I would also be interested. The majority of my reading and sobriety has been on my own, so an outside perspective would be phenomenal.
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Your voice and calming tone is very relaxing and perfect for this practice.
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What are the numbers for ?
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Sorry for the slow response guys, but great to hear people are interested in doing some inquiry work @EarnIt @Tldef2 @Tommo 
Will set up a private group at some point this week.
Also am going to be hosting some RD meetings for my Liverpool group, Tuesdays at 1pm (UK time). Zoom 558 318 4669, password 12345 - of course everyone is welcome.
The plan for that will be book study, going through the eightfold path, so I will also post that here 
I also wanted to share something from our meditation class on Sunday. The topic was Dependent Origination - the idea of emptiness, that things donât have inherent value. We project meaning onto things and this feeds our tendencies for clinging and aversion. So for substance use, we may find ourselves looking back, romanticising and over exaggerating the positives and discounting the negatives. We see what we choose to see. Or, as was said on the call âif you take a picture of a duck, youâll get a picture of a duckâ 
It reminded me of this:
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Yes it will be, for as long as people want it
They usually do Tuesday groups in the evenings but numbers dropped off so we thought weâd try a daytime one to see if that helps.
Arrgh how is it Tuesday already?!
A reminder for anyone that would like to join the Liverpool meeting, itâs on today at 1pm GMT - Zoom 558 318 4669, password 12345. We will be looking at the eightfold path: wise intention.
Itâs actually quite a long one so will probably split this up over two weeks and cover generosity, appreciative joy and compassion today. If youâre not able to join us, feel free to read p.24 - 28 and discuss your thoughts here!
Starting at 1pm GMT (10 mins ish) if anyone is in need of some metta today 
Another bump - starting in 30 mins ish if anyone wants to join.
Will actually get round to posting some of the eightfold path for discussion here one of these days!
Meeting in 5 mins! Canât believe another week gone already.
dear TS Sanga friends,
Happy Holi to all yoga friends here. May the light overcome whatever shadow we encounter. Ganesha will help us overcome any obstacles
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Question from an outsider looking in: How is this not just a recruiting technique for Buddhism that goes after vulnerable addicts? Itâs directly espousing Buddhism as the solution to the addiction problem, right?
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It isnât about recruiting Buddhists. It is just using Buddhist principles (which are very similar to those found in other recovery programs, and psychiatry in general) and meditation as a foundation for recovery.
In my local group there is one person who was a Buddhist monk who is happy to offer a Buddhist perspective but doesnât encourage anyone to commit to Buddhism. I also run an RD meeting and I am not a Buddhist.
Also, as it is very clearly described as a Buddhist inspired approach to recovery, I donât think many people would be surprised to find that Buddhism features pretty heavily 
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Thanks for that explanation.
Thanks so much @Tommo for joining our little Recovery Dharma meeting today! Would be great to hear what you thought of it.
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Iâve been reflecting on something that came up for me today about belonging, which I also mentioned earlier in the daily check in thread.
I am finding it so hard to just sit with this feeling of being disconnected, lonely, not belonging. I so want to do something, to âfixâ it. Over the last couple of days I have considered joining various sports groups, getting a job, getting involved in various voluntary groups, moving to a new area, moving back to my hometownâŚ
Some of those things might be a good idea at some point, but I know that this is not the right time. I have spent the best part of the last year working out what to let go of! Thinking about the first noble truth inquiry questions, about harmful behaviours and patterns, throwing myself into things to distract from the underlying problem is one of mine. Which is all well and good until those things become sources of frustration, stress, overwhelm and general dysfunction.
I remind myself of the RD definition of addiction:
âThe overwhelming craving and compulsive use of substances or behaviours in order to escape present-time reality, either by clinging to pleasure or running from pain.â
So, how might I avoid or reduce suffering for myself and others by changing these patterns? By accepting that things are not how I might wish them to be right now, but that change is inevitable. Covid restrictions will lift at some point and that will make a massive difference. There will be other stuff that comes up that I would never be able to predict, which will impact my thinking in future.
Edit to add, I am also working on how to accept these feelings. Maybe even to welcome them.
Patience!
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I find it less of a problem while meditating. More the rest of the time. But I have not been practising meditation daily⌠So my mindfulness muscles are not being flexed enough!
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@anon86726034! Youâre back! Yay! Welcome back friend hope youâve been wellâŚ!? Recovery still going strong?
Youâve been missed here on the forum.
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Youâre always welcome Tom!
This is something Iâve been reflecting on. I think part of it is wanting to go back to a romanticised view I have of the past, with friends, fun, a feeling of freedom and a kind of intensity that I havenât felt for a while. Drinking and drugs were a big part of that time, and while thatâs not the bit I want to go back to I probably have to accept that was a big part of what created the intensity.
I do have friends, hobbies and interests, points of connection. Covid and lockdown is undoubtedly making life feel even more vanilla. Regardless, it underlines the idea that for me I probably need to work on finding peace with where I am, finding belonging in my life rather than changing my life to find belonging!
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I think / feel this exact way too. Itâs very surreal when I read your words siand as I often feel like youâve written exactly what I am currently thinking and feeling.
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And that is the power of sharing! Thank you for saying so, I sometimes feel like I am always moaning but these points of connection are so important, to remember that we are not alone!
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