Faith in Recovery Spreads Hope and HealingPeople enrolled in addiction treatment programs have had experiences that can affect their self-esteem, emotional stability and sense of community with others. These experiences can also erode any sense of faith in something beyond the predictable ups and downs of everyday life. A variety of studies show that an increased sense of faith, or spirituality, can significantly improve the odds for success in drug and alcohol treatment.

The Inverse Connection Between Substance Abuse and Faith

There are many reasons why people get involved in drug or alcohol abuse. One potential motivation is a sense of hopelessness or helplessness about specific situations or life in general. For people struggling with hopelessness or other profoundly negative emotional states, substance use can provide a conscious or unconscious point of focus. Instead of spending their time feeling bad, they can turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to fill the void[i].

In a real sense, faith provides an alternative to substance use. By identifying something greater than the self as a point of focus, it makes it possible to reduce or eliminate periods of personal despair. In a person who lacks nagging feelings of meaninglessness, there may be a reduced desire to consume drugs or alcohol in excessive amounts.

Faith, Spirituality and Religion

There are two main contexts for faith: a general sense of spirituality and adherence to the beliefs of a specific form of religion. While some people describe themselves as spiritual and others describe themselves as religious, there is no hard barrier between the two. Some experts view spirituality primarily as a personal experience that supports a feeling of self-identity[ii]. In contrast, religion adds a social dimension and moves faith from the personal realm into a larger network of beliefs and interpersonal actions. For many people, spirituality and religion go hand in hand.

Faith Can Matter in Substance Recovery

Over the years, researchers have repeatedly explored the connection between faith and the odds of a successful, long-term recovery. One of the tools used for this purpose is a short questionnaire called the Spiritual Self-Rating Scale. This questionnaire has been administered to people undergoing substance treatment in many settings. Results show that, for at least some people going through drug and alcohol rehab, a faith-based identity[iii] plays an important role in the willingness to establish a substance-free lifestyle.

Faith Used in 12-Step Groups

In substance addiction recovery, a classic model for faith-based programs is incorporating Christianity into a traditional 12-step program. People who join these groups frame the recovery process as part of an interaction with a higher power that plays an essential role in determining short- and long-term success. The most well-known 12-step group is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). AA describes itself as spiritual, but not explicitly religious.

In a study published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, a team of American researchers sought to determine if spirituality/religiousness contributes to beneficial results for people who join Alcoholics Anonymous[iv]. This project included 1,726 participants diagnosed with alcohol abuse/alcoholism. The researchers focused on three main areas:

  • The number of times the participants attended AA meetings
  • The participants’ level of involvement in faith-based practices
  • The number of times the participants consumed alcohol

After 15 months of work, the research team concluded that an increased sense of spirituality/religiousness is an important factor in AA members’ ability to avoid drinking. This is true for people still enrolled in active substance treatment, as well as for people who have concluded treatment. People who embrace faith-based practices while taking part in Alcoholics Anonymous have an improved ability maintain alcohol abstinence. They also consume less alcohol during drinking episodes.

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Creating Effective Faith-Based Programs

Faith is not only useful in 12-step programs; it can also play an important part in active inpatient or outpatient substance use treatment. There are several general principles that help ensure positive outcomes in faith-based treatment programs[v]. They include:

  • Awareness of the importance of faith as an aid to recovery
  • Understanding the need to convey this importance to all program participants
  • Understanding that people who begin faith-based programs have varied personal backgrounds and experiences
  • Understanding that people who join faith-based programs start with varying degrees of spiritual belief
  • Understanding that people who join faith-based programs interpret spirituality and religiousness in a variety of ways
  • Understanding the importance of individualizing faith-based programs to meet the needs of each participant
  • Understanding the need to create a welcoming, accepting environment for all new participants
  • Understanding the benefits of creating a community among program participants
  • Understanding the need to incorporate faith-based programs into a comprehensive approach to drug and alcohol treatment

Group therapy is the common format for faith-based drug and alcohol recovery. However, some programs also offer one-on-one therapy. Group therapy sessions are sometimes gender-based. This approach allows therapists to focus on issues and challenges unique to men and women.

Some faith-based programs encourage their participants to join a 12-step self-help group while enrolled in active treatment. In addition, these programs often provide time for participants to attend weekly religious services. This is important, since attendance of these services can help reinforce abstinence and reduce the risks for a relapse during the recovery process.

Our Faith-Based Program

At Transformations Treatment Center, we support the spiritual and religious needs of our clients through our Christian/Faith-Based Treatment Program. Highlights of this full-service program include:

  • A professionally trained staff that understands the importance of faith in the treatment process
  • Research-based group and individual therapy conducted by Christian clinicians
  • An on-site Christian suite complete with a chapel designed to host baptisms and weekly services
  • An individualized curriculum that takes each client’s needs into account and accepts each participant’s current situation unconditionally
  • A follow-up alumni program that helps former participants maintain their ongoing commitment to a substance-free lifestyle

Participation is open to clients who receive treatment on an inpatient basis, as well as clients who receive intensive outpatient treatment. Each step of the way, we make sure that our faith-based approach supports the overall goals of the recovery process.

  1.  International Journal of Self-Help and Self-Care: The Varieties of Recovery Experience – A Primer for Addiction Treatment Professionals and Recovery Advocates
    http://mx1.williamwhitepapers.com/pr/2006VarietiesofRecoveryExperience.pdf
  2. Southern Medical Journal: Spirituality and Addiction
    http://go.galegroup.com/ps/anonymous?id=GALE%7CA162977428&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=fulltext&issn=00384348&p=AONE&sw=w&authCount=1&isAnonymousEntry=true
  3. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment: Assessment of Spirituality and Its Relevance to Addiction Treatment
    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740547206002066
  4. Alcoholism – Clinical & Experimental Research: Spirituality in Recovery – A Lagged Mediational Analysis of Alcoholics Anonymous’ Principal Theoretical Mechanism of Behavior Change
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2010.01362.x/full
  5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: The Role of Spiritual and Faith Communities in Recovery
    https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/programs_campaigns/recovery_to_practice/role-of-faith-based-organizations.pdf