When seeking rehab treatment for yourself or a family member, you run across many options and new treatment methods. Some of these describe the type of treatment you receive at certain facilities. Examples include SMART Recovery and 12-step treatment. What differences exist between SMART Recovery vs 12 step programs?
SMART Recovery vs 12 Step
The 12 steps have long dominated the addiction recovery and treatment scene. The 12 steps, also called AA by some, involves helping yourself through a series of steps that take you into sobriety. Each step gets you closer to better health without substance abuse. If you slip in your sobriety, you go back to managing your steps.
The 12 steps also look to a higher power for healing. This means people in 12 step recovery programs maintain a certain spirituality that many people do not feel comfortable relating to in treatment. In the past, people needing healing in sobriety found few alternatives to the 12 steps. But now, you benefit from having other choices.
In the question of SMART recovery vs 12 step, SMART programs provide a 12 step alternative. People who disagree with the basics of the 12 steps or feel uncomfortable in that type of treatment often turn to a SMART recovery program. Of course, whichever type of program you choose, the most important thing is simply getting help from your choice of rehabs.
What is the SMART Recovery Program?
SMART recovery stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training. This program turns more to therapy than AA. One of the most prominent inclusions of SMART treatment is group therapy. The leaders of group therapies in SMART programs undergo extensive training before working with people seeking lasting sobriety, unlike the non-expert leaders of the 12 steps.
SMART recovery focuses on four points. These include:
- Enhance and maintain your motivation to stop abusing substances
- Cope with your cravings or urges
- Manage your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings
- Balance momentary and long-term satisfaction
In SMART recovery you forge your own path to wellness. You shape your own future. This differs from that belief of AA that a higher power guides you.
Make the Right Choice for Your Future with Morningside Recovery
Of course, the choice of SMART recovery vs 12 step comes down to you. If you want non 12 step rehab, it’s available through certain treatment facilities. Ask questions before entering rehab and review the rehab’s information to know it is a right fit. Once you find the right fit, your sobriety becomes much more accessible.
In SMART recovery you gain help from a range of rehab treatment approaches, particularly group therapy and other therapy programs. These include:
- Supervised detox
- Residential and IOP rehab treatment
- Individual, group and family therapy
- Holistic approaches
- Experiential therapy
- Adventure therapy
- Talk therapies
Morningside Recovery in Orange County, CA provides non-12-step rehab programs. Call Morningside Recovery now at 855-631-2135 for more information about SMART recovery vs 12 step. We will help you take the first steps towards making better choices, every day.
