SMART Recovery: what it is and how to use it before court
A free, structured program for anyone who wants to change a drinking, drug or other habit. What it involves, how to join this week, and how to prove attendance to the court.
SMART Recovery runs free weekly group meetings, in person across NSW and online, for anyone working on a habit they want to change. No referral, no diagnosis, no waiting list. Courts know it and take it seriously. Go this week, attend four to six sessions before sentence, and get a letter confirming your attendance.
- Find the nearest meeting or an online session and book itSection 2 of this guide
- Ask the facilitator at your first session for a letter confirming attendance for courtSection 4 of this guide
- Write one sentence in your apology letter about what the first session made you seeApology letter guide
If your use is a dependence rather than a habit, a group program on its own may not be enough, and the court will notice the mismatch. Read the guide on counselling and MERIT.
| Cost | Free |
| Referral | None needed |
| Format | 90-minute group meeting, weekly, trained facilitator |
| Where | Meetings across NSW and online any day of the week |
| Evidence | Attendance letter from the facilitator |
1What it is
Start here
SMART Recovery Australia runs mutual-support meetings based on cognitive behavioural techniques: identifying triggers, managing urges, weighing the costs and benefits of the habit, and building a plan for the week ahead. It is not religious and it is not built on abstinence as a condition of attending. Meetings are led by a trained facilitator, run about ninety minutes, and take between six and twelve people. You can speak or just listen.
Courts regard SMART attendance as evidence that a person has taken responsibility for the use behind an offence, because it is structured, independently run, and free, so nobody can say you bought a certificate.
2How to join
This week
Go to the SMART Recovery Australia website, search meetings by suburb or choose an online session, and turn up. Online meetings run most days including evenings and weekends. There is no intake, no assessment and no cost. If you are anxious about a first meeting, an online session where you can keep your camera off is a reasonable start.
3How many sessions
Before sentence
Four to six sessions before sentence is a reasonable target for a first-offence matter, and it is enough for the facilitator to describe your engagement rather than just your attendance. Begin the week you are charged. If sentence is sooner than that, attend what you can and tell the court you intend to continue; a program begun is worth more than none.
4Proving it
The letter
Ask the facilitator at the first session what they can provide for court. Most will write a short letter on SMART letterhead confirming your name, the meetings attended with dates, and a sentence about participation. A screenshot of an online booking is not enough. Tender the letter with your references, and refer to it in your submissions under the "other matters" heading.
Book a session for this week. Put the next four in your calendar.
General information only, not legal advice. NSW-specific. Every matter turns on its own facts and laws can change. Reading this guide does not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and the lawyers who produced it.