Eight Step Recovery

Dr Valerie Mason-John (Vimalasara) is a playwright and the author of seven books, including Detox Your Heart (2005, Windhorse Publications), and her award winning novel Borrowed Body, republished as the Banana Kid. Her most recent publication, The Great Black North - Contemporary African Canadian poetry 2013, is the first national anthology to document the voices of African Canadian Poets. She has just completed her second novel, The War Done Done. She works as a consultant in Conflict Transformation, Restorative Justice, Leadership and anti Bullying in both the domestic field of education, social services, youth, addiction and the police, as well as in the corporate world. She was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2005. She is currently based at the Vancouver Buddhist centre.Dr Paramabandhu Groves is a consultant psychiatrist working in the National Health Service in the UK, and has specialized in the field of addiction for 20 years. He is the clinical director of Breathing Space, which is the health and well-being wing of the London Buddhist Centre, teaching mindfulness-based approaches to help with depression, addiction, and stress. He developed the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention course for addiction, which has successfully run in both the UK and Canada. He is the author of Practical Buddhism: Mindfulness and Skillful Living in the Modern Era, and has published academic papers and contributed to several books in the field of addiction. He is ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order.

• DedicationForeword by Jon Kabat-ZinnForeword by Gabor MateAbout the authorsAcknowledgementsIntroductionOur personal storiesWho was the Buddha?The Buddha was in recoveryThe Buddha's teachingEight Steps toward recoveryWho is this book for?How to use this bookEight Step Recovery meetingsMindfulness Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR) programStep One: Accepting that this human life will bring sufferingThree types of sufferingEveryone has painThe Four RemindersHow we practice this stepThree-minute breathing space, AGEStep Two: Seeing how we create extra suffering in our livesThe common ways we deal with sufferingCraving as the source of sufferingTypes of sufferingThe Hungry GhostsHow we practice this stepThree-minute breathing space, AGEStep Three: Embracing impermanence show us that our suffering can endImpermanenceWe can changeImpermanence and addictionHow we practice this stepThree-minute breathing space, AGEStep Four: Being willing to step onto the path of recovery - and discover freedomVision and transformationKindness to help us stay on the path of recoveryHow we practice this stepThree-minute breathing space, AGEStep Five: Transforming our speech, actions and livelihoodThe importance of thoughts and emotionsTransforming speechTransforming actionsTransforming livelihoodHow we practice this stepThree-minute breathing space, AGEStep Six: Placing positive values at the center of our livesExploring valuesHow we practice this stepThree-minute breathing space, AGEStep Seven: Making every effort to stay on the path of recoveryStaying on the path of recoveryHow we practice this stepThree-minute breathing space, AGEStep Eight: Helping others to share the benefits I have gainedThe Fourth SightHelping ourselves and othersHow we practice this stepThree-minute breathing space, AGE

"This book provides a spiritual pathway to recovery for people from any faith tradition, as well as for those who are not religious, and for those who suffer from addiction as well as those who are simply aware of the suffering associated with the human condition. This is a book for everyone!" Professor Chris Cook, Director of the Project for Spirituality, Theology & Health, Durham University, UK "Blending Mindfulness-Based Addiction Recovery with Buddhist teachings and moving stories, the authors give us a wise and compassionate approach to recovery from addiction. This comprehensive approach will be a valuable tool for addicts and addiction professionals alike." Kevin Griffin, author of One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps "'The Buddha was in recovery'. Taking this as a starting point, this wonderful book shows how we are all addicted to aspects of life and can all benefit from training our minds and hearts to be free of compulsion. The Mindfulness-Based Addiction Recovery programme draws on a wide range of the Buddha's practical, yet profound, teachings. The eight steps offer you the possibility to gain mastery over your mind and find freedom." Vidyamala Burch, author of Living Well with Pain and Illness