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Question: What Is The Activities Used In The Program To Help The Participants? Answer: Introducation Substance abuse is a growing societal problem in Australia that has raised concerns among healthcare workers. With the number of drug abusers in the country increasing, dependence on drugs among the youth has grown dramatically. In 2015, National Drug Strategy Household Survey reported that over 15% of Australians had used illicit drugs in the last 12 months (Stanesby, 2017). Some parts of the country such as South Australia have more drug abusers than others. Some of the most commonly used illicit drugs in the country include cannabis, alcohol, amphetamine, and ecstasy. The number of males using illicit drugs was higher than that of females. Substance use was reported to be higher among people aged 18 to 29 years than in other age groups (Daley, 2016). Drug abuse among the youth in Australia is a major health problem due to its health effects. Several drug-related deaths have been reported indicating the growing issue of drug dependence among Australians. Several drug rehabilitation programs have been established in the country to help people with drug problems. One key program is SMART (Self-management and Recovery Training) program. The program was implemented to help people with addictive problems such as drug dependence, sex addiction, gambling, etc. (Recovery, 2011). SMART recovery program is designed to be a mutual-aid program that provides a conducive place where people can connect and try to assess and change their addictive behaviors which are harming them and their families/friends. Group participation is a fundamental component of the program in which participants can help themselves and assist others with addiction problems. The program is helpful for changing various addictive behaviors such as problematic drinking, substance abuse, sex, internet addiction, and other associated behaviors (anger, depression, and anxiety). The SMART recovery program is solution-oriented and incorporates evidence-based tools and Cognitive-Be havioral Therapy (CBT) techniques to help people to change their addictive behaviors. The program involves various activities and techniques which are designed to enable participants to change their behavior and enhance their health outcomes (Horvath, 2012). The first activity involves identifying the benefits and drawbacks of the problematic behavior. Counsellors and health professionals work with participants in groups to help them assess how their behavior affects them. This includes defining how the participants gain value from the habit as well as evaluating how it harms them. In the second activity, participants have to recognize triggers that influence them to abuse drugs, engage in particular activities, etc. Identifying these triggers is important as it helps the participants to know factors that contribute to their addictive behaviors. Next, the participants have to evaluate the consequences of their behavior. This involves determining the impacts of the addictive behavior on their health and people around them. This gives the participants a clear overview o f the consequences of their behavior which serves as an incentive for change. Having determined the triggers and impacts of their behavior, health professionals help participants to craft a plan to cope with craving and urges. In this step, the participants develop strategies they will apply in their daily lives to ensure they stay away from substance use. Some of the strategies include staying away from bad company, getting rid of drug paraphernalia, etc. Next, the participants develop achievable goals that they have to realize in the course of their recovery. These goals may include reducing the number of cigarettes smoked on a daily basis, reducing alcohol intake, etc. The goals enable the participants to focus on changing their addictive behaviors. Health professionals involved in the program use the goals to track the progress of the participants (Litwicki, 2014). SMART Recovery programs involve 90-minute meetings held once a week (Adamson, 2011). The meetings are run by a facilitator who is a health care professional and is trained to run the recovery program. An emphasis in the meeting is placed on the addictive behavior instead of the substance abused. By focusing on the behavior, the program can benefit people with a dependence on various drugs such as cannabis, alcohol, heroin, meth, etc. As such, the program is effective as an aftercare health program aimed at preventing participants from relapsing. In the program, participants identify behavior change goals and develop a weekly plan. The meetings concentrate on the present instead of the past in order to help participants to make decisions that will improve their health in the future (Kelly, 2015). Additionally, health professionals involved in the program help the participants to learn how to apply evidence-based tools in order to change their addictive behaviors. Implementation of SMART recovery program requires several resources which have to be coordinated to realize the expected outcomes. Critical resources include health professionals with expertise in the addiction field, conducive meeting place, training materials, and meeting schedule. Since the program is based on scientific evidence, it can only be facilitated by a health expert who has knowledge on addiction treatment methods, motivation enhancement strategies, and cognitive behavioral therapy. The facilitator requires training materials that can be leveraged to enhance the education experience. Capital is required to hire a venue where meetings can be conducted. Also, a schedule is essential to enable the meeting to be conducted in time. Ethical Considerations As a health program designed to help the community, SMART recovery aligns with ethical guidelines established in the healthcare industry. With respect to principles guiding health programs, the program operates under several principles which include: Serving as a resource to the community Respecting dignity and worth of every participant Acting with integrity Health professionals who facilitate the program promote gaining independence from addictive behaviors in accordance with the principles guiding the program (Recovery, 2016). The facilitators strive to treat each participant with respect and consider individual differences as well a cultural diversity. They also act with integrity by conducting themselves in a manner that aligns with the principles of SMART Recovery program. In the program, facilitators respect participants by protecting their confidentiality and supporting their self-determination. Facilitators respect participants confidentiality and their right to privacy at all times in all kind of communication They are restricted from disclosing private or confidential information about a participant that is not related to the SMART recovery program, or that may risk the privacy of the participant. If a participant in the programs is at risk of harm to others or self, the facilitator can contact the program coordinators, a local intervention agency, medical health facility or local police authority. The facilitator can contact local security agencies with regards disclosures related to abuse. Program facilitators respect the right of participants for self-determination and help them to identify and explore their goals regarding addictive behaviors. They work with participants within the context of the program to assist them to change their behavior and adopt a positive lifestyle that enhances their health outcomes (Beck, 2016). In cases where the objectives of a participant fail to align with the program or are outside its scope, they are encouraged to seek help from appropriate options. This aligns with the principle of respect an individuals right to act freely. With respect to acting fairly, the program focuses on respects social diversity issues such as political beliefs, religion, sex, race, nationality, physical ability, sexual orientation, marital status, sexual orientation, etc. Program facilitators are also required to avoid exploiting a relationship with participants to further their political, religious, or business interests. To ensure every participant is treated equally, facilitators are required to avoid conflicts of interest. Preventing harm to the participants is a key principle that is considered in the program. Facilitators are prohibited from engaging in any form of physical, emotional, or verbal harassment. They are also restricted from exploiting their relationship with participants for sexual activity or sexually harass participants including requests for sexual favors, sexual advances, etc. Thus, participants in the SMART Recovery program are protected from any form of harassment which can harm them psychologically or physically. The program is designed to be a community resource that helps the society to alleviate the problem of drug dependence. Facilitators are encouraged to learn all concepts of the program and apply them in the meetings within self-help and group settings to enhance learning (OSullivan, 2015). This is vital in helping participants to gain and maintain independence from problematic drug behaviors which enhance their health. In the program, health professionals work with other program coordinators in order to help participants to gain value from the program in terms of ending drug dependence problems (Humphreys, 2007). Facilitators act within the scope of their experience and focus on achieving the objectives of the SMART Recovery program. This implies that facilitators will use their expertise in healthcare to tackle the addiction problem. As such, most committed participants succeed in eliminating drug dependency. Additionally, facilitators continuously seek solutions to help participants from relapsing. Overall, the program helps the community by providing effective solutions that reduce drug dependency problem. Risk identification and Management SMART Recovery program considers various risks that can undermine its implementation and success. With regards to patient safety, facilitators in the program have to be professionals with expertise in addiction behavior and cognitive-behavioral therapy. They are expected to have in-depth knowledge of concepts of SMART recovery and apply them in the meetings to encourage learning and development in eliminating addictive behaviors. The skills and expertise of the facilitators is a key factor that mitigates risks to patient safety as the program coordinators have the skills necessary to handle the participants and achieve the expected outcomes (MacGregor, 2010). The program facilitators operate within the scope of their experience which is vital in providing quality services and minimize risks posed to patient safety due to inexperience or lack of skills. Additionally, facilitators coordinate with other leaders to resolve issues that may arise in the program. Coordination among program facilitators implies participants receive maximum attention which is key in maintaining their safety. SMART Recovery program is implemented in a manner that aligns with federal and state regulations. Emphasis is placed on aligning with the regulations that can directly affect the program. The programs services are designed to be in adherence with laws governing the industry. Regulations considered include data confidentiality which restricts disclosure of patient information. Program facilitators are qualified as expected in the industry-related laws, and the program is implemented in a manner that respects the rights of participants accorded in the constitution. SMART Recovery program is based on scientific evidence. The program relies on cognitive behavioral therapy and tested motivational enhancement techniques that reduce the risk of medical errors. Given that the program focuses on behavior, the risk of potential medical error is relatively low. However, the committee managing the SMART recovery program continuously stays updated on latest addiction treatment methods. This knowledge is applied in developing robust treatment concepts that are effective in helping people with addiction problems. Given the various policies have been established to serve as benchmarks for rehabilitation programs, it is critical for the SMART recovery program to adhere to all of them. The programs activities are developed based on existing healthcare policies that guide treatment of addiction problems (Kelly, 2012). Besides operating under the principles set under the program, facilitators also conduct themselves in a manner that aligns with the ethical framework established for health care professions. The program is committed to evolving as policies evolve. Activities and techniques used in the program are flexible and can be adjusted when the need arises especially when policies changes. The flexibility of the program eliminates the risk of policy non-adherence which can adversely affect its implementation. There are various legislations established that have a significant influence on health care. Examples of such legislations include HIPAA. Health care organizations and programs are required to adhere to these legislations. SMART Recovery is modeled based on the healthcare legislations in place (Meyer, 2007). Focus is placed on ensuring that the programs activities and techniques follow the health legislations to ensure effective implementation of the program. Quality and Safety SMART Recovery program is designed to align with the quality and safety standards. With regards to clinical governance standard, the program incorporates safety principles which are integrated into the core activities to enable the facilitators to continuously manage and enhance the safety of patients and quality of the services. Also, program facilitators have to be health care experts who are trained in the concepts of the program in order to offer safe and quality health services to the participants (Kidd, 2011). The program partners with consumers standard as it is based on a coordination model that involves facilitators and participants. In the program, the facilitator partners with patients to support delivery of services. The facilitators also regularly communicate with the participants to forge effective partnerships that can improve outcomes. Medication safety standards are integrated into the program and its activities. Facilitators are required to document participants information when commencing the program. With this information, facilitators can track the progress of the participants as they recover from drug dependency (Zemore, 2008). The programs techniques are reviewed and information provided to participants about how they can end drug dependency which is key in maintaining continuity of medication management. The program also incorporates comprehensive care standard by applying assessment processes when collaborating with participants to develop a goal-driven plan for alleviating drug addiction (Best, 2012). Emphasis is also placed on minimizing patient harm by identifying participants at risk of relapse and creating personalized strategies to prevent them from relapsing. Conclusion As discussed, SMART Recovery is a program implemented to help people to overcome addictive behaviors. The program involves mutual interaction between coordinators and participants in a conducive place where they can forge relationships and get to help each other. It is designed as a resource to the community that helps to reduce drug dependency which is a major problem affecting the society especially the youth. Program facilitators are health experts and are trained in order to have an in-depth understanding of the core concepts of the program which is key in enhancing outcomes. The program incorporates an ethical framework modeled in the healthcare industry. Various principles are established to guide the implementation of the program. These principles entail serving the community, respecting participants, and acting with integrity. Health professionals involved in the program adopt these principles to help participants to overcome their problematic addiction behaviors. Cultural diversity and individual differences are recognized and addressed well to ensure every participant feels welcome. Additionally, the program considers various risks that can undermine its effectiveness and is designed to align with regulations implemented. References Adamson, D.M. and Ahmed, A.G., 2011.Addiction and Co-occurring Disorders from a SMART Recovery Perspective: A Manual for Group Therapists. SMART Recovery. Best, D.W. and Lubman, D.I., 2012. The recovery paradigm: A model of hope and change for alcohol and drug addiction.Australian family physician,41(8), p.593. Beck, A.K., Baker, A., Kelly, P.J., Deane, F.P., Shakeshaft, A., Hunt, D., Forbes, E. and Kelly, J.F., 2016. 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