Chuck Novak’s life hasn’t always been easy. A substance use problem led to five years in prison. While incarcerated, Chuck decided to use his time to change his life for the better. He earned a paralegal certificate and started on a path to recovery. Today, Chuck is a Master Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor and a SMART Recovery Regional Coordinator in New Hampshire.
In the podcast, Chuck talks about:
- His experiences with addiction and being incarcerated
- How simple decisions were difficult after being released
- Changing the vocabulary for returning citizens
- How he became interested in becoming a counselor
- Using SMART tools within the tools during his meetings
- The role of regional coordinators is morphing
- Implementing “Operation Bed Bug”
- How the InsideOut: A SMART Recovery Correctional Program® aligns with the Federal Bureau of Prisons programing
- Consulting for the Drug and Mental Health Courts in New Hampshire
- Learning how to do life
- Discovering there is Life Beyond Addiction
Additional resources:
- Successful Life Skills
- 25 in 25 Volunteer Spotlight: Chuck Novak
- Tom Horvath
- DISARM Tool
- ABC Tool
- Hierarchy of Values (HOV) tool
- Irrational beliefs
- Lifestyle Balance
- Vital Absorbing Creative Interest (VACI)
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
- Books by Viktor Frankl
- Albert Ellis Institute
- Becoming a SMART volunteer
Click here to find all of SMART Recovery’s podcasts
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If you are interested in addiction recovery support, we encourage you to visit the SMART Recovery website.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you or someone you love is in great distress and considering self-harm, please call 911 for immediate help, or reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Hotline @ 800-273-8255, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
We look forward to you joining the conversation!
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![[Podcast] Growing into someone I never thought I could be](https://smartrecovery.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Gee-Podcast-Tile-1-2.png)
