Recovery Dharma: Your Questions, Answered

Recovery Dharma is an addiction recovery program based on Buddhist principles and activities. It can help you overcome both substance use and behavioral addictions through meditation, mindfulness and many other practices.

You do not have to be Buddhist to participate in or benefit from the program. Furthermore, you can attend meetings online or in person and get the recovery support you need.

Key Facts

• Recovery Dharma is a unique alternative to more common support groups. Although it is not based on clinical practices, there are effective basic principles in helping you recover from addictions.
• Several elements of Recovery Dharma provide structure to the program, including the Seven Practices, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
• These meetings are accessible online and in person across the United States and in other countries. Meetings are simple to join and you can choose general or specific groups to meet your needs.
• Each Recovery Dharma meeting follows a flow that includes readings, meditations, sharing and more.
• Getting started with Recovery Dharma is simple and you can start making connections today.

Recovery Dharma: What it Is and Is Not

Recovery Dharma is a peer led recovery program that uses Buddhist principles and meditation to help you heal from addiction to drugs, alcohol, or other substances.

It can also treat addictive behaviors like gambling, sex, food, technology, or other compulsive patterns.

Recovery Dharma is not a clinical treatment program. The emphasis is on reducing suffering, creating wise boundaries and building stability. Although principles are based on Buddhist teachings, you do not have to be Buddhist to participate.

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How Recovery Dharma Works: The Practice

Recovery Dharma gives you a practical path to recovery. You learn to set wise boundaries, build mindfulness through meditation, lean on community support and practice ethical living. All these elements help you remain abstinent.

At the center of the program are the Seven Practices designed to support your day to day recovery:

1. Renunciation: You step away from addictive behaviors and set clear, healthy boundaries.
2. Meditation: You train your mind to notice thoughts, emotions and urges without acting on them.
3. Meetings: You gather with others in recovery for connection, shared experience and support.
4. The Path: You use the Eightfold Path as a practical guide for how you live and recover.
5. Inquiry and Investigation: You reflect on your experiences to better understand cravings, triggers and patterns.
6. Sangha/Wise Friends/Mentors: You build supportive relationships that help you stay grounded in recovery.
7. Growth: You continue learning, healing and strengthening your recovery over time.

The practice is rooted in the Four Noble Truths, which help you see there is suffering, a cause to your suffering, an end to your suffering and a path that leads to the end of your suffering.

The Eightfold Path then offers a clear, everyday guide for responding to life in ways that support long term recovery.

The path involves a wise understanding, wise intention, wise speech, wise action, wise livelihood, wise effort, wise mindfulness and wise concentration.

The practice of inquiry is a significant part of Recovery Dharma’s program. Inquiry is a way of reflecting on your experience, often through writing, to better understand what’s driving your addictive patterns.

It helps you make connections between feelings, triggers and underlying causes for addiction so you can make wiser choices in the future.

Recovery Dharma Meetings: What to Expect

When you attend a Recovery Dharma meeting, you’ll find a welcoming environment.

Even if it’s your first meeting, you can expect it to feel calm and supportive, with an easy to follow structure.

Meetings are confidential and usually include:

• Opening readings
• A guided meditation
• An optional reading or brief discussion
• Group sharing or listening without sharing
• A closing or dedication of merit

There are a few shared agreements that help keep meetings safe and respectful.

You’re asked to share from the “I” perspective and stay within time limits. However, if you don’t want to share, you can pass and listen mindfully while others speak.

Recovery Dharma Meeting Options

There are many options when choosing a Recovery Dharma meeting.

You may use the Meeting List that allows you to narrow your options, including:

• Beginner meetings
• Book or workbook study meetings
• Sitting groups
• Inquiry focused meetings
• General discussion or practice meetings

You may also find LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, or women’s and men’s groups. There are topic focused meetings, such as mindful eating or behavioral addictions, that help you focus on specific areas of recovery.

Online meetings are mostly held on Zoom. Pay attention to time zones when choosing a meeting.

Although it is on Zoom, you are usually welcome to keep your camera off or your microphone muted if that feels more comfortable. You can participate by sharing, using the chat if it’s offered, or simply listening.

How to Get Started With Recovery Dharma

Getting started with Recovery Dharma can be simple, and you don’t have to figure everything out right away.

You can choose multiple ways by using the Recovery Dharma Beginner’s Guide. You can pick a meeting to attend, either online or in person. Just showing up is enough in the beginning.

You may read Recovery Dharma materials and the book to learn more about the approach. The program recommends trying short daily meditations, up to ten minutes. Don’t worry about getting it right, just focus on learning.

Next, you’ll define renunciation in a way that makes sense for your life. For substances, this may mean committing to abstinence.

For process or behavioral addictions, start by setting healthy boundaries. As you grow and gain more support, you can adjust these choices as needed.

You can begin with a light inquiry, which is a gentle introduction or less intense form of self reflection.

This helps you to recognize your most common triggers, paying attention to early warning signs and choosing one or two “wise responses” you’ll practice this week when challenges come up. There’s no rush. Small, steady steps are enough.

Building Support

Building support in Recovery Dharma involves building relationships with “wise friends,” or peer recovery support, sort of like a recovery buddy or sponsor.

Your wise friends support you through check ins, accountability actions and offering encouragement. 

Mentors within Recovery Dharma are typically informal relationships. They are peers who share your experience and can work with you to set boundaries, stay consistent and implement practices that support your recovery.

Giving back, providing service and generosity play a vital role in building purpose and recovery capital.

You can gain these experiences through small roles, such as helping set up meetings and welcoming newcomers, which builds purpose and recovery capital.

Recovery Dharma FAQs

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For a conversation about what treatment options are available to you.

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800-985-8516
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