Hi everyone,
Does anyone know the main differences between AA and SMART. Are all AA groups religious, or deal a little with religion? I know I can also look online which I will but thought I’d ask here too.
No, AA groups are not religious. There’s a ‘spiritual’ aspect and ‘god’ or ‘higher power’ are tossed around as short hand, but it’s left to you to figure out whatever those mean for you. There’s plenty of athiests and agnostics there to go around though how many varies from group to group as it does anywhere.
SMART doesn’t go into that part at all and reminds me quite a lot of group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with a focus on recovery from addiction.
Both have lots to offer! I know for me not drinking took some real mental rewiring. As an agnostic I’ve found both CBT and AA extremely helpful.
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Regardless of the difference between the two either of them will get you sober if you put in the work and follow suggestions!
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AA for me is sharing your experiences with alcohol, how you’re dealing with them now and how you’re going to get better by using the 12 step process. Every meeting I’ve gone to hasn’t pushed any type of religion but mention to accept there’s a higher power greater than we are as we see or view to help us get through our disease. SMART recovery for me is utilizing the tools they give you from a science, fact based side of cognitive behavior in a cross talk group therapy setting. They use no labels with your addiction and call them maladaptive behaviors that hinder us in becoming the human we were meant to be. They help stray away from past experiences and focus on the present, giving positive feedback in our day to day lives. SMART, in my opinion, is more of a progressive type program, where as with AA they tend to focus on rituals, experiences and wisdom.
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Solid post 
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I have a Big Book on my nightstand right now.
AA is definitely most prevalent. Sharing experiences is helpful and important because it’s nice to identify and know other people understand.
I’ve listened to maybe a hundred speaker meetings. It definitely feels like and comes off like its own religion. Passages of the Book are quoted like scripture. The book itself isn’t that profound… Maybe it was in the 1930s.
There are plenty of religious references (yeah yeah higher power is whatever you want) - the concept of a God you can pray to that saves you is super obviously Christian and anyone who says otherwise is yanking your chain hard.
AA is successful because it gives the group understanding, and in most places it’s the only game in town, but I think any group therapy would do just as well. If you find Smart more appealing, that should work.
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Id rather go to a meeting and share with people who have the same addiction that i have . im going to shout this AA ISNT RELIGIOUS , Smart came to scotland 1996 and AA came her in 1956 ,i was ten years sober when smart showed up so AA saved my life couldnt wait another ten years lol but if it works then fine . keep on trucking
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I think another important difference is that there aren’t very many SMART meetings. If you find yourself in a tough spot you can’t just go to the next meeting, because it’s probably not today. I have seen some people use both. If my recovery looked different I would probably go that route.
I’m not a big fan of the fact that SMART discounts the term “addict”. It’s fine if you don’t want to use that word, you don’t have to in AA if you don’t want to either, but to not let people use the word? Also, they seem to make light of relapse, which for this addict would be the death of me. I need to know that drinking or using is a big fucking deal. Take this with a grain of salt, I’ve never attended a SMART meeting, nor have I been to AA outside of being hospitalized. I have utilized the SMART handbook and the AA big book in my program, I don’t have a preference. I think the Big Book is more relevant with a group of people attached to it, where as the SMART handbook makes me way overthink things that don’t need to be over thought. I’ve tried intellectualizing my addiction more times than I can count, with horrible results.
So, maybe at heart I’m really for AA.
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AA is a spiritual program. Very much so. I see it minimized when our program is explained and it really shouldn’t be. Our step work is filled with a higher power or God of OUR UNDERSTANDING.
The program, however, is not religious. 
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Hi, all I will recommend is to try out and read up as many sources of help as you can. We all orientate towards our own paths that work. Also on this site is a thread Resources for our recovery with a variety of things to consider.
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