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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I loved “Get Smart”. What a great name. Thanks, Chuck. This was inspirational for me. I lead a SMART Family and Friends meeting in WA. I found this encouraging to me for expanding my role. Some of my “People” live in a different state — a reason that Zoom has actually expanded the reach of SMART. I’m encouraging others to take the course so we can expand the value SMART is able to share in the world.