I have thought long and hard about making this post. I have certainly not earned the right to counsel others. I've only been sober for a few months, and for a long time, I was a serial relapser. Doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Yet, none of you ever gave up on me, even when I gave on myself. So now that I have found something that really is working for me, I feel the need to share it. The problem is that I don't feel qualified to answer very many questions about the details. I promise, I will explain.
I use to tell people here that you don't need to hit bottom to stop drinking. And I still believe that. Why bring all that drama into your life? However, I'm sort of dumb and had to do it the hard way. I won't bore you with the details, but I was in a very dark place and was feeling like there was no hope. One day, I walked into the local Buddhist temple. I was just curious. Everything in my life changed after that day. I attended a meditation service. I felt like a fraud that first time. I couldn't possibly belong there. After all, I was a loser, alcoholic and these people seemed so serene. But everyone was so welcoming. So, I went back the next week. We practiced loving kindness meditation. It was hard. It was wonderful. I was intrigued that people of all faiths, or no faith, could come together in peace. I started meditating every day. Something started to shift in me. I kept going back.
Then I learned about something called Refuge Recovery - a recovery program detailed in a book written by Noah Levine. His story is amazing. He was lost. Then he recovered. It's all in his book. This is where I feel unqualified to speak. I am so new to all of this that I can't answer many questions. I am still learning myself. It's not easy. Hard work is demanded just like every other recovery program. But this one resonates with me. It's all about ending the suffering that addition causes. Here's a link to more information: Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path To Addiction Recovery (EXCERPT)
I hope this may help one person. It won't be everyone's cup of tea. But I credit it with saving my life.
xx
Moss
I use to tell people here that you don't need to hit bottom to stop drinking. And I still believe that. Why bring all that drama into your life? However, I'm sort of dumb and had to do it the hard way. I won't bore you with the details, but I was in a very dark place and was feeling like there was no hope. One day, I walked into the local Buddhist temple. I was just curious. Everything in my life changed after that day. I attended a meditation service. I felt like a fraud that first time. I couldn't possibly belong there. After all, I was a loser, alcoholic and these people seemed so serene. But everyone was so welcoming. So, I went back the next week. We practiced loving kindness meditation. It was hard. It was wonderful. I was intrigued that people of all faiths, or no faith, could come together in peace. I started meditating every day. Something started to shift in me. I kept going back.
Then I learned about something called Refuge Recovery - a recovery program detailed in a book written by Noah Levine. His story is amazing. He was lost. Then he recovered. It's all in his book. This is where I feel unqualified to speak. I am so new to all of this that I can't answer many questions. I am still learning myself. It's not easy. Hard work is demanded just like every other recovery program. But this one resonates with me. It's all about ending the suffering that addition causes. Here's a link to more information: Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path To Addiction Recovery (EXCERPT)
I hope this may help one person. It won't be everyone's cup of tea. But I credit it with saving my life.
xx
Moss
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