score:1
If withdrawal (especially "voluntary") is unsuccessful, then it's better to view that as a temporary failure (not permanent), and try again: resume the effort, and avoid repeating the same mistake. With practice, more experience, you become more skilled at withdrawing (and eventually succeed).
I think experience matches conventional advice, and matches what can be inferred from the suttas.
Successful withdrawal tends to happen for one or more reasons (possibly several reasons):
Also:
As for "lack of pleasure" I'd hope that you'll begin to benefit -- e.g. from freedom and non-intoxication -- to whatever extent you become unaddicted. You might want to re-evaluate what's pleasurable, what pleasure is -- or to re-evaluate your preferences (e.g. to prefer what "praised by the wise", "skilful", "blameless", and so on e.g. as detailed in the Kalama sutta or other suttas).
Maybe this too (which has parallels in the vinaya, as well as being conventional addiction-recovery advice):
This last section -- e.g. rules and confession -- can be quite effective.
It's so effective that there is a view (i.e. many people say) that it may be the only way to succeed -- and that whether you succeed depends on whether you're willing to agree to participate in this method: to accept that the behaviour is a problem, to commit to following the rules and to confessing, to attend (and continue to attend) the meetings.
Seclusion can help too. Maybe the addictive behaviour requires something (a addictive substance like alcohol, an addictive thing like access to the internet, and/or another person). If that something is within easy reach -- and especially if you wilfully keep that thing within easy reach -- then "back-sliding" is easier.
So part of success might be to deliberately (in whatever moments of sanity you may have) do something to make your access to that thing more difficult: e.g. remove the substance or the thing from your home (or e.g. leave home to go on a retreat). Then when the craving happens it would require a longer and more deliberate effort to re-acquire that thing.
Addictive behaviour might be something you can do easily and without thinking about it much, it might be successful to replace that with a situation which requires some intentional effort, for example, "Craving: suppose I were to have that thing as usual?", answered by, "No the situation is different now, I'm following a different rule. And the thing isn't here, it isn't available to me. I could make the effort to get up and walk out and go and get it -- but I don't want to do that and I don't have to, I will not do that, I am not going to do that, that would be a wrong effort, instead I'll simply do nothing and stay relaxed until another, different (wholesome, acceptable) thought occurs to me instead of this (temporary) craving."
That may change the equation, the balance:
There are maybe specifically-Buddhist techniques as well -- e.g. non-identification, guarding the senses, mindfulness (remembering), calm (peacefulness), even virtues -- and maybe you know something about those already. But I think all the above (including friendship and mentoring) are Buddhist and also overlap with non-Buddhist addiction-recovery advice and methods.
Upvote:0
I've never heard that there is a Buddhist schedule for withdrawal from substance abuse. For serious addiction a 3 stage process is recommended, first (1) hospitalization (to control dangerous side-effects of withdrawal), then outpatient (2) rehabilitation for a certain number of weeks, until the patient is healthy enough for a residential (3) recovery program of several weeks.
Hospitalization is suggested for some alcoholics because withdrawal can trigger heart attacks. All these services are usually done by specialists. In a case of mild alcoholism or drug addiction 90 days should see them physically stable, but they need ongoing support groups and might not ever be able to return to their former way of life. The vast majority of alcoholics and drug addicts never survive their disease, but it might take a long time before they die or become institutionalized safely.
"40 to 60 percent of drug addicts will relapse from their plan of treatment" National Institute on Drug Abuse
"In the midst of a serious addiction crisis, in which 72,000 people died from overdoses in 2017, it can be easy to forget that recovery is not only possible but is the reality for nearly 10 percent of U.S. adults." https://www.statnews.com/2018/08/30/measure-addiction-recovery-rates/
Upvote:0
It's not enough to set goals, it's equally important to elicit commitment to change.
Conduct a Cost-Benefit-Analysis, where you oppose two options, i.e., Giving into alcohol vs Being free from it, and write down every short & long term advantage & disadvantage you can come up with for YOURSELF & FOR OTHERS. These points have to be believable to you!
Here it's important to distinguish between real & perceived costs & benefits, which is why I suggest to seek help from a professional or someone you trust to question perceived benefits of your addiction because people with addictions have strong biases.
If necessary, question also the perceived disadvantages for changing.
Focus on the disadvantage of the addiction and not just merely parrot them, but also be honest with yourself and realize that you got something from your addiction, otherwise you wouldn't have engaged in it.
Acknowledge that you won't get certain benefits anymore, but you can look forward to other - more short term based - benefits.
This cost-benefit-analysis is also not a do once exercise. Throughout the changing process you might gain more insights & add more advantages & disadvantages to each side.
Upvote:1
Sure, the way to have clarity of perception is with sati sampajana and the way to have pleasure is to go beyond sati sampajana, ie, with samadhi. nobody can have ''withdrawal'' without being ''happy''. happiness stems form withdrawal and clarity of perception.
So it is minduflness and turning minduflness into samadhi, as usual, like so
Whomsoever it may be, Ananda, bhikkhu or bhikkhunī, living, having got by heart the four settings-up of memory — of such a progressively more excellently refined self-awareness is to be expected."
Of what do these four consist?
Here Ananda, a beggar living in body oversees body ardent, self-aware, recollected, disciplining worldly covetousness and depression.
In such a one, living in body overseeing body, promted by body or arising from body, passions[3] of the heart or sluggish externals destract the heart.
Then, Ananda, that beggar should set his heart on the track of some happy state.
In the heart set on the track of some happy state joy is born.
With enjoyment entheusiasm is born.
Entheusiastic in mind the body becomes impassive.
Impassive in body happiness is experienced.
Happy at heart one is serene.
He then determines:
'Such as was the attainment of heart to which I aspired, such attaiment has been produced in me.
In that case, it is now time to withdraw!'
And thus he withdraws and does not think and does not ponder.
Understanding:
'Without thinking, without pondering, internally recollected, I am happy.'
http://obo.genaud.net/dhamma-vinaya/bd/sn/05_mv/sn05.47.010.olds.bd.htm#p1
Upvote:1
Another repeating of the same question and here the altenative to paint a green point on the forhead:
Re-ligion, being a disciple, means to agree voluntary to an imprisoning to get ride of a harmful habit.
The only outwardly help in this period, and that is the same in psychology, is to associated with the teacher (more advanced), and get "isolated" from lower, using equal "just" for dayly needs: i.e. concentration&working camp (monastery), or if such is not found "walking alone", but not recommended if possible to find.
As the Buddha told, it is impossible to get support from one not beyond a matter that one tries to solve.
Again here: admirable friend and withdraw from equal and lower till insight and path is reached.
Since for this kind of training a social network is required, the re-ligion, the Sangha of monks has been established, especially for those not having reached the stream but confidence, since it would be hardly possible living an common life.
The practice ot Thudongas is highly supportive, not at least by shrinking ways of wrong association and activities.
Mindfulness is of course the key, but the defilments would have and ease if the governing principles are weak, i.e. no outwardly support and guidance and to less preasure, to much space for cheat you self.
(not given for trade, exchange, stakes and to use for bounds in the world, but to bind toward liberation)