Does an Addict Have to Sober Up Before Treading the Buddhist Path?

"If I were going there, I wouldn't start from here"

Is there a spiritual path out of this particular neighborhood of Samsara, or do you need to move somewhere else first?      Nina Müller discusses this at Buddhist Door

 "Refraining from consuming intoxicants may be the most controversial of the five Buddhist Precepts. Indeed, there is debate as to whether the precept means restraining entirely from all alcohol and drug use, or just restraining from getting out-of-your-face drunk (or high). Others debate whether the precept applies to laypeople, or only to monastics. And even then, many disagree as to whether it is acceptable for a monastic to indulge in a glass of wine here and there. Despite the myriad opinions on the matter, I think most would agree that having an addiction to intoxicants will inevitably cause a great barrier to one’s practice. And yet. . ."     Read it all