Addiction, meditation, and enlightenment/awakening

If you struggle with any form of addiction AND are also interested in mindfulness and meditation — to the point of being interested in enlightenment/awakening — this quote from Daniel Ingram may be a helpful motivator:

“Stagnation is guaranteed if you cling to pleasant sensations.”

In other words, you won’t make any progress on the enlightenment path until you get past the clinging to pleasant sensations — i.e., the pleasant sensations that you are addicted to.

Ram Dass offered a quote that’s in the same ballpark: “One way to get free of attachment is to cultivate the witness consciousness, to become a neutral observer of your own life.”

(A friend of mine dealt with addiction for as long as I knew her, and I know she was also looking for any motivation to quit, so I try to share anything I learn that might be helpful.)