The hindrances are desire, aversion, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and doubt.

The Buddha’s First Noble Truth says that there is inevitable pain in life, and that we can never arrive at a place of permanent satisfaction. It is resistance to this Truth that is behind our addiction. Addicts want to find a way to create constant pleasure or at least avoid pain at all costs.

For many of us, this was a time of year when we upped our consumption, whether of alcohol, drugs, food, or shopping. That last can be a big trigger, as we overspend on gifts trying to compensate for our low self-esteem.

If someone comes to us for help, our ego wants to prove that we can help,

That’s why the first gift we give others is our silence, listening fully. If we do so with an open heart and quiet mind, we’ll likely find that a natural, supportive response will emerge. If it doesn’t, we can simply say that we don’t have the answers, but let our friend know that we love and care for them. That’s probably what they really want and

The Buddha encouraged us to give love to all beings, including ourselves. We are all human and equally valuable. Can we take that in? Can we start to treat ourselves as if we believed that?”

“When I was active in my addiction, I had problems, but I couldn’t deal with them. Without that behavior, I still have problems, but now I can deal with them one day at a time.”