From a Buddhist standpoint, it’s one moment at a time. Meditators know that mindfulness meditation, perhaps helped by paying attention to the breath, brings clarity. It allows one to see the thoughts come and go; to begin realizing that one is more than the thoughts that come and go; and that one doesn’t need to act on those thoughts that come and go is freedom to an alcoholic or addict. It starts simple, one breath at a time – to borrow the title of Buddhist Recovery Network founding board member Kevin Griffin’s excellent book: “One Breath at a Time–Buddhism and the Twelve Steps.”

“One day at a time,” “one moment at a time,” “one breath at a time,” — “stay in the now,” “stay in the present moment.” For someone who is caught up in the feeling of craving – whether it’s the craving for a cigarette or for food, or alcohol, drugs, or sex, that feeling of craving feels so overwhelmingly large that it eclipses everything else.

For the addict trying to abstain, to be able to grab a moment of peace from Buddhist meditative process allows the addict to be clean and sober one moment at a time. There is safety in the now. You meet some beautiful strong people on the road of recovery. Enjoy the journey! Maybe it’s what Friedrich Nietzche was getting at when he said, “What doesn’t destroy us makes us stronger.”