The 12-Step Buddhist: Enhance Recovery from Any Addiction

I am an active member in a 12 Step program and have been struggling for the past 4 1/2 yrs to remain sober without a relapse to set me back. I was desperate this time around to do anything in my power to get help and stay sober for the rest of my life. I have been in search for "something new" in my 12 Step program and with the introduction to "The 12-Step Buddhist", I have found that which I was searching. Darren speaks not only as an addict, but as someone who himself was stuggling to find a balance in his sobriety. I will carry this book with me as I would the AA Big Book, as a constant reference throught my sober life. If you are looking how to stay sober or just how to find a balance in your life and to help heal yourself from within this is a book you must run out immediately and purchase.

I just finished this gem. Darren Littlejohn has written a work of art from the heart. I found it not only very useful but very refreshing and stimulating. It really adds a dimension to the traditional 12 Step programs. It adds a twist by integrating Tibetan Buddhism and Zen into the steps. Make no mistake this is not a book written by someone with a clinical removed philosophy but rather by an "addict" one who has truly been there, done that and has the scars to prove it. If you have a problem with addiction or have a friend, family member or just a curiosity about the disease of addiction then this is the book for you. I strongly encourage anyone in need to pick up a copy of this book, and then more importantly read and apply it! One last thing look for Darren on Facebook and check out his FREE Podcast on iTunes The 12 Step Buddhist, well worth it also check out The 12 Step Buddhist website http://the12stepbuddhist.com. The 12-Step Buddhist: Enhance Recovery from Any Addiction

I am a Buddhist with Sangha/recovering Alcoholic/Addict with a home group and a sponsor. I have read this book and it is a fabulously laid out merging of the 12 Steps and Buddhism, which, to me, have always seemed like the perfect complement to one another. I have so much gratitude for this book because, though I am already a practicing Buddhist, I can never learn too much new information about my practice and how to fit it into my 12-Step recovery program. Darren Littlejohn shares his AA "experience, stregnth and hope" aspect of how he arrived at sobriety, and also shares his experiences leading him to becoming a Buddhist practitioner. His book provides a raw this-guy-is-for-real-an-alcoholic approach along with a soft, gentle and always patient Buddhist approach to working the steps with a strong dose of the, as he puts it, medecine of the Dharma. After having read the book, I consider him a member of my book Sangha, in which I also include, among several others, Charlotte Joko Beck, Lama Surya Das, and Thich Nhat Hanh. I appreciate the service work he has performed with this wonderfully insightful book, and the efforts he makes to show us all that happy, joyous and free is a day at a time, and then a moment at a time.

This book is a guide for addicts of any type on how to incorporate Buddhist philosophy and practices into a traditional 12-Step program. The author is himself a recovering addict who has practiced both Zen and Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, and has a BA in psychology. Although he believes in the value of 12-step programs, he found that in recovering from his own addictions he needed more of a certain type of inner work, and Buddhism provided that. This book is based on how he integrated his Buddhist practice with a traditional 12-step program. Although I am not an addict, I was drawn to this book because I believe Buddhist teachings have value for almost anyone, regardless of their religious beliefs (or lack thereof.) In that sense, I found this book personally relevant, even though I am not fighting a traditional addiction. However, this book is designed primarily for addicts, and for anyone who knows or works with them. The author begins with his personal story, which lays the groundwork for him to explain later on why he feels certain practices have particular value. He then provides a basic overview of Buddhism, and of his primary paths, Zen and Tibetan Buddhism. Then, he covers the reality of addiction in the U.S., including statistics on how many people suffer from addiction, and on research into addiction as a 'brain disease.' The main part of the book then walks through the traditional 12 Steps - one chapter each - and provides concrete practices drawn from Buddhism that can help an individual to work with that step in a new way. For example, he outlines a Meditation on Acceptance as part of Step 1, admitting 'powerlessness' over the addiction. He explores the Buddhist concept of karma as part of Step 2, which is traditionally stated as "We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." He discusses the Buddhist idea of taking refuge in the context of Step 3 - "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of our Higher Power as we understood our Higher Power." Throughout each section, he helps readers to integrate the traditional 12-Step literature's use of the term 'higher power' with Buddhism's non-theistic approach, and addresses the question head-on in a sub-section entitled "Are You Sure There Isn't a God in Buddhism?" As the steps progress, and become explicitly more self-examining and spiritual in nature, the Buddhist lessons evolve also, within the Mahayana context of Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, and thus drawing heavily on Bodhisattva-based teachings on compassion and our connection to others. The author is clear that this book is meant to be used in conjunction with 'working' a traditional 12-Step program. If you know an addict, or are a therapist or other type of practitioner working with them, this book will provide you with new insights into how to approach addiction recovery. And even if you're not, you may gain new insight into how to apply the Buddhist teachings you have