NATCHEZ — First Presbyterian Church of Natchez is sponsoring a new addiction recovery program starting Oct. 29.

“It is for people with any sort of addiction — gambling, drugs, alcohol, substance abuse or behavioral addiction,” said Robert Joseph, who is organizing the program and who will be the group’s moderator.

Joseph said the program, known as SMART Recovery, is different from other recovery programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous in that it helps people change their thinking process through cognitive behavior therapy.

Joseph said he was part of a cognitive behavior therapy program that helped him overcome an addiction and he decided to bring a similar program to Natchez.

“I was exposed to cognitive behavior therapy and there was no group here operating under that philosophy,” Joseph said. “It is a science-based program based on measurable results.”

SMART Recovery is different from AA, Joseph said, because AA philosophy holds that people are powerless of their addictions.

“SMART Recovery believes people have choices, and it is up to people over the choices they make,” Joseph said. “Thoughts drive the choices they make and thinking is what drives your addiction. Choice is the cornerstone of SMART Recovery.”

The SMART Recovery program, Joseph said, consists of four-points:

*Enhancing and maintaining motivation to abstain

*Coping with urges

*Managing thoughts and feelings

*Balancing momentary and enduring satisfactions to achieve lifestyle balance

Joseph said the first meeting would be 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the fellowship hall of First Presbyterian Church, 400 State St., Natchez, and the same time, same place every Tuesday thereafter.

FPC Fellowship Hall can be entered from 400 State Street, the main door into the church education building; or from the parking lot behind the education building, which is accessible from South Commerce Street between State and Washington streets.

Meetings are free and open to anyone who wants to attend and typically last an hour to 90 minutes, Joseph said.

“The format is a discussion meeting,” Joseph said. “We go around in a circle and ask people to tell about the issue or struggle they are having, and we use the group to give input on how they can best handle that.”

More information is available at the website www.smartrecovery.org or by contacting Joseph at 601-810-0445.