ENDING STIGMA
SMART partners with Rethink Addiction
SMART Recovery Australia joins Rethink Addiction campaign
With the ground-breaking SBS series, Addicted Australia currently airing, there has never been a better time to Rethink Addiction, according to Turning Point – one of the early adopters of the SMART Recovery program in Victoria.
Turning Point launched the Rethink Addiction campaign with a straightforward but crucial mission – to help transform Australia’s attitudes and approach towards addiction so we can form a national roadmap for change.
Rethink Addiction is an independent advocacy and education campaign that aims to increase community awareness about addiction and empower individuals to step forward and seek information, treatment, and support for themselves. The content distributed across the campaign’s dedicated website and social media channels, including evidence-based information and linkages to support, seeks to educate key stakeholders about the real facts and stories of addiction.
Rethink Addiction is a coalition of organisations advocating for a change to Australia’s attitude and response to addiction. It is a collaborative campaign that is strengthened by the collective knowledge of its supporters, including SMART Recovery Australia.
“SMART (Self Management and Recovery Training) is a mutual aid program that enables participants to understand and change the behaviours of concern to them. Guided by trained peers and professionals, participants come together to help themselves and each other with dignity, respect, compassion and non-judgement,” says SMART Recovery Australia Executive Director, Ryan McGlaughlin.
“SMART recognises drug use can become a major health issue and that stigma, shame and discrimination are all barriers to seeking help. We can do so much better. That is why we’ve joined the campaign to Rethink Addiction.”
SMART Recovery Australia and Turning Point have a partnership spanning many years. In 2014, a Commonwealth commissioned Turning Point report acknowledged that mutual support programs such as SMART were best practice for recovery from addiction.
You can check out the Rethink Addiction website here.
