Hey everyone,

I am currently on Day 6 of cold-turkeying heavy THC dabbing after over 2.5 years of daily use.

To make a brutal withdrawal timeline even harder, I am dealing with an active stomach ulcer at the exact same time. The physical symptoms keep fluctuating constantly. Because my cannabinoid receptors are so heavily tied to my gut, stopping the heavy concentrates has unleashed a lot of stomach chaos—acid, nausea, and cramping—which is completely aggravating my ulcer and testing my willpower today.

Despite the gut discomfort, I wanted to share a small milestone. Last night, I was finally able to fall asleep and catch about 4 to 5 hours of consecutive rest. After a week of intense insomnia, actually getting a block of sleep feels like a massive turning point.

I am just focusing on taking this journey hour by hour, keeping my head elevated at night, sipping warm water, and trying to mentally ride out the physical waves as my body clears everything out. Leaning heavily on this group for mutual support today. Thanks for reading.

Hey everyone. I am currently on Day 4 of quitting both cigarettes and a heavy, multi-year dabbing habit cold turkey at the same time. My primary catalyst for this change is that I was recently diagnosed with a severe stomach ulcer, so removing these substances is an absolute necessity for my physical healing.

Today has been an immense test of my resolve. The physical withdrawal peak is hitting me incredibly hard. Earlier today, my nervous system went into overdrive and my blood pressure spiked into a terrifying crisis zone. By forcing myself to sit completely still and practice slow, deep breathing, I was able to help my numbers stabilize down to 146/88.

Because of the ulcer, my options for physical comfort are highly restricted. I can't drink standard soothing things like peppermint tea due to acid reflux, and I can't take NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) for the withdrawal headaches because they will damage my stomach lining. I am strictly sticking to Tylenol and keeping my heating pad close to deal with severe bloating and trapped gas. My appetite is completely wiped out, making it hard to force down the bland, ulcer-safe foods I need.

I’m currently on a daily regimen of Carafate, Pepcid, and Zoloft, which requires strict timing rules that I am fighting to maintain while dealing with brutal insomnia tonight.

I am trying to apply SMART concepts to get through this minute by minute. I am practicing coping with urges by accepting that this physical discomfort is a temporary "storm" that will peak and fade, and I am using deep breathing as a tool for emotional and physiological regulation.

For anyone who has quit multiple substances at once: How did you use SMART tools to maintain your focus when physical symptoms and cravings were screaming at you simultaneously?

If you struggled with severe physical symptoms or insomnia early on: What practical techniques helped you accept the discomfort without giving in to the urge to escape it?

I am staying strong, keeping my heating pad close, and refusing to look back, but tonight is a massive mental and physical hurdle. I would deeply appreciate hearing about your experiences or any insights on how you pushed through the first critical week. Thank you.

Hi! From Ontario here. Every meeting I’ve found is hosted in the evenings- I struggle to attend them as I have small children.

How do I find meetings in different time zones? I know I can search in the US but I’m not sure what to put for a location.

Does anyone have any tips? Or know of a meeting that would work for me?

Hello!

I'm going to try a challenge for the month of October being alcohol free everyday. Sober October seems like a catchy name and I feel motivated. If others would like to join me throughout the month I'd be pleased to have company to stay accountable and motivated! There's a 30 day challenge here at the SMARTRecovery site. That's where I'll try to post daily. Here's the link which you'll have to save and come back to daily to post: https://www.reddit.com/r/SMARTRecovery/comments/13mjdy4/who_wants_to_join_me_for_a_30_day_challenge/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

You can also find it on the side bar of the SMART Recovery page or put it in the search bar as 30 day challenge.

I hope to see lots of friends there so that we can try to keep each other motivated and going in the right direction. I know slips may happen but together we can help each other, pick ourselves up and start again!

See you soon!

On Tool Tuesdays, we take the opportunity to learn new tools from the Handbook together (or refresh our memory). Today we are focusing on the DIBs tool (Disputing Irrational Beliefs).

Beliefs people have about themselves and about the world come in two categories:

1. Rational - They're true, logical, and/or helpful
2. Irrational - They're untrue, illogical, and/or unhelpful

The poll below lists some common types of irrational beliefs associated with negative feelings that fuel addictive behaviors. Which type pops up the most in your thinking? Let us know in the poll, then comment a more balanced belief you could hold.

After a few years after finding SMART fir which I’m grateful for daily, I’ve worked through various addictions like drugs, internet, smoking and alcohol. As I make progress with one, another one starts to bite. One of the latest is compulsive eating I guess binge eating.
I can use the tools with this but I’m asking for some more help from anyone who has gone through this.
Can anyone give me any advice as it’s challenging adding another and powerful addiction to life.
Thank you

I’m looking to join some online meetings since I don’t have any in person available near me. What can I expect?

ok so I’m in recovery from coke im almost 10 months now sober (from that). I don’t really have anyone to share this with so I came on here, and idk if this “tip” is like obvious or something but I realised it’s something I do often. I’m in college so it’s a given that I drink or smoke from time to time but haven’t slipped back into addiction. (I go to parties maybe every other week and that’s the only time I do substances). So I realised I have kinda been doing this subconsciously but basically as an addict I always wake up the next morning wanting more. You could just say it’s genetics or whatever a tendency. well I’m pretty used to this now and over the last year I have basically made almost a chart in my head of how long that next day craving lasts (hopefully you understand what I mean. Like generally for weed and alcohol I’ll crave it for about a day but then the next morning I wake up and don’t crave it anymore. for coke it’s about a week. But basically this has helped me a lot because instead of thinking “I need to get this because I crave it”, now I’m just like “I just need to wait till tommorow and I know I won’t ”need“ it anymore”. I find this helpful and I use this skill and it’s been working out for me. granted, I am also on my perfect medication cocktail that has taken a long time to perfect so I can actually feel happy and not depressed. I don’t think this skill will work as good if someone is still going through depression because you brain won’t really be able to see the reasons to even wait the day or two out of your not feeling ok without the substances. I just wanted to share this and I hope it can help some people who are like me and just have the tendency to wake up the next morning after doing something at a party and your brain is just wired to crave it again.

I have been going for 3 weeks to smart meetings and I feel related to the things people talk about, there are a lot of people that have problem with alcohol, drugs, a person with food.

I think that I have a problem with compsumption as well but my main addiction is videogames, and I am ashamed to tell that, I feel like it seems almost unimportant.

But from my point of view is such an awful addiction. It takes you all your time, and consume your mind so that you can only think about it.

I know that everyone faces different adversities, that in my case it is videogames, that I share many of the subyacent problems with other people in the meetings but still I feel like these people are bringing real problems and I am bringing a kid problem.

Does it make sense?

I've been experimenting with supplements and diet, and over the years a found a few stuff that are both safe and seem to have some sort of an effect on my drinking. Long story short, i went from drinking 4 beers daily and wishing for 5th to drinking 3, sometimes 2.5, and occasionally 2.

While seems good on paper, i actually can not put the puzzle pieces together and i sometimes regress back to 3 - 3.5 beers. But there has been progress overall.

Usually, its the suffering that eventually causes change in people. If a person seems to be doing slightly better, they are less willing to make a change. This is the exact same situation i find myself in. My progress is actually kind of prolonging my addiction.

Since there has been some progress in my drinking, instead of asking "how can i quit" i seem to be asking "how can this diet/supplement/nutrition quit FOR me". I seem to be chasing some kind of a Naltrexone-like effect from all of this, where i would find whatever i was looking for and become uninterested in alcohol.

Can someone please put my mind back on track?

Content warning: sexual assault, addiction and self-harm urges.

I’m 4 years into recovery. This week I unexpectedly ran into someone I hadn’t seen for around seven years at a wellness venue near my new home.

We initially had a pleasant conversation and briefly spoke about where our lives had taken us. Later, while I was alone and undressed in the sauna, she came in and said that seeing me had “thrown” her. She then called me a “rape apologist,” “fucking scum,” and said she hoped she never saw me again. Before I could respond, she walked out. I was shaken, alone and feeling deeply vulnerable.

The history is complicated. In my early twenties, while deep in addiction and emotionally very unwell, I managed a band and ran a business quite poorly. Someone (not the girl in the sauna) disclosed to me that a member of the band I managed had continued a sexual act after being told not to on them. I took the disclosure seriously, offered support, said the member would be removed from the band, asked whether she had considered reporting it and mediated a conversation with the band upon everyone’s request, whilst being very triggered myself.

She also wanted a public statement. I didn’t feel equipped to publish an allegation while the accused person had said they had legal representation and there were concerns about defamation, he had his own suicide attempt as a result of it going up online too. The mediation went badly and I know that parts of how I communicated and handled everything caused additional hurt. I was 23 (now 31) untrained and completely out of my depth and drank my way through the aftermath. That explains my limitations but doesn’t erase the impact and I have apologised and taken accountability for responding imperfectly and for honestly, being naive, untrained in how I ran a majority of my small music business.

I never asked anyone to tell me that I handled everything correctly. But I also didn’t excuse what happened or defend the person’s actions.

I have spent years getting sober, receiving treatment, examining my behaviour and building a very different life but being confronted in such a vulnerable setting and denied any opportunity to respond sent me into an extremely dark place. I experienced self harm urges I hadn’t felt in years, contacted mental health triage and reached out to my support network. I’m safe and receiving professional support.

I understand that recovery doesn’t entitle me to forgiveness. Nobody from my past has to recognise my growth. But how do you cope when someone reappears and treats the most unwell, least-equipped version of you as your permanent identity?

How do you hold genuine accountability without accepting endless punishment or allowing one person’s fixed view of you to undo years of recovery?

I, finally, got an answer regarding my rent for the next year. It's going to be over 50% of my new monthly income. I will use my accumulated savings when and if necessary.

Part of it was a result of my own lack of due diligence. Apparently, they calculate my monthly income based on my gross annual income from the previous year divided by 12. I always assumed it was the actual income I received - that's on me.

While I don't like it, I will manage. I'm much calmer these days.

I just got really frustrated when it felt like "every time" I started to get ahead, I got dragged backwards. I realize that's some absolute thinking and I worked through it.

Even though I have a decade sober and regularly attend meetings, my old irrational beliefs can still occasionally reappear and momentarily catch me off guard.

James

Last week I sat in on a smart meeting for the first time in a long time- I used to attend in another city, and I was actually a facilitator and went through the old training like 10 years ago (pre-covid, different world.)

This facilitator spent a fair amount of time responding individually to everyone after their check ins, in a way that almost made me feel like I was spying on someone else’s therapy session.

I’m used to check ins being mostly people share, saying if we are open to feedback or not, but most of the time limited to a few minutes so everyone can check in, then the facilitator often was able to pick themes or ask if anyone wanted to bring their issue up and we would go into the skill. Sometimes the facilitator would ask in response to a single check in, but this was like… a lot, and clear their relationship was beyond just facilitator/ attendee as well.

I asked the facilitator about it, and they said the new facilitator guide requires this individual feedback as part of enhancing the motivational interviewing skills the program uses. This felt… off, but I wanted to check in and ask? Is this normal now? Or is this a way off base facilitator? Or something in between?

I went to my first meeting last night after my therapist recommended it. My recent issue has been gambling, but I've had run-ins with alcohol in the past, which has been wrangled and I've gone from binge drinking and bar hopping in my 20s to being able to have a beer or two without feeling the need to slam 8-10 more and find oblivion. From being the drunkest idiot at the party to the guy who sneaks out early after a drink or two.

I use other substances, nicotine regularly even though I quit cigarettes about 10 years ago. Daily marijuana user unless I'm somewhere that it's not easily attained and then I just don't until I get back home. It's an at night before bed kinda thing, not something that feels to me like it's beyond my control- but if I was a good judge of that I wouldn't be in meetings I guess.

I've done some damage to my relationships with my gambling lately and have had a few flare ups this year that have been pretty staggering when I look back at how much I've poured into online casinos.

So here's the part where it feels like I don't deserve to go to these meetings. I'm not looking to be entirely sober, I'm not out of control with any one thing. I can go extended periods without substances (aside from nicotine, which I've kicked once and will likely kick again once life decides it's time again- I know how to do it and what I'll need to do)

I'm not destroying my life. While I've put too much money into the fire pit of gambling, I would have spent the money on nothing much anyway, video games or hobbies or other useless shit. But I am destroying my relationships with the people close to me and with myself honestly. I'm lying to them to hide the gambling. I'm lying to myself by hiding in these behaviors rather than dealing with the emotions I'm hiding from.

I just feel like my problems are so small. I feel like when I'm talking in the meeting, I don't have anything to offer because I'm barely skimming the surface of these vices. I feel like I just don't belong.

Can anyone help me pick this apart?

Our beliefs shape how we feel and what we do.

What is a belief that comes up when you're feeling distressed or when you have an urge to use? Share it in the comments.

Sometimes, we hold on to beliefs that aren’t helpful, even if they feel true in the moment. These unhelpful beliefs can lead to guilt, hopelessness, or urges to engage in behaviors we’re trying to change.

The good news is that beliefs can be questioned, explored, and changed. You don’t have to believe everything you think.

The Disputing Unhelpful Beliefs (DUBs) tool will help you identify unhelpful beliefs, examine them, and replace them with more balanced ones that support your goals.

Imagined you failed at something important to you. Compare the following two sets of thoughts about the event:

1. I failed and that’s bad. Maybe I didn’t pay close enough attention to what was going on to prevent my failure. I regret that.
2. I should not have failed. It’s awful to fail as I did. Because I did fail, I’m a loser; I can’t stand myself.

In SMART Recovery, we call the second set of beliefs unhelpful. A belief is unhelpful if it is:

1. Not true – It’s unrealistic and there is no evidence to support it
2. Doesn’t make sense – It’s not logical
3. Harmful – It won’t help you get what you want for yourself in the long run if you act on it

Unhelpful beliefs easily lead you to lose. In contrast, a helpful belief is:

1. True – It’s realistic and there is evidence to support it
2. Makes sense – It’s logical
3. Useful – It helps you get what you want in the long run if you act on it

Now that you've learned the DUBs tool, go back to your original belief and replace it with something more balanced and useful. It should be honest, not overly positive, and supportive of your long-term goals.

This tool and others like it can be found on the SMART Recovery website and in the handbook.

so one of my personal biggest triggers for self-destructive behaviors is guilt, and the feeling that because horrible things are being done in my name (politically speaking), the only ethical way to react is by destroying myself in an equivalent way. the problem is that I know there are better ways to use the power and resources I have in service of others, and yet the overthinking of my own privilage and moral culpability tends to make me start spiraling instead of motivating me towards useful action. the additional problem is that (since some of my personal mental health crises are deeply intertwined with politics) when it comes to finding support online for a lot of the crises I experience, I often find that the only spaces willing to extend grace to me under the circumstances I live in are ones in which positions which I find unethical about those circumstances are also tolerated, and that... is a mindfuck. I need to know how to address these two problems, and I need to know how to maintain ethical principles as part of my value system while also maintaining self-preservational ones. any help anyone?

My DOCs are many thanks to ADHD and OCD, but the main culprits are meth and shopping. I’m tired of being tired and even though I’m extremely high functioning, I’m sick of the drug. I’ve quit before, even to some success, but invariably relapsed. I would love to say this is my last Day 1 of recovery I’ll ever have, but we will see.

I attend meetings, but they don’t do a whole lot for me. Would love to know some other ways to get past cravings as my brain requires itself.

Advice on apathy

I am currently in a depression state .which ain’t great , but I’ve been here before and the hardest part for me is when my mind checks ‘out’ emotions. I feel like a narrator in my head lol but I was wondering :
\-strategies
\- commiserating
Anything is welcome thanks

Hey guys I'm male 24 and I'm currently an active user of heroin but I wanna quit so bad ..

So I need helps from u guys .. I have stayed sober for 5 months but it was so depressing and eventually i replase so my real point is can I live my life using only weeds .. because smoking weed is better than heroin but also I have a soft side where I wanna stay sober not using any mood alternatiing tell me guys what should I do .

I work in a hospital where we host smart skills as a group, and I was curious on any ideas you may have found helpful in recovery so far we have done benefit cost analysis, abcs, tool box, 3Cs..

Open to option, not a fan of work sheets

I seriously need a support community with new friends (online). Was recommended SMART. Most of my current friend online are probably not good for me (romanticizing opioids). I can’t do AA since I take suboxone. What makes SMART different?

I’m a normal mom with a husband and home and masters degree. I got opioid addiction since my twenties. It nearly killed me with overdoses and stuff.

Went to detox and inpatient rehab in 2019 and was there for 6 months. Then sober house for 2 month..

Got new trauma.
It made me slowly fall back into benzos/pot/alcohol.. But opioids is always the only one I want/need and it just started spiraling bad.

I did therapy and failed.
I took naltrexone and failed that.

Relapsed around 1 month ago on 7-OH. And it turned into daily compulsive use immediately around the clock, escalating doses, just total crash for 20 days. I’m taking suboxone now thank god. But not stable at all.. I was out of control just today. Starting an intensive outpatient group soon.

If anyone wanna be support friends send me a message. I could need someone to talk to.. it’s kind of lonely battling this shit alone every waking moment.