{"id":22799,"date":"2020-09-01T01:10:21","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T05:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=22799"},"modified":"2020-08-24T19:41:01","modified_gmt":"2020-08-24T23:41:01","slug":"book-review-the-12-step-buddhist-enhance-recovery-from-any-addiction-by-darren-littlejohn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2020\/09\/01\/book-review-the-12-step-buddhist-enhance-recovery-from-any-addiction-by-darren-littlejohn\/","title":{"rendered":"Sober Pagan Reviews – The 12-Step Buddhist: Enhance Recovery from Any Addiction: Updated & Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition by Darren Littlejohn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Book Review<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

The 12-Step Buddhist<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

Enhance Recovery from Any Addiction<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

Updated & Expanded 10<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup> Anniversary Edition<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

by Darren Littlejohn<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

400 <\/span>P<\/span>ages <\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I was <\/span>so <\/i><\/span>happy to receive this book. I was well acquainted with the original edition, as my son\u2019s father, a long-time Buddhist practitioner in the Tibetan tradition and AA guru had it on his shelf the last time I visited him in Florida, and I remember reading parts of it and being overall impressed with Darren Littlejohn\u2019s synthesis of 12-Step dogma and Buddhist philosophy. This edition has much more information than the original edition \u2013 I have to say that it\u2019s a tad <\/span>dense <\/i><\/span>\u2013 but that\u2019s only because there\u2019s so much to absorb. My copy has numerous bright pink post-it tabs sticking out from various pages and I wore out more than one highlighter while reading this! I might as well tell you now that I highly recommend this book \u2013 but it\u2019s not for the person in early recovery. It\u2019s for those of us who have been around for a while. Maybe those of us who have relapsed more than once and need to get real with our recovery. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Reading the book \u2013 especially the part that explains Buddhism \u2013 brought back my own first year of recovery. I didn\u2019t even get through my first year without relapsing \u2013 I got five months \u2013 living with my parents while I went to outpatient rehab \u2013 and then I returned to my husband and promptly relapsed. I got sober two months later \u2013 running away with my son\u2019s father \u2013 to Cleveland, of all places! \u2013 living in a Buddhist household and going to daily AA meetings. I meditated every morning and went to weekly Dharma study group and yes! \u2013 my life changed for the better. I wish I could say that my son\u2019s father and lived happily ever after \u2013 but that didn\u2019t happen. Life doesn\u2019t work like that. But those first wonderful months \u2013 that first year, really \u2013 oh, what a great sober time it was! <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What I especially like about this book is the integration of Buddhism and the Steps. If you read about the Steps in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous \u2013 and even more in the \u201cTwelve and Twelve\u201d \u2013 they really focus on God and prayer and submitting yourself to \u201cHis will\u201d. As pagans, this is a hard pill to swallow and many of us leave the program because of that right there. A good example is the \u201cThird Step Prayer\u201d on page 164, which I always found annoying to say the least. Littlejohn presents the NA third step prayer, the Buddhist refuge prayer and a prayer he wrote himself \u2013 the point being that we are able to create our own third step prayer that works for <\/span>us. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For each step, Littlejohn shows a way to blend the tenets of Buddhism to make a more meaningful recovery. Even if you are not a practicing Buddhist, this is important and this is the reason I recommend this book \u2013 as pagans, <\/span>Wiccans<\/span> and other non-Christians, it is mandatory that we learn how to integrate our own religions in with 12-step recovery groups because even in these days of COVID-19 and online meetings, 12-step groups have become the go-to standard. Although there are other forms of recovery groups, they remain few and far-between for most of us. So it is imperative that we make 12-step recovery work for us \u2013 no matter what our spirituality may be. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One thing he talks about is \u201cthe Funnel\u201d. I had to go back to the Introduction to find out exactly what he meant by that and even then, I had trouble really understanding what he meant. Apparently it\u2019s just a \u201csober stuck point\u201d (Littlejohn, xxiii) \u2013 why it\u2019s a funnel, I\u2019m not sure \u2013 unless it\u2019s referring to some kind of downward spiral. But you might want to keep that in mind as you read through the book, because he brings up \u201cthe Funnel\u201d over and over again. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an amazingly detailed book. There\u2019s charts and diagrams and a good-sized glossary. Like I already said, it\u2019s a tad <\/span>dense \u2013 <\/i><\/span>in the sense that there\u2019s so much to it \u2013 it\u2019s not exactly an easy read. That\u2019s why I said it\u2019s not really for anyone in early recovery \u2013 you have to be able to concentrate to read this. I personally think this book would be great for a sober reading discussion group. I myself would love to be in that group. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Littlejohn writes, \u201cIn my opinion, the ultimate solution of the 12 Steps is to find the bodhisattva path to complete enlightenment. I didn\u2019t know that for a really long time.\u201d (Littlejohn, 286). I think in general, getting sober is about spiritual enlightenment \u2013 but only if you enhance your sobriety <\/span>with <\/i><\/span>spirituality. We all know people who quit drinking and drugging and never become spiritual at all. This book can help you on your spiritual path. As I wrote in the first paragraph, I <\/span>highly<\/i><\/span> recommend this book. It’ll be one of my favorite recovery books until the day I die. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/u><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Littlejohn, Darren. <\/span>The 12-Step Buddhist: Enhance Recovery from Any Addiction: Updated & Expanded 10<\/u><\/span>th<\/u><\/span><\/sup> Anniversary Edition<\/u><\/span>. NY: Atria Paperback\/Simon & Schuster, 2019. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The 12-Step Buddhist on Amazon<\/a>\"\"
\n***<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Polly MacDavid<\/b><\/span>\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities. She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She blogs at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>silverapplequeen.wordpress.com<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/u><\/span>. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review The 12-Step Buddhist Enhance Recovery from Any Addiction Updated & Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition by Darren Littlejohn 400 Pages     I was so happy to receive this book. I was well acquainted with the original edition, as my son\u2019s father, a long-time Buddhist practitioner in the Tibetan tradition and AA guru had it on his shelf the last time I visited him in Florida, and I remember reading parts of it and being overall impressed with Darren Littlejohn\u2019s synthesis of 12-Step dogma and Buddhist philosophy. This edition has much more information than the original edition \u2013 I have to say that it\u2019s a tad dense \u2013 but that\u2019s only because there\u2019s so much to absorb. My copy has numerous bright pink post-it tabs sticking out from various pages and I wore out more than one highlighter while reading this! I might as well tell you now that I highly recommend this book \u2013 but it\u2019s not for the person in early recovery. It\u2019s for those of us who have been around for a while. Maybe those of us who have relapsed more than once and need to get real with our recovery. Reading the book \u2013 especially the part that explains Buddhism \u2013 brought back my own first year of recovery. I didn\u2019t even get through my first year without relapsing \u2013 I got five months \u2013 living with my parents while I went to outpatient rehab \u2013 and then I returned to my husband and promptly relapsed. I got sober two months later \u2013 running away with my son\u2019s father \u2013 to Cleveland, of all places! \u2013 living in a Buddhist household and going to daily AA meetings. I meditated every morning and went to weekly Dharma study group and yes! \u2013 my life changed for the better. I wish I could say that my son\u2019s father and lived happily ever after \u2013 but that didn\u2019t happen. Life doesn\u2019t work like that. But those first wonderful months \u2013 that first year, really \u2013 oh, what a great sober time it was! What I especially like about this book is the integration of Buddhism and the Steps. If you read about the Steps in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous \u2013 and even more in the \u201cTwelve and Twelve\u201d \u2013 they really focus on God and prayer and submitting yourself to \u201cHis will\u201d. As pagans, this is a hard pill to swallow and many of us leave the program because of that right there. A good example is the \u201cThird Step Prayer\u201d on page 164, which I always found annoying to say the least. Littlejohn presents the NA third step prayer, the Buddhist refuge prayer and a prayer he wrote himself \u2013 the point being that we are able to create our own third step prayer that works for us. For each step, Littlejohn shows a way to blend the tenets of Buddhism to make a more meaningful recovery. Even if you are not a practicing Buddhist, this is important and this is the reason I recommend this book \u2013 as pagans, Wiccans and other non-Christians, it is mandatory that we learn how to integrate our own religions in with 12-step recovery groups because even in these days of COVID-19 and online meetings, 12-step groups have become the go-to standard. Although there are other forms of recovery groups, they remain few and far-between for most of us. So it is imperative that we make 12-step recovery work for us \u2013 no matter what our spirituality may be. One thing he talks about is \u201cthe Funnel\u201d. I had to go back to the Introduction to find out exactly what he meant by that and even then, I had trouble really understanding what he meant. Apparently it\u2019s just a \u201csober stuck point\u201d (Littlejohn, xxiii) \u2013 why it\u2019s a funnel, I\u2019m not sure \u2013 unless it\u2019s referring to some kind of downward spiral. But you might want to keep that in mind as you read through the book, because he brings up \u201cthe Funnel\u201d over and over again. It\u2019s an amazingly detailed book. There\u2019s charts and diagrams and a good-sized glossary. Like I already said, it\u2019s a tad dense \u2013 in the sense that there\u2019s so much to it \u2013 it\u2019s not exactly an easy read. That\u2019s why I said it\u2019s not really for anyone in early recovery \u2013 you have to be able to concentrate to read this. I personally think this book would be great for a sober reading discussion group. I myself would love to be in that group. Littlejohn writes, \u201cIn my opinion, the ultimate solution of the 12 Steps is to find the bodhisattva path to complete enlightenment. I didn\u2019t know that for a really long time.\u201d (Littlejohn, 286). I think in general, getting sober is about spiritual enlightenment \u2013 but only if you enhance your sobriety with spirituality. We all know people who quit drinking and drugging and never become spiritual at all. This book can help you on your spiritual path. As I wrote in the first paragraph, I highly recommend this book. It’ll be one of my favorite recovery books until the day I die. References Littlejohn, Darren. The 12-Step Buddhist: Enhance Recovery from Any Addiction: Updated & Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition. NY: Atria Paperback\/Simon & Schuster, 2019. The 12-Step Buddhist on Amazon *** About the Author: Polly MacDavid\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic. Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities. She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan. She blogs at\u00a0silverapplequeen.wordpress.com. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10005],"tags":[12184,11001,10346,12186,12155,12189,12187,12190,12188,10021,12185,12191,10998],"class_list":["post-22799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-12-steps","tag-addiction","tag-author","tag-buddhism","tag-buddhist","tag-darren-littlejohn","tag-enhance","tag-foreward","tag-from-any","tag-recommended","tag-recovery","tag-robert-thurman","tag-sober"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22799"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22968,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22799\/revisions\/22968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}