My Recovery Story with SMART and Horizons – Bristol’s Drug & Alcohol Partnership

By: Rob Watson, Peer and Community Development Co-ordinator

Back in November 2021, when I stopped drinking, COVID meant I had to attend recovery groups online. I only spoke to my keyworker on the phone. Lockdown and my addiction had left me isolated.

So, when someone suggested I go to a face-to-face meeting I really did not want to. I just did not feel ready to see other people. But in the end, I knew something had to change. I was not comfortable being sober, and I could feel myself slipping back into old habits.

I made a snap decision to attend a SMART (Self-Management and Recovery Training) meeting one Tuesday evening in St Pauls. When I walked in and saw twenty strangers sitting there, I turned around and walked out. Luckily, the person running the meeting spotted me. They came over and gently persuaded me to stay making it clear I did not have to say anything if I did not want to.

In the end, I did speak a little, but mostly I just listened. Some people were still using alcohol. Others had been abstinent for months or even years. But everyone, no matter their background, had been through something similar. It was such a relief to hear others talk about the same struggles I had. And then they shared the skills and strategies they were learning to help them cope. For the first time since my detox, I felt connected to others.

SMART Recovery is all about connection. It is a group of people who have all experienced addiction, coming together to support each other and get well. It gives you a toolbox of strategies and skills. If you practice them, they can help motivate you to change and help you deal with cravings, manage your thoughts and feelings, and eventually live a more balanced life.

The meetings are welcoming, relaxed and friendly. We talk, and we share our challenges and our successes. We are free to disagree, but we always treat each other with kindness and understanding.

After going to SMART for eight months, I was asked to train as a facilitator. Since then, I have run two meetings a week in St Pauls. I have met hundreds of people through SMART. I truly admire every single one of them for the courage it takes to walk into a room for the very first time and admit they want to change their lives for the better. Taking that first step into a meeting can be daunting, but I hope my story shows it can also be the start of real and long-lasting change.

If you are looking for support and a community that understands, there is now a SMART meeting on Wednesdays at 2pm at Greenway Centre. This is run by Horizons – Bristol’s Drug and Alcohol Partnership, which Southmead Dev Trust are part of – Horizons now has a base here at Greenway Centre.

Everyone is invited to celebrate Horizons on Thursday 20th November, 4-7 pm – please see the invitation in the previous item.

For more info contact me, email: robwatson@horizonsbristol.co.uk, or call: 0117 950 3335 and leave me a message.