Long ago, I would visit a friend of mine in Los Angeles whenever I was in town. He's a wonderful Dharma Teacher these days, but back then we were both practicing the dharma with a Sangha in L.A. which was large and vibrant. The guiding teacher there created a very solid Recovery program based in the dharma which my buddy facilitated sometimes. Whenever I would visit, I would go sit with this recovery group until they finished just to meditate and hang out with my friend. Afterward, we'd go for dinner and catch up.
One night I told him I felt like I was intruding in these meetings because they were so raw and vulnerable and I wasn't an addict. He laughed at me and said "of course you are...we're all addicted to something!". I started noticing that if you replaced the words "drugs" or "alcohol" with "food"...then my stories weren't so different from theirs. That's when I learned about process addictions and all sorts of other things. I began helping other meetings get started, and after that sangha imploded in the wake of teacher scandal, a new group was formed called Recovery Dharma. At that time I was a "Regional Rep" for the other group, and I served similarly as Recovery Dharma launched with a beautifully written book by its own community!
That other program continued, and still thrives, under the ownership of the teacher mentioned above who created it. But a new seed was planted, and the promise of that seed was a recovery community based in the dharma AND operated by the community instead of an individual. Recovery Dharma was born, and soon after I had helped amazing people bring more than 25 meetings to the state of Georgia.
Covid decimated our Recovery Dharma Georgia meeting list, as people were unable or unwilling to return to in-person meetings. The larger community blossomed with online offerings, but the state of Georgia withered. Now, nearly three years into Covid, the meetings are slowly beginning to return. There's several in the state again, and a few in Metro Atlanta. I'm no longer involved much but I support Recovery Dharma's beautiful mission and still help interested people get their meetings going.
In the meantime, you can find anything you'd like to know about Recovery Dharma at their website linked herein.
Really, the Buddha taught recovery from all suffering, while these wonderful recovery groups focus on the unique and urgent suffering of addictions. I think that anyone participating in any of the several good dharma based recovery groups available out there today should view them as a start, not a finish. They deal specifically with the suffering of addiction, which is vital at the start of recovery, regardless of the substance or process. But ultimately the dharma teaches the end of all suffering and one's recovery should eventually include active participation in a sangha which teaches the full richness of the dharma. We welcome any who wish to join us and will gladly direct you to other groups that might be more optimal if we are not best for your location or situation.
May you be at ease!
Rev. Geo
