The challenge for human beings is not how to avoid suffering, but how to face the pain that is inherent in our lives, and how not to create more suffering by our desperate attempt to avoid pain. Addiction is, perhaps, the most desperate measure we employ to escape suffering.

Applying effort is more than just reading a book on recovery; it is about bringing some of the tools that have been suggested into action.

Breaking down does not have to mean reaching a catastrophe.

In Tibet, the word for meditation is gom, which means “to become familiar with one’s self.