Kevin Griffin

Back from Broken

Colorado Public Radio

Society & Culture

5 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2021

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kevin Griffin was a talented musician who struggled with addiction, felt diretionless in life and eventually became homeless. Until he discovered Buddhism and a recovery program -- and wrote a book that blended the two concepts and helped countless readers struggling with their own addictions. One of those readers was Vic Vela, Back From Broken's host. That connection adds a personal angle to an episode that's full of surprises and hope.

Back From Broken is a show about how we are all broken sometimes, and how we need help from time to time. If you’re struggling, you can find a list of resources at BackFromBroken.org.

Host: Vic Vela
Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg
Editors: Dennis Funk, Ann Marie Awad
Producers: Jo Erickson, Luis Antonio Perez
Music: Daniel Mescher, Brad Turner
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Rachel Estabrook

Thanks also to Hart van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Kim Nguyen, Francie Swidler.

BackFromBroken.org
On Twitter: @VicVela1

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Vic. Just want to let you know this episode contains some strong language, so please be advised.
0:07.2	In three, two, one.
0:11.7	This past Christmas, a friend of mine got me this nutcracker.
0:15.8	It looks like your standard nutcracker in a lot of ways. He's got a red coat and green pants,
0:24.6	some gold accents and knee-high black boots. But there's something a little different about this guy.
0:26.6	His eyes are closed.
0:28.6	He's sitting down and he's meditating.
0:32.6	The stand that he sits on says, Namaste.
0:42.4	When my friend gave it to me, he said,
0:44.4	I saw it and thought of you and your hippie Buddhist Peace on Earth recovery shit.
0:52.0	And I totally get it.
0:59.0	Since the start of my recovery journey from a long-time crack cocaine addiction in 2015,
1:06.1	Buddhism has become a big part of my life. And it really started with a book called One Breath at a time, Buddhism and the Twelve Steps. You see, this book was pivotal in my recovery.
1:13.6	It came into my life at a time when I was starting to fill the benefits of sobriety.
1:17.6	You know, physically I was feeling good, my head was clear.
1:21.6	But spiritually, I felt a certain emptiness.
1:29.3	I got into a 12-step program and I was working the steps, but I got stuck on step number two.
1:35.3	It says that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
1:41.3	Even though I was raised Catholic, I just never connected with the standard Western
1:46.0	definition of an all-knowing God. So, one day, a friend in the 12-step program recommended
1:52.9	Buddhism. I was skeptical. That was for rich white people in Boulder, or so I thought at the time.
2:00.2	But I decided to do some research. I went to
	...

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