One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps

What would the Buddha say to an alcoholic or addict? What could those in recovery offer to the Buddhist path? Kevin Griffin has immersed himself in the Buddhist and Twelve Step traditions, and in One Breath at a Time he gives some surprising and inspiring answers to these questions.
The author, a Buddhist meditation teacher and longtime Twelve Step practitioner, weaves his personal story of recovery with traditional Buddhist teachings. The book takes us on a journey through the Steps, examining critical Twelve Step ideas like Powerlessness, Higher Power, and Moral Inventory through the lens of Buddhism. One Breath at a Time presents potent ancient techniques for finding calm and clarity and offers a vision of a Higher Power not tied to traditional Western Judeo-Christian concepts. One Breath at a Time, describes the convergence of two vital traditions, one ancient, the other contemporary, and shows how they are working together to create a rich spiritual path for our times.

Certain to resonate with both meditators and those whose mantra is “One day at a time,” One Breath at a Time should find a large, welcoming audience.

User Reviews

I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK AND ALSO DOING AN INVENTORY. WHAT WAS HARD FOR ME WAS EXPECTING A "BIG BOOK". BUT THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN FROM A DRUNK'S POINT OF VIEW WHO HAPPENS TO BE A BUDDHIST. HOW VERY INTERESTING IS THAT? ONCE I GOT OVER MY EXPECTATIONS, I LEARNED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT BUDDHISM, THE STEPS FROM ANOTHER'S VIEW, OTHER RELIGIONS AND MY OWN CHARACTER DEFECTS. I HAVE LONG-TERM RECOVERY (EVEN THOUGH I AM ONLY ONE DRINK AWAY FROM THAT SLIP). I STILL GO TO MEETINGS KNOWING I AM CHANGING MY WAYS IN A SPIRITUAL DIRECTION HAVING FAITH I AM BEING CARRIED AS WELL AS WALKING ON MY OWN. -- APPLYING THE 12 STEPS WITH BUDDHA IN MIND

Someone suggested Kevin Griffin's book to me several years back and it has been a valuable addition to my library on alcoholic recovery. Kevin is great in presenting a stark review of his crazed years and shows how we can make real change in our life, through spiritual practice. This is a great book. Anyone interested in recovery and Buddhism should read it. -- Honest, open-minded and willing

The approach in this book to addiction recovery guides the reader through steps to defeat the addiction and begin again a full and satisfying life through a combination of a twelve step program approach with the similar techniques of the Buddhist experience. -- Recovery and Full Life

This book will actually dissuade you from the desire to learn Buddhism. The author even says that Buddhism alone did not solve his problems, mainly alcoholism, but he needed to rely heavily on an integration of both Buddhism and the 12 Steps of overcoming alocohol addiction, in order to obtain fulfillment. He admits the title is wrong, and that it is indeed. There are no 12 steps to Buddhism, but to an individual looking for a basic book about Buddhism fundamentals, "Buddhism and the Twelve Steps" could easily deceive the unititiated or unsuspecting person to believe that this book is indeed a book about 12 steps of Buddhism. It is not. Buddhism has 5 precepts or 8 precepts, depending on your attitude and goals for a peaceful life and mind. And while any person can characterize his Buddhism as 12 steps, this book is not such a book either. The author works tirelessly attempting to integrate alcohol addiciton recovery and Buddhism, but to those not well-informed or educated about the 12 steps of alcoholism recovery, this book leaves much to be desired. This is not a beginner's book about Buddhism at all, or even a book about the precepts of Buddhism. Rather, this book more accurately should be categorized as a book about alcohol addiction recovery, or a book about how the 12 steps of alcohol addiction recovery can be supplemented by some teachings of Buddhism. If you or one of your loved ones is suffering from alcohol addiction, or what the author says might be any type of dysfunctional behavior, and you have been immersed in and can fully appreciate what aloholism is about, and more particularly what the 12 steps of alcoholism recovery are about, then you could consider supplementing your library with this book. But if you are seeking to learn how Buddhism alone can help you solve a different type of real-world problem, say, dealing with a chronic illness, an eating disorder, anxiety, drug abuse, job stress, depression, the loss of a loved one, or bipolar, then this book is not for you. Or even if you are merely looking for an example of how Buddhism alone has worked to solve another person's problem, this book will leave you at a loss, since, again, the author stresses that fulfillment cannot be attained by Buddhism alone, but rather by only a combination of Buddhism with the 12 steps of alcohol addiction recovery.

-- Alcoholism Recovery yes, Buddhism no

When I first started to meditate and discovered Buddhism I thought that I had found the answer to all my problems. And for a while it really seemed that way. It took two more years to realize that my addiction to drugs and alcohol where holding me back. Part of it was that meditation was making me see the hopeless state I was in still holding on to weekend binges for relief. But I still felt that the idea of going to a 12 step meeting would work against what I had found in Buddhism. After all, aren't they all just a bunch of Christian fanatics? It was at this point that I was lucky enough to attend a 5-day retreat with Kevin where I learned about the 12 steps and Kevin's book. It felt like the blinders had finally been lifted. After the retreat, I came home and started a meditation group where we read from One Breath At A Time and share how the combination of mindful meditation and the 12 steps have saved our lives from the suffering of our addition. I now attend 12 step meetings on a regular basis and find that working the steps is completely inline with my Buddhist practice. I read this book constantly as each paragraph carries the power to heal. -- the perfect book for the buddhist struggling with the notion of Higher Power

Tags: Buddhist Meditation, buddhist-path, buddhist-teachings, kevin-griffin, meditation-teacher, moral-inventory, personal-story, spiritual-path, time-buddhism, time-one, twelve-steps, vital-traditions