Buddhism and the 11th Step

[Encephalon]

I realize this is getting way ahead of my original intention to start up a Buddhist 12-Step (B-12) thread at one step per month starting in January 2012, but this is weighing on me, and perhaps it could serve as a taste of what we might be able to explore in TTB.

 

The other night a speaker was telling us about another woman who threw 25 years of sobriety away and "went out." Out here in California Buddhsit 12 step groups are often referred to as 11th step meetings because many meetings begin with a 20-min. meditation session followed by discussion. Also, B-12 groups really do take seriously the wording of the 11th step - "sought through prayer and MEDITATION to improve our conscious contact with reality and live a life with more wisdom and compassion."

 

After thinking about it for several days, it seems to me that people "go out" because their cosncious contact with reality, or, what we could refer to as Mindfulness, simply stops improving, and in the absence of spiritual progress, a stagnancy kicks in that makes us vulnerable to a return to addictive behavior and substances.

 

I've certainly learned from my interrupted meditation regimen since my child was born that my mind starts meandering in the direction of "let's smoke a joint and liven things up a bit!"

 

Chime in at will.

[Nanashi]

It can't be easy to eschew this "medicine" in a state where it is readily available and legal, so I admire your discipline.

 

As long as your "reward system" isn't hijacked by bad choices, mindfulness becomes the sword which cuts down illusion/temptation.

[Aaron]

People don't go out because they aren't working the eleventh step, they go out because they want to drink. So long as a person remembers the first step, they will not drink, their life may go to hell, but they will remain sober. The rest of the steps aren't so much about maintaining sobriety, but clearing the wreckage of the past so one can begin to live a life without all the clutter that has been acquired from drinking. So why did this person who was 25 years sober go back out, well some say it's because they stopped going to meetings, others said it was because they lost conscious contact with their higher power, but the truth is that a higher power only removes the desire the drink, before that desire can be removed we must still understand we are powerless over alcohol. The real reason people drink again is because they convince themselves that they can drink again, that they are not powerless.

 

Yes this may come as a result of working one's self backwards through the steps, but I've also seen people who have attended meetings daily for decades come in and tell others they started to drink again, simply because they thought it would be enjoyable again. So long as you enjoy it or think you might enjoy it, there's nothing your higher power can do for you, until you realize once again the truth about your drinking. The good thing about attending meetings every now and again is that it reminds me just how bad things can get. I don't go to meetings because I need them to be sober, I've gone over a year without meetings and maintained my sobriety without any desire to drink, rather I go as a reminder of the past, when I need one.

 

Aaron

[Encephalon]

I think there's some overlap in what we are saying. I think "one reason" people go out is because the joy that comes from increasing our mindful engagement of reality on a daily basis gets short-circuited when we fail to maintain consistent practice, and getting high represents a more appealing experience.

 

A relative of mine, a retired substance abuse counselor, got hooked on vicodin after he retired because he got bored with life, made no changes, and like so many westerners in 12-step movements, only gave lip service to the necessity of meditation.

[Aaron]

I think there's some overlap in what we are saying. I think "one reason" people go out is because the joy that comes from increasing our mindful engagement of reality on a daily basis gets short-circuited when we fail to maintain consistent practice, and getting high represents a more appealing experience.

 

A relative of mine, a retired substance abuse counselor, got hooked on vicodin after he retired because he got bored with life, made no changes, and like so many westerners in 12-step movements, only gave lip service to the necessity of meditation.

 

I think he could've gotten hooked because Vicodin is incredibly physically and psychologically addictive, and because he had a (I presume) previous problem with substances that left him with a higher susceptibility to addiction. I'm just trying to make a point.

 

In my experience, I've seen people that have maintained sobriety for years simply by praying and doing the steps, never meditating. I'm not saying one shouldn't meditate, but again, in my experience their is a strong connection between the first step and maintaining sobriety. So long as you remember you are powerless, then you are more open to accepting a higher power/path to aid you in removing the desire to take a substance for such a purpose.

 

Aaron

[Encephalon]

I think he could've gotten hooked because Vicodin is incredibly physically and psychologically addictive, and because he had a (I presume) previous problem with substances that left him with a higher susceptibility to addiction. I'm just trying to make a point.

 

In my experience, I've seen people that have maintained sobriety for years simply by praying and doing the steps, never meditating. I'm not saying one shouldn't meditate, but again, in my experience their is a strong connection between the first step and maintaining sobriety. So long as you remember you are powerless, then you are more open to accepting a higher power/path to aid you in removing the desire to take a substance for such a purpose.

 

Aaron

 

I don't think the addictive nature of vicodin, or pot, or cupcakes is the real issue. Saying that people throw away their sobriety because they want to get drunk doesn't really explain much either. At some point people make a choice to indulge or re-indulge in addictive behavior because their relationship with raw reality becomes too painful to bear without it. (My own slippery slope happens to be boredom, but I am not alone.)

 

People who maintain a steady and consistent mindfulness practice generally don't throw their lives into the addictive dustbin. But that level of mindfulness is above and beyond what a simple concession to the first step can yield, and if that's all that sobriety hinges on, I'd say that's a pretty wretched way to live. I think this may partially explain why the success rate for 12-step groups hovers around 5%. We're powerless, yes, but we needn't be helpless.

[Aaron]

I don't think the addictive nature of vicodin, or pot, or cupcakes is the real issue. Saying that people throw away their sobriety because they want to get drunk doesn't really explain much either. At some point people make a choice to indulge or re-indulge in addictive behavior because their relationship with raw reality becomes too painful to bear without it. (My own slippery slope happens to be boredom, but I am not alone.)

 

People who maintain a steady and consistent mindfulness practice generally don't throw their lives into the addictive dustbin. But that level of mindfulness is above and beyond what a simple concession to the first step can yield, and if that's all that sobriety hinges on, I'd say that's a pretty wretched way to live. I think this may partially explain why the success rate for 12-step groups hovers around 5%. We're powerless, yes, but we needn't be helpless.

 

I'm not disagreeing with you in the least in regards to the wretched state one can live in, I've seen the dry drunks hanging around the rooms. The only reason they're sober is the first step. Most are miserable angry people that have no desire to actually practice any level of spirituality, and lack the capacity to practice the steps. So I'm with you in regards to developing a spiritual practice, but my point is that I don't ultimately believe that the lack of spiritual practice is the cause of one going out, but rather that they want to drink. Yes, perhaps that desire may come as a result of their spiritual decline, but I also think that if one has a firm grasp of the 1st step, which is the MOST IMPORTANT step, then if all else fails they will still not drink, nine times out of ten. My recommendation is get the first step down to the point that there is no doubt in your mind, if you don't, then when things do get rough and you hit a patch where things go wrong and you're not practicing the other steps, you're much more likely to go back out.

 

 

Aaron

Edited December 5, 2011 by Twinner

[doc benway]

This is such a valuable thing to investigate and I will start by saying I have no idea what goes on with respect to addiction. It is beyond my capacity to understand (I did not say it was beyond my capacity to experience, just understand). Clearly, people indulge in their addiction of choice primarily because they prefer the way they feel while intoxicated to the way they feel sober. Whether this represents running from the pain of daily living, boredom, lack of spiritual connection, or simply a strong attachment to the experience of the particular flavor of intoxication probably transcends a simple explanation.

 

To a large degree, I suspect that one of the primary causes is conditioning. We are conditioned from childhood to depend completely on the approval of others and society in general for our happiness. We must please our parents, our friends, our spouse, our boss. Witholding of approval is a powerful motivator. We are like monkeys or robots looking for our drug - approval. This sets up the dynamic for future addiction. We are taught that it is "good" and "desirable" to have exciting experiences and that it is best to avoid unpleasant experiences. The pleasant experiences are self-reinforcing and all of our social and cultural conditioning reinforces that. And yet every time we capture that "up" experience, we are perched on the edge of the slope to slide down into the negative which inevitably follows.

 

So I think that addiction is simply an extension of our conditioned experience. Whether we are conditioned to be dependent on social approval, alcohol, marijuana, food, endorphins, orgasm, whatever,... It's all the same. How do we break the cycle? We must recognize that happiness is not seeking the "ups" and avoiding the "downs." They are inevitable cycles of mood and experience that will always be with us. Happiness is being in direct contatct with reality. It is to understand what is really going on inside and around us. It is learning to stop identifying with these fluctuations in mood and experience and simply observing the cycles as they come and go. This may be why meditation, prayer, contact with nature, and so on..., can be so helpful for us. But the opportunity to return to identifying with the cycles is always lurking under the surface and asking us to return...

 

I'm looking forward to the 12 step exploration in January as I don't know much about it.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

I was watching this McGill U psychology lecture on tv about ADD and ADHD the other day, and they were saying some things about how people with ADD and ADHD are at a higher risk for addiction and the reason was very interesting.

 

Essentially, people with ADHD have difficulty concentrating because dopamine does not stick to their nerve receptors as much as it does for most people. The reason that amphetamines helps some to concentrate is that it keeps the nerve cells occupied so it doesn't become actually painful to stay with the same task. This explains to me why some artists become drug addicts, since many artists tend to enjoy plunging into tasks, but may have to sit and sit and sit while they draw out the muse and thus turn to drugs to keep their nerve endings satisfied.

 

So, A LOT of addiction may be a result of actually having untreated ADD or ADHD. The doctor there said that it is not necessary to treat ADD if it is not having a negative effect on the person's life, but that it could and should be treated if it does have negative effects on their work or personal life.

 

I found this homeopathic tincture (Synaptol) for Adult ADD online which looks really really good as it doesn't have AMPHETAMINES in it. Yay!

 

My link

[joebob]

Thanks for everyone's insightful posts.

 

At some point people make a choice to indulge or re-indulge in addictive behavior because their relationship with raw reality becomes too painful to bear without it.

 

I think sometimes people are willing to give up everything for just one momentary break from suffering. The suffering seems impermanent. They delude themselves into forgeting that going for that one perfect moment through substances is going to bring them a parade of hell afterwards.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Just had a thought about addictions that I thought I'd share:

 

Using substances to feel good is like eating Twinkies to feel full. It might work in the meantime, but it's just a cheap substitute with zero nutritional value other than taking away your hunger for a little while and saving you the trouble of preparing something or going to the grocery store.

[Birch]

Interesting posts. I dip into this thread from time to time to see how understanding of addiction is changing. Some approaches to it are IMO compassionate, some others not. I think Steve is on to something.

To think of something as an illness is different than attributing morality or willpower to it. As always, where is a line drawn?