Staying clean after time in a Buddhist rehab retreat

Question

There is this non profit Buddhist meditation and mindfulness based rehab in Thailand where it only costs like 20$ a day and you can stay for as long as you like in this community of sustainable agriculture and meditation and overnight silence. It’s all in the mountains and jungles and it looks incredibly peaceful. I am a cocaine and alcohol addict. I can clean up for a while but I can’t stay clean. This program that I am talking about looks really god and I can actually afford it. I am thinking about dropping out of the world for a few months to live like a monk. My worry is that even if I can stay clean for 3 months in a meditation retreat in the jungle does this make it very likely that I will be able to stay clean once I am back here in Chicago?

Zelik Mintz · Accepted Answer

The retreat sounds like it could provide structured initial support for sobriety. I do have some concerns that would be important to address to sustain sobriety once back in Chicago. It may be necessary to detox from alcohol before attending the retreat unless the retreat provides detox to those who need it. Upon returning to Chicago it would be vital in keeping sober to immediately have set up a program, either outpatient rehab or attending daily AA and/or Cocaine Anonymous meetings, to attend and get a sponsor. Also, to address the issues that led to your self-medicating addiction, it would be advantageous to work through those issues with a psychotherapist. Although the retreat sounds wonderful, you will still be returning to Chicago with all your triggers. Sustaining sobriety upon your returning to a vastly different environment will necessitate ongoing recovery support as well as addressing the internal conflicts that led your addiction.

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