit organization that helps those struggling with mental health and/or ...
Figuring Out My Relationship To Alcohol
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Hunt-Glassman struggled with drinking too much for years, and tried many ways of changing his relationship to alcohol. But it wasn't until a ...
Sober Not Boring
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Courtney Anderson insists on having plenty of fun in life. After she quit drinking, she wasn't quite sure what that really meant or how to make it hap...
Hope is Real: National Recovery Month 2023
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
September is National Recovery Month and we welcome Keegan Wicks to the podcast. Keegan is the National Advocacy and Outreach Manager for Faces & Voic...
SMART's Family & Friends Program: Navigating Life with Compassion
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Besides being SRUSA's Executive Director, Pete Rubinas is a SMART Family & Friends meeting facilitator. He says he reaps many benefits by joining with...
Contingency Management Works!
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Steven Proctor is the founder and principal consultant of PRO Health Group and a Senior Program Director for Thriving Mind South Florida. He is a...
Healing From The Skies
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tammah Watts is a licensed therapist, certified outdoor guide, and SMART Recovery facilitator in San Diego. Her active lifestyle came to a screeching ...
Stay Curious
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Alison Beck is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist based in the School of Psychology, University of Wollongong in Australia....
A Reddit Community for SMARTies
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Carolyn Straub moderates a thriving online community for those interested in SMART on the social media platform Reddit. She enjoys helping others enga...
Inform, Educate, Advocate...Repeat!
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Greater Cleveland Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI GC) has spent years providing education and advocacy on behalf of indiv...
We're All Recovering From Something
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Killian Noe and Dr. Ruby Takushi co-founded the first Recovery Cafe in Seattle in 2004, envisioning a healing space for people who have experienced tr...