Suffering shows its face in a multitude of maladaptive behaviors. Suffering is the desire for more pleasure and less pain, which we persistently seek in our addiction. Suffering is the idea that you can’t get enough Suffering is the loneliness and shame and isolation. Suffering is craving the next drink or drug. Understanding that addiction always creates suffering is crucial. Refuge Recovery begins with the First Truth: addiction creates suffering. It simply asks that you “trust the process and do the hard work of recovery.” You also don’t have to be Buddhist to participate.ġ: We suffer due to our addictions and the general difficulties of being human in this world of constant change and loss.Ģ: Craving is a natural phenomenon it is not our fault, but we are fully responsible for our healing and recovery.ģ: We can fully recover and enjoy a life of sanity and well-being.Ĥ: This is the path to recovery: the Eight-fold Path. Refuge Recovery doesn’t ask anyone to shift a belief system, nor does it require anyone to believe in something. There was a need to shift the paradigm of 12-step recovery and open the door to an alternative path. Many members of Against the Stream who were talking about similar difficulties pursued similar conversations. Noah, feeling disconnected from the 12 steps’ theistic philosophy, found deeper relief within the 4 Noble Truths and the 8-Fold Path of Buddhism.

Refuge Recovery was birthed in direct response to the clear need for a viable, non-theistic approach to recovery.

He founded Against the Stream Meditation Society, which opened its doors in Los Angeles in 2008, and Santa Monica in 2009. Noah Levine, M.A., whose story is already familiar to many in the recovery community, is also the author of the autobiographical Dharma Punx, the revolutionary meditation manual Against the Stream, and the reflections on the practice of loving-kindness Heart of the Revolution. Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction was released on June 10, coincidentally the 79 th anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous. Noah Levine Reading from Refuge Recovery at the Book Release at BLVD Treatment

Against the Stream by Noah Levine