[Guest blog by SMART facilitator Austin Farrell]
November is a month of reflection and remembrance. It’s a time to honor veterans and first responders who have served their communities and country, as well as Indigenous peoples whose strength and endurance have carried culture and identity through generations of challenge and change.
SMART Recovery recognizes both groups during November, aligning with Veterans Day and Native American Heritage Month which are two observances that call us to remember courage, service, and the resilience that grows through hardship. These communities hold deep stories of strength, but also, often, of tragedy and trauma.
For many, that trauma doesn’t end when the battle does, or when a generation passes. It lingers in the body, in memory, and in the ways we try to cope. When pain isn’t given space or support, it often finds expression through avoidance, self medication, or other patterns that can feel impossible to escape.
Trauma doesn’t look the same for everyone. For some, it comes from a single overwhelming event. For others, it builds over time through chronic stress, systemic inequities, or generational wounds passed down in ways both visible and invisible. Veterans and first responders often carry the cumulative weight of crisis and loss. Indigenous communities continue to live with the ripple effects of colonization and cultural erasure.
These forms of trauma are different, but they share a common thread. They shape how we relate to ourselves, to others, and to the world. Left unaddressed, they can lead to cycles of avoidance, often by reaching for short term relief at the expense of long term wellbeing.
In SMART Recovery, we talk about how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. When trauma goes unprocessed, thoughts can become distorted: “I can’t handle this”, “Nothing will change”, “I deserve to feel this way”. Emotions grow heavy and urgent, and behaviors follow suit, often toward something that promises quick relief.
Over time, relief fades and shame grows. The cycle reinforces itself as pain leads to avoidance and avoidance deepens the pain. But the same human mind that learns these patterns can also unlearn them.
That’s where SMART’s tools come in. While SMART Recovery isn’t therapy and can’t replace professional care, its tools are practical and accessible starting points for anyone ready to break free from harmful cycles, especially for those without access to mental health resources.
For many of us, overcoming painful thoughts and emotions in healthy ways was never something we were shown. We grew up around people doing the best they could, often numbing pain or pushing through it rather than learning how to process it. The good news is that these skills can be learned, practiced, and modeled. When we use tools like SMART’s, we’re not just helping ourselves. We’re creating a living example of resilience for those who come after us. That’s how cycles begin to break.
Each tool is a small act of awareness and self direction, a step toward rebuilding trust with ourselves and creating a different way forward.
Trauma isolates, but recovery reconnects. SMART offers a community of people learning together, sharing tools, and supporting one another without judgment. Meetings are free and available online, removing barriers for anyone ready to build healthier habits and emotional resilience.
For veterans and first responders, that sense of shared mission can feel familiar, but this time, the mission is personal. It’s about building a life grounded in choice, awareness, and compassion. SMART also offers meetings exclusively for veterans and first responders, providing a space where shared experience fosters understanding, honesty, and connection.
For Indigenous communities and others healing from generational wounds, these tools can be adapted to honor cultural values and collective strength.
Healing from trauma isn’t about forgetting or pretending the pain never happened. It’s about learning to live fully with what’s real and to recognize that we can’t change the past. But we can change our relationship to it.
When we use the tools of SMART to face our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors with clarity and compassion, we begin to write the next chapter, not only for ourselves, but for those watching us learn how to heal. Every time we respond differently, every time we choose awareness over avoidance, we’re showing a new way to live.
No one heals in isolation. Healing begins when we take one small step toward awareness and support.
Join a SMART Recovery meeting, either locally or online, and explore the SMART Recovery Toolkit. Discover practical, evidence based tools that help build resilience, self understanding, and lasting change.
Healing isn’t about erasing what’s been. It’s about building what comes next.
SMART Recovery is a science- and evidence-informed program that provides educational and peer support to those who want to abstain and gain independence from all addictive behaviors, whether or not they involve alcohol or drugs. The program emphasizes building motivation and self-empowerment skills, employing strategies to control urges, managing thoughts at the root of addictive behaviors and living a healthy, balanced life. Go to the “Meetings” tab at www.smartrecovery.org to find an in-person or online meeting to attend.