Buddhism Drug Rehab

Buddhism Drug Rehab

Buddhism Drug Rehab

As health care professionals struggle with the sheer scope of the substance abuse problem, many have departed from traditional Western treatment methods and introduced to their patients a therapy rooted in ancient wisdom: Buddhism drug rehab. This follows a larger trend towards faith-based recovery. If the addict has been using drugs in an attempt to fill a void felt within, so the reasoning goes, effective treatment must address the source of that emptiness itself. The addict’s search for meaning becomes an important rehabilitative pursuit.

Benefits of Buddhism Drug Rehab

At first glance, it might seem unlikely for a modern-day drug addict to find meaning through a centuries-old Eastern practice. In many ways, though, Buddhism drug rehab works nicely with more traditional treatment options. The modern approach that the addict must seek recovery “one day at a time” is echoed in the gentle Buddhist urging to “be present now.” What’s more, Buddhist meditation provides specific steps—-focusing attention on one’s breath, or repeating a mantra, among others, that the patient can follow to stay rooted in the present moment.

Confronting the Emptiness

For the recovering addict attempting to confront the emptiness within, however, the perspective offered through Buddhism drug rehab is unique. The traditional treatment approach is to help the patient find a healthy substitute for drugs, to fill his or her inner void with positive pursuits such as exercise, healthy relationships, reliance on a “higher power.” Buddhism drug rehab, by contrast, emphasizes coming to know and accept the emptiness within. While engaging in activities that bring happiness to oneself and others is certainly encouraged within this framework, it is also acknowledged that such happiness will always be fleeting. The emptiness within, and the yearning to fill it, will always remain.

Seeming Counter Intuitive

While it may seem counter intuitive to tell recovering addicts that the feelings of emptiness and longing that first led them to use drugs will always be with them, this can be a powerful message. The uneducated addict not only feels the pull of the inner void, but also interprets the existence of this space within as evidence of personal failure. Surely, healthy people don’t have this sense of longing and emptiness within themselves? And that sense of isolation and abnormality in turn drives the addictive cycle. The addict has a sense of yearning and incompleteness, is ashamed for having those feelings, and therefore seeks out a self-destructive means of satisfying them.

Buddhism offers the patient affirmation that inner emptiness is simply part of the human condition, thus helping to remove the sense of unworthiness that fuels the addictive behavior. Buddhism drug rehab provides the addict with a healthy way to accept the void within, thus diminishing the need to chase it away with chemicals.

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