Addiction and Recovery: Buddhists on the Path to Sobriety in AA
These meetings are accessible through the AA site or the Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous. This means members accept and are guided toward recovery by 12 specific steps. People can choose to share their stories, and some receive AA chips. An AA chip or Sobriety Token is a coin commemorating the length of time a person has remained sober. Alcoholics Anonymous encourages meeting attendees to “take what you can use and leave the rest.” Anyone who wants to change their behavior towards alcohol is encouraged to have an open mind and try a meeting.
Refuge Recovery Meetings
Members throughout the world live and stay away from that “first drink” one day at a time. Grapevine covering stories from relapse to recovery. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. I told him I would be very interested in doing a group in Seattle once the book came out, and lyrica addiction: detox withdrawal & treatment he gave me his full support. I was at first wary about starting my own group, because there wasn’t a set format for me to follow. But after I met with Levine when on retreat with him in Breitenbush, Oregon, where he often teaches on addiction, he told me about his then-pending “Refuge Recovery” book.
What Should You Do at A Meeting?
Anyone interested in the program or alcoholism can join an open AA meeting. However, only members are allowed to join closed meetings. You must have a drinking problem to be a member of AA.
Applying Buddhism in Addiction Recovery
This process of craving and indulgence provides short-term relief but causes long-term harm. It is almost always a source of suffering for both the addict and those who care about the addict. Is 32 years sober and the author of the book Three Buddhists Walked Into an AA Meeting…and got sober (CreateSpace 2016), and the blog The 12 Steps and Zen Koans. Let me tell you about one of my AA heroes, Indian Frank. He died a number of years back with 25 years of sobriety.
Refuge Recovery, the Buddhist-inspired approach to treating addiction, offers a plan to end the suffering of addiction. It is like being a hungry ghost, wandering through life in constant craving and suffering. There’s a phrase in the Big Book that crack vs coke crack and cocaine differences and drug risks says something to the effect that God is either everything or nothing. Simply put, my higher power is everything (form), so I try to pay attention to everything that comes my way. On other days and moments my higher power is nothing (emptiness).
It is no coincidence that meditation is specifically referenced in the eleventh of AA’s Twelve Steps. Vipassana meditation has been used successfully for the treatment of addictive behavior among prison populations in a number of countries. Buddhist practice can also help us become more aware of the impact of our actions on others, and help cultivate a stronger ethical foundation.
The group atmosphere provides help from peers and offers an ongoing support network for all who wish to pursue and maintain an addiction free life. There are many ways Buddhist practices can strengthen and deepen sobriety and prevent relapse. Buddhist meditative practices can help us become more aware of, and let go of, habitual patterns of behavior.
Sharing his secret to enlightenment with his followers, the Buddha emphasized eight steps a person should follow and practice if he wishes to attain nirvana. Known as the Noble Eightfold Path, this collective set of teachings can help those who want to free themselves from the endless cycle of suffering, death, and rebirth. Is an enduring program of recovery based on one alcoholic sharing their experience, strength and hope with another. Their mission is to help adults to recover from drug addiction and alcoholism through personal insight, individual therapy, group therapy, education and the principles of Buddhism. Refuge is a safe place, a place of protection—a place that we go to in times of need, a shelter. Drugs, alcohol, food, sex, money, or relationships with people have been a refuge for many of us.
This comparison demonstrates that Buddhist recovery manuals creatively draw on classical Buddhism and Twelve-Step but also differ from them in important ways as they re-imagine a path from addiction to recovery. This article documents the growing genre of Buddhist recovery manuals, thus expanding our understanding of Anglophone Buddhism and providing substance abuse professionals with a knowledge of the Buddhist recovery landscape. The article also argues that Buddhist recovery manuals differ from classical Buddhism by emphasizing meditation at the beginning of the path, rather than placing it after training in giving and ethical discipline. Refuge Recovery members practice a daily recovery program that includes meetings, meditation and personal inventory, mentorship, retreat and service as integral components.
The Buddhist Recovery Network respects and celebrates all of the Buddhist traditions. It seeks to serve an international audience through teaching, training, treatment, research, publication, advocacy and community-building initiatives. Below you will find a number of audio and downloadable pdf guided meditations. The only criteria for membership is a desire to be free from addiction. Addiction is the repetitive process of habitually satisfying cravings to avoid, change, or control the seemingly unbearable conditions of the present moment.
Holding “Refuge Recovery,” the source book for all the meetings. These are two of the longest-held Refuge Recovery meetings in the United States. Most other meetings have only cropped up in the last few months, whereas ours have been going on for seven to eight months each. In Seattle, Refuge Recovery Northwest is currently made up of two meetings, one held at Recovery Café on Sundays at 1 p.m., and the other on Wednesdays at All Pilgrims Church at 8 p.m. Please contact contact at buddhistrecovery dot org if you are interested in any of these opportunities.
- Through Steps 3, 4, and 5, the person can make the needed adjustments to his lifestyle and activities.
- Refuge Recovery, the Buddhist-inspired approach to treating addiction, offers a plan to end the suffering of addiction.
- It is establishing and maintaining the practice of abstaining from satisfying the cravings for the substances and behaviors that we have become addicted to.
- This article documents the growing genre of Buddhist recovery manuals, thus expanding our understanding of Anglophone Buddhism and providing substance abuse professionals with a knowledge of the Buddhist recovery landscape.
Call it a religion, a philosophy, a way of life, or whatever, but it cannot be denied that its teachings translate very well insofar as knowing the origin of, and treating addiction. Has helped millions recover from alcoholism – to get sober and stay sober. alcohol and opiates Anyone with a desire to stop drinking is welcome, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, income, or profession. Refuge Recovery is a fresh approach combining modern treatment with principles practiced by Buddhists for thousands of years.
There was a time when I would say I had two practices, but today my practice is Twelve & Zen, a blend of the two; a symbiotic relationship in which I practice the Twelve Steps and Zen Buddhism fully, without obstacles. Zen and the Twelve Steps have given me a whole new reality, filled with purpose, joy, and gratitude. And I’m aware of quite a few other Buddhists with similar experiences at the Twelve Step meetings I attend. Theravada, Zen, Tibetan, and Nichiren, my friends have all found ways to mutually practice their particular Buddhist traditions and the Twelve Steps. AA uses a 12-step program to help alcoholics recover from alcoholism and maintain sobriety. These steps involve a spiritual journey of self-discovery.
However, closed meetings are only available to its members. In the book Levine emphasized the need for people to support one another on the road to recovery. From this Refuge Recovery meetings started popping up all over the world, especially in the Seattle area. Open to people of all backgrounds, and respectful of all recovery paths, the organisation promotes mindfulness and meditation, and is grounded in Buddhist principles of non-harming, compassion and interdependence. From what my friends tell me, Refuge Recovery is a sincere and dedicated program. If you found and maintained your recovery there, or in any other Buddhist-based program, I’m happy for your success.