Enlightened Recovery: An Addict's Guide To Presence

GET CLEAN AND SOBER FIRST

Before you do anything, including before you embark on becoming present through this teaching or any other, Scott encourages you to get clean and sober. If you are a gambler, stop gambling. If you are a shopaholic, stop shopping. If you are a sex or internet addict, stop engaging in those behaviors. If you need to enter a treatment center or admit yourself into the emergency room or see an addiction specialist, by all means do that. Although this website may help to encourage you to get clean and sober, ultimately presence does not work for a mind and body which is clouded by the constant intake of drugs, alcohol, or whatever vice you use to escape this moment.

By all means, read about and practice “Enlightened Recovery,” and watch the videos on this site, even if you are using. But, as soon as possible, do whatever is necessary to get clean and sober. Once you are fully clean and sober, you can get to the business of realizing liberation from suffering.

While you are practicing presence, and becoming present in your life, do not use or drink or engage in your particular vice NO MATTER WHAT!

ENLIGHTENED RECOVERY GROUPS

Don't try to get and stay clean alone. If you cannot find others' in your area recovering from addiction through presence, participate in a 12 step or other spiritual program. These groups offer accountability and support which is important to someone just getting clean and sober.

Scott encourages people to find "accountability partners" --- others recovering from addiction through presence. If you email Scott, he will put you on a list, and try to match you with others in your area.

Scott encourages any addict becoming presence to join Adyashanti Gatherings, Eckhart Tolle Groups, or Byron Katie workshops in your area. Group listings can be found on those teachers' sites.

If you start your own Enlightened Recovery Group, Scott encourages a format for the meeting which includes some purely quiet time (at least 10 minutes at the beginning, and at the end of the meeting). This helps calm the mind. Scott encourages the viewing of any videos on here during the meeting, or viewing of any other presence teacher, preferably one of the following: Adyashanti, Eckhart Tolle, Gangaji, Tony Parsons, Jeff Foster, Byron Katie, Leonard Jacobson. There are others. But make sure the message of the teacher involves becoming awake and aware of thought, emotion, reactions as they arise in this moment. Presence is the key. You can also discuss practical aspects of being present in the group setting.

Please refrain from ego-based discussions, or the need to “be right” during discussion time in your groups.

You should designate one member of your group to conduct the meeting. That person should be in charge of setting up the DVD and TV or computer, if viewing DVDs or videos, and responsible for starting the meeting on time, and directing the course of the meeting. That person is not the leader. There are no leaders. The person in charge is simply encouraged to make sure the meeting runs smoothly, and on time. This person should make sure that others know the location, date, and time of all meetings.

This person is in charge of asking anyone to leave who is disrupting the discussion, or bringing a lot of disagreement to the group setting. The self-centered story of “me” takes many forms, one of which is the need to “hog time” in a group setting, and to “teach” others. None of this behavior is conducive to the meditative practice of presence. Always be respectful of others’ spiritual paths, religions, and programs. Presence is compatible with every program, tradition, and religion. The discussion should never enter into the subject area of which program, religion, or method is the best. Only the ego would care about that.

"Being right" or persuading others to believe in one's own belief system is not conducive to presence. Presence is waking up out of attachment to thought.