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It is certainly worth noting that the the “mindfulness” of Buddhism as a way of dealing with addictive behavior is ever more prevalent in the rooms of AA.

Some time ago Julie B. celebrated a year of sobriety at the We Agnostics meeting on St. Clair Avenue in Toronto. She chose to have one word, an acronym, on her one-year medallion: S.O.B.E.R. When we have a troubling thought, or a desire to drink, the Buddhist approach is laid out this way:

*Stop* – Pause for a moment and consider what you are doing;

*Observe* – Think about what you are sensing, feeling and experiencing, and what events led to the situation;

*Breathe* – Pause for a few deep breaths in order to assess your situation in as calm a manner as possible;

*Expand* – Expand your awareness and remind yourself of what will happen if you keep repeating the unwanted behavior (and how you will feel afterward);

*Respond* *Mindfully* – Remember that you have a choice, that you are not required to continue the undesired behaviour.

As Jacobs-Stewart puts it, “If we are mindful, we can slow down the reactionary chain of thoughts, feelings, and subsequent actions. We can see the whole cycle.”

This mindfulness approach to dealing with the affliction of alcoholism

has grown exponentially over the past few decades. Indeed, it is doing so with and without Buddhism.