Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovery From Addiction

220 Pages·2014·1.17 MB·English

by  Noah Levine

Contents
Preface
Introduction
The Process
PART ONE
THE FOUR TRUTHS OF RECOVERY
1 Addiction Creates Suffering
2 The Cause of Addiction Is Repetitive Craving
3 Recovery Is Possible
4 The Path to Recovery
5 Understanding
6 Intention
7 Communication/Community
8 Action/Engagement
9 Livelihood/Service
10 Effort/Energy
11 Mindfulness/Meditations
12 Concentration/Meditations
13 The Path to Heartfulness
14 Breaking the Addiction
PART TWO
REFLECTIONS ON RECOVERY
15 Lynne
16 Jordan
17 Dave
18 Mary
19 Pablo
20 Enrique
21 RuthAnn
22 Andrea
APPENDIXES
Mindfulness Meditation Instructions
Heart Practices
Format for Refuge Recovery Meetings
About Refuge Recovery
About the Author
Also by Noah Levine
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
Preface
Addiction is the repetitive process of habitually satisfying cravings to avoid,
change, or control the seemingly unbearable conditions of the present moment.
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.
Recovery is a process of healing the underlying conditions that lead to
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. Recovery is also the ability to inhabit the conditions of the present
reality, whether pleasant or unpleasant.
Renunciation is the practice of abstaining from harmful behaviors.
A refuge is a safe place, a place of protection—a place that we go to in times
of need, a shelter. We are always taking refuge in something. Drugs, alcohol,
food, sex, money, or relationships with people have been a refuge for many of
us. Before addiction, such refuges provide temporary feelings of comfort and
safety. But at some point we crossed the line into addiction. And the substances
or behaviors that were once a refuge inevitably became a dark and lonely
repetitive cycle of searching for comfort as we wandered through an empty life.
Active addiction is a kind of hell. It is like being a hungry ghost, wandering
through life in constant craving and suffering. Refuge Recovery, the Buddhist-
inspired approach to treating addiction, offers a plan to end the suffering of
addiction.
Traditionally, Buddhists commit to the path of awakening by taking refuge in
three things: awakening (Buddha), truth (Dharma), and community (Sangha). If
the teachings and practices offered here resonate with you as true and useful, we
invite you to take refuge in this process of awakening, truth, and community.
Practicing these principles and developing these skills will lead to a safe place, a
true and reliable refuge, a place that is free from addiction, to a full recovery.
Introduction
Refuge Recovery is a practice, a process, a set of tools, a treatment, and a path to
healing addiction and the suffering caused by addiction. The main inspiration
and guiding philosophy for the Refuge Recovery program are the teachings of
Siddhartha (Sid) Gautama, a man who lived in India twenty-five hundred years
ago. Sid was a radical psychologist and a spiritual revolutionary. Through his
own efforts and practices he came to understand why human beings experience
and cause so much suffering. He referred to the root cause of suffering as
“uncontrollable thirst or repetitive craving.” This “thirst” tends to arise in
relation to pleasure, but it may also arise as a craving for unpleasant experiences
to go away, or as an addiction to people, places, things, or experiences. This is
the same thirst of the alcoholic, the same craving as the addict, and the same
attachment as the codependent.
Eventually, Sid came to understand and experience a way of living that ended
all forms of suffering. He did this through a practice and process that includes
meditation, wise actions, and compassion. After freeing himself from the
suffering caused by craving, he spent the rest of his life teaching others how to
live a life of well-being and freedom, a life free from suffering.
Sid became known as the Buddha, and his teachings became known as
Buddhism. The Refuge Recovery program has adapted the core teachings of the
Buddha as a treatment of addiction.
Buddhism recognizes a nontheistic approach to spiritual practice. The Refuge
Recovery program of recovery does not ask anyone to believe anything, only to
trust the process and do the hard work of recovery.
This book contains a systematic approach to treating and recovering from all
forms of addictions. Using the traditional formulation, the program of recovery
consists of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. When sincerely
practiced, the program will ensure a full recovery from addiction and a lifelong
sense of well-being and happiness.
Of course, like every path, you can only get to your destination by moving
forward, one foot in front of the other. The path is gradual and comprehensive, a
map of the inner terrain that must be traversed in the process of recovery. The
path includes daily meditation practices, written investigations of the causes and
conditions of your addictions, and how to find or create the community you will
need in order to heal and awaken. We have also included stories of people who
have successfully recovered with the help of Buddhist practices.
Although I am credited with writing the book, the large community at Refuge
Recovery is the inspirational and creative force behind it. This community has
helped shape, inform, and enhance the program with their direct experience of
practicing these principles. This book, then, should be viewed as a collaborative
effort, a book written for the plural rather than the singular—the “we” instead of
the “I,” since it speaks for Buddhists and addicts everywhere.
Lastly, we are aware that more will be revealed. It is our hope that we have
offered here a substantial and useful foundation to the Buddhist recovery
movement. We have every intention to learn and grow and revise as we go. This
is just the first edition. Enjoy!
The Process
Refuge Recovery follows the traditional Buddhist system of the Four Noble
Truths, which begin with four actions.
1. We take stock of all the suffering we have experienced and caused as
addicts.
2. We investigate the causes and conditions that lead to addiction and
begin the process of letting go.
3. We come to understand that recovery is possible and take refuge in the
path that leads to the end of addiction.
4. We engage in the process of the Eightfold Path that leads to recovery.
1. Understanding
2. Intention
3. Communication/community
4. Action/engagement
5. Livelihood/service
6. Effort/energy
7. Mindfulness/meditations
8. Concentration/meditations
The core philosophy of Refuge Recovery is based on renunciation and
abstinence. We believe that the recovery process truly begins when renunciation
is established and maintained. We also understand that imperfection and
humility are part of the process. Even when we refrain from the primary drug or
behavior, addiction at times manifests in other behaviors. We are not holding
perfection as the standard, but as the goal. We believe in the human ability and
potential for complete renunciation of behaviors that cause harm. We understand
that for many this is an ongoing process of establishing and/or reestablishing
renunciation.
Renunciation alone is not recovery, however. It is only the beginning. Those
who maintain abstinence but fail to examine the underlying causes and
conditions are not on the path to recovery. They are simply stopping the surface
manifestations of addiction, which will inevitably resurface in other ways.
The eight factors, or folds, of the path are to be developed, experienced, and
penetrated. This is not a linear path. It does not have to be taken in order. In fact,
all the factors need to be developed and applied simultaneously. And to truly
break free from addiction, the eight folds of recovery must be constantly
maintained.
Although the process and sequence of recovery will vary from person to
person, the following is an overview of how the Refuge Recovery approach may
be applied.
We begin by accepting all the ways that addiction has caused suffering in
our lives and the lives of others. Turning inward and acknowledging our
suffering is the beginning of the process, but it is also an ongoing practice.
On a daily basis, we practice mindfulness of suffering, its causes and its
cessation.
Next we investigate the underlying conditions that have influenced,
exacerbated, and perpetuated our addictions.
Through reading, listening, studying, and practicing the principles of the
Four Truths (which includes the Eightfold Path) we come to understand
the possibility and potential of our own recovery. Having some inkling of
hope and willingness, we take refuge in the potential of our own recovery
(Buddha), the Four Truths and Eightfold Path of recovery (Dharma), and
in the community of fellow recovering addicts (Sangha).
We embark on the practice of the Eightfold Path. We encourage you to
begin with the practice of meditation right away. Meditation is going to be
the most important tool in supporting our renunciation. Begin with the
practice of focusing on your breath. After a week, you will alternate
forgiveness practice (explained in Chapter 5) with breath practice every