Building a Life That Works – A SMART Recovery Story
By: Elisa Marie Cordova, CPFS, SOR Peer Coach, Serenity Recovery Connection
My journey into recovery didn’t begin with substances alone. It began with a growing awareness that something in my life wasn’t working. Long before I ever addressed my
substance use, I was caught in patterns of toxic thinking, emotional reactivity, and impulsive decisions that quietly shaped my daily life. I would tell myself I’d do better, react differently, or make healthier choices, but I kept finding myself back in the same cycles.
Over time, those patterns took a toll. I struggled with guilt, shame, and a constant sense of being out of
control. My relationships suffered. My confidence eroded. And maybe the hardest part was the belief that this
was just who I was—that lasting change wasn’t really possible for me.
Like many people struggling with addiction and mental health challenges, I felt stuck between wanting something better and not knowing how to get there.
That tension between where I was and where I wanted to be eventually became too loud to ignore. When I found SMART Recovery at Serenity Recovery Connection (SRC), everything began to shift.
Finding SMART Recovery at Serenity Recovery Connection
What stood out immediately was that SMART Recovery didn’t define me by my past or label me by my struggles. Instead, it offered a science-based, self-empowering approach to addiction recovery that focused on practical tools I could actually use in real life. I wasn’t told what to believe. Instead, I was given a framework to explore what worked for me.
SMART Recovery offered something I hadn’t experienced before: a framework that helped me understand, not just manage, my thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
What is SMART Recovery? A Practical, Science-based Approach
SMART Recovery (Self-Management and Recovery Training) is a non-12-step recovery program that helps individuals build the skills needed for long-term recovery from
addiction. SMART Recovery is built around a 4-Point Program® that helps individuals:
- Build and maintain motivation for change
- Cope with urges and cravings
- Manage thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
- Create a balanced, meaningful life
Through this approach, I learned skills rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing, which helped me understand the connection
among my thoughts, emotions, and actions. Instead of reacting automatically, I began to pause, reflect, and choose differently.
I learned how to: - Challenge unhelpful beliefs that kept me stuck
- Navigate triggers and cravings without acting on them
- Regulate emotions in high-stress moments
- Replace self-defeating patterns with constructive, values-driven choices
This wasn’t about perfection. It was about progress.
Learning to Manage Thoughts, Emotions, and Triggers
Recovery became less about fixing something broken and more about building a life that actually worked for me. As I applied what I was learning, I started to experience clarity, confidence, and a growing sense of purpose.
I began making choices that aligned with my values, strengthening relationships, and creating a more balanced life. This is what long-term recovery and sobriety started to look like—not just abstaining, but truly living.
From Personal Recovery to Helping Others
Today, I’m proud to be living in recovery and sobriety, not as a destination, but as an
ongoing process.
What started as a personal journey has become a passion. As a Peer Recovery Coach and SMART Recovery Facilitator, I now support others navigating their own recovery from substance use and co-occurring mental health challenges.
I aim to create a space that is:
•Judgment-free
•Strengths-based
•Practical and solution-focused
At Serenity Recovery Connection, we believe in multiple pathways to recovery, including SMART Recovery, and we meet people wherever they are in their journey.
Recovery Is Possible—And It’s Personal
Because I know this firsthand:
Change is possible.
Growth is possible.
And recovery isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about becoming who you were always capable of being.
Recovery didn’t just change my life. It gave me purpose.
And today, that purpose is helping others find their own path to recovery, resilience, and lasting transformation.
Looking for SMART Recovery or Peer Support in Colorado?
If you’re searching for:
- SMART Recovery meetings near you
- Non-12-step addiction recovery programs
- Peer recovery coaching in Colorado
- Support for substance use, mental health, or sobriety
Serenity Recovery Connection offers peer-led, nonclinical recovery support designed to meet you where you are. Recovery that fits your life.
