Jul 6, 2015 | By Tim Powers

Buddhist Perspectives On Addiction and Recovery

Spirituality

As a young child in the 1970’s, Saturday morning cartoons were religion. While I hated waking up early and sliding into my Garanimals so I could go to school during the week, I gladly flew out of bed at 7am so I could pour my never-ending bowl of Corn Flakes with the glucose quicksand at the bottom and spend my mornings in front of the old Sylvania.

Schoolhouse Rock was probably my favorite cartoon ever. For those who remember it, the opening credits contained the catchphrase knowledge is power. That phrase stayed with me throughout the years, and even through the period where alcohol addiction hotwired my brain, hijacked my conscience and basically ruined my life.

No matter how far along we are in recovery, knowledge is indeed power when trying to understand your addiction. The question is where do we find that knowledge?

Looking Beyond the 12-Steps

Like many addicts who are starting their journey of recovery, 12-step groups provided the necessary encouragement, peer support and wisdom to give me a solid foundation to build comfort and confidence in working my own program. The philosophy of AA, NA and other similar groups is tried and true, and has helped millions of addicts around the world achieve the peace and serenity that sobriety has to offer.

12-step groups were beneficial to me, but if felt like a piece of the puzzle was missing. Being curious as a cat, I sought wisdom from other places and perspectives in hopes of finding something that could stick to my bones.

I found that Eastern-based philosophies–and especially Buddhist perspectives on addiction and recovery–helped make sense of what I may have not been getting through those traditional channels.

Buddhist Perspectives on Addiction: What Can We Learn?

When we consider Buddhist perspectives on addiction, addiction is considered the embodiment of a concept known as attachment. If you think about it, it is impossible to live a life without attachments. We are attached to those we love, our careers, our toys and we chase those things that will bring us comfort and pleasure.

In Buddhist philosophy (and I am giving you the Cliffs Note version), we as human beings can become too attached to the things that bring us pleasure and happiness, and when our lives change and things are taken from us is when we experience suffering.

Addiction can be seen as a collection of attachments. When we as addicts use drugs and alcohol, we are attached to the feeling of longing and emptiness  when there are holes in our lives and we lack purpose. Buddhist perspectives on addiction state that drugs and alcohol assume the role of minimizing the pain we feel and to fill the empty spaces in our lives.

Are There Similarities Between Buddhist Perspectives and 12-Step Approaches?

If you take a look at what Buddhist perspectives to addiction and recovery offer and compare them to the traditional 12-step school of thought, you will find similarities between the two. Let’s take a look at the how each views the First Step.

In 12-step groups, the First Step outlines the following:

We admitted we were powerless over our addiction – that our lives had become unmanageable.

In his pamphlet A Buddhist’s Insight into the 12 Steps of Recovery, author Doug C. writes the following:

…our addictions not only to various substances and behaviors, but also to unwholesome and unskillful beliefs, attitudes and thoughts, have trapped us in a vicious cycle of suffering that is beyond our control.

Another way in which 12-Step and Buddhist thoughts towards addiction are similar is seen in Step Four. For 12-steppers, this step is about making a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. In looking through the Buddhist lens, Doug C. offers this explanation:

…our recovery is deeply dependent on acknowledging that our actions do actually matter and sincerely taking ownership of the consequences of our actions. As long as we continue to cast ourselves in the role of victim and absolve ourselves of any responsibility for our own circumstances and experiences, we continue to lack the motivation to transform our attitudes, behaviors, and, ultimately, our lives.

When looking at Buddhist perspectives on addiction and recovery, you will find that it can complement what 12-step groups like AA and NA are driving at, and it opens up discussion on other forms of addictions as well. In many ways, those who engage in Buddhist thought and practice can take what they learn in their 12-step group and run with it.

Can You Stay Sober Through Adopting A Buddhist Perspective?

Are you stuck in a rut in your recovery and looking for something to get you over the hump? Do you need to look at your addiction through a different lens to get a better perspective on where you are at and where you need to go?

If so, adopting Buddhist perspectives on addiction and recovery may be the spark you need to take your recovery to a new level.

For those who may wonder if adopting and solely focusing on Buddhist practice and thought in recovery would work or be beneficial, it depends on the addict. There are many approaches that can be adopted when it concerns substance abuse recovery. However, if you are new in recovery, receiving the peer support and encouragement that a 12-step programs provides is an awesome place to start.

Do You Need Help, Information or Support With Your Addiction? Turn To Sober Nation

If you have made the decision to break free from your addiction once and for all, finding the best information and guidance can be a difficult and frustrating products. As the leading provider of treatment and addiction resources on the internet, Sober Nation offers you comprehensive and informative articles, daily blog posts, treatment resources and a brand new podcast called Recovery Elevator to help you in your quest to build a new you.

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