The Mindful Addict

Mention the sixties and readers conjure images of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. Author Tom Catton not only lived through the sixties, he remembers them, and that's where this memoir begins, as Catton, an addict by his early-twenties and currently in recovery for almost forty years, recounts his adventures. These were both physical and spiritual, as he sought new experiences and insights, first by means of drugs and eventually through the study and practice of meditation and introspection. Along the way, he journeyed across the world, from the beaches of Hawaii to the streets of Kolkata (Calcutta), meeting remarkable 'teachers,' like the magnetic Flobird, who became his mentor, his spiritual guide, and his friend. She inhabits the pages of this book, along with other singular world figures Catton met in his sojourn, like the Dalai Llama and Mother Theresa. They are all here, in The Mindful Addict, and their lessons and love infuse these pages with wisdom and heart

Tom Catton has been in recovery since 1971. His story appears in a twelve-step fellowship recovery book with more than seven million copies in circulation around the world. He has been taking twelve-step meetings into Hawaii's prison system since 1984. A retired marathon runner, Tom ran fifty miles on his fiftieth birthday, and rode his mountain bike sixty miles on his sixtieth birthday. Tom is also trained in Tibetan singing bowl therapy and healing. He is on the advisory board of the Buddhist Recovery Network and teaches a meditation group in Hawaii, where he lives.