Faith Recovery | Using Faith & Religion in Your Recovery from Addiction 9/15/18, 147 PM

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Faith Recovery

When a debilitating substance habit consumes

someone’s life, they often look to a higher power to

help give them the strength to get better. Although it’s

not for everyone, a spiritually-inclined treatment TOPICS ON THIS PAGE process helps thousands of addicts each year find the • Methods of Treatment motivation necessary for recovery. • Does Faith Work?

/ RECOVERY / FAITH RECOVERY • Popular Faith-Based Groups

• Secular Alternatives

Author: Sonia Tagliareni | Last Updated: 6/04/18 | 7 sources RELATED PAGES Path to Recovery

Addiction Recovery

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12-Step Programs Alcoholics Anonymous, perhaps the most well-known recovery Faith & Religion in support group, puts faith at the foreground of its philosophy. Since Recovery being founded in the early 1900s, the group proposes that What Is a Higher Power? alcoholism reflects a disease of body, mind and soul. Alcoholics

What Does the Bible Anonymous co-founder Bill W. said men and women who abuse Say About Drugs? substances “have not only been mentally and physically ill, (they) Sober Living Homes & have been spiritually sick.” Oxford Houses

Support for Families of Addicts Nearly 80 years later, substance abuse in America has yet to slow. Relapse Over the past century we’ve seen myriad medications, therapy Recovery Motivation modules and self-help routines developed to battle the problem. Can I Get My Job Back Faith and spirituality remain among the most time-tested After Rehab? supplements in the world of substance abuse treatment and Sobriety E-book provide a core value for many rehab facilities and community support groups that yield success stories.

Ceasing substance use does not guarantee a full recovery for the Ready to chemically-dependant; a dramatic change in how one feels, thinks start your and views the world plays a major role as well. This change can journey to occur in a number of ways, but a renewed sense of purpose can recovery? often be credited to an individual’s improved spiritual health and a relationship with God or a higher power.

TAKE THE FIRST STEP Methods of Treatment

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The role of faith in substance abuse treatment ranges from minimal to pervasive. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration supports more than 800 faith-based community organizations that span the spectrum of treatment methods.

For some, underlying religious principles provide a backdrop for traditional psychological approaches to treatment, such as behavior management and other therapies. In these cases, spiritual principles come to the foreground sporadically.

Other organizations weave faith and religion into every piece of the treatment process. These groups may reject the involvement of

doctors or medication-assisted treatment, believing that the power

of prayer, spiritual strengthening and an intimate relationship with God can cure the illness of addiction and send addicts back into the

world as healthy, rejuvenated individuals.

Does Faith Work?

No two people are the same. Each person struggling with

substance abuse will respond differently to any given philosophy of treatment.

Recovering individuals who report higher levels of spirituality display a number of promising qualities:

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• Lower anxiety

• Higher resilience to stress

• More optimistic life orientation

• Greater perceived social support

People with a prior history of religious beliefs respond better to

faith-based treatments than agnostics and atheists. This is especially true for people of color.

In general, people who identify with being spiritual and those who attend regular church services are less likely to drink or take drugs.

Adults who skip out on religious services are five times more likely to experiment with hard drugs and seven times more likely to binge drink.

Spirituality works as a protective factor against chemical dependency, according to one study, by promoting values of leading a substance-free life, occupying a person’s free time, and encouraging abstinence.

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Popular Faith-Based Groups

The most prominent addiction recovery group, Alcoholics Anonymous, carries the torch of a faith-based recovery model.

Through thousands locally based groups, more than 1 million members take part in its recovery program at any given time. The Big Book – the handbook basically known at the “AA Bible,” mentions a “Higher Power” more than 300 times, and several steps

of the group’s famous 12-step program mention God, including beginning meetings with an adapted Serenity Prayer:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

— THE BIG BOOK, ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

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Several other 12-step groups, such as Cocaine Anonymous, make

references to a Higher Power in their core principles. According to this group, though, the Higher Power should be one of each individual member’s creating. While the group posits faith as a

crucial element of recovery, they strive not to alienate any specific religion.

“It is easy enough to confuse the word spirituality with religion,” it says on the Cocaine Anonymous website. “As it relates to God,

Cocaine Anonymous is a spiritual program, not a religious one.”

In fact, groups push for members at least to believe in a God “of their understanding,” or a god, “however they see god.”

Some recent branches of Alcoholics Anonymous reworded the 12

steps to similarly be less overbearing about the religious foundation of the group, and make people of all backgrounds feel welcome.

Still, a number of support groups and treatment facilities alike take

pride in their religious values and the role these play in the recovery process.

Secular Alternatives

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When choosing a treatment plan for yourself or a loved one

suffering from addiction, you have the choice between a faith- based or secular organization. We are fortunate to live in a world with options to match our many diverse belief systems. And if one method of treatment doesn’t do the trick, you may decide to try an alternative path.

You can learn more about the core principles of a particular rehab facility or support group by browsing their website or speaking to a representative.

AUTHOR

Sonia Tagliareni, Author, DrugRehab.com

Sonia Tagliareni is a writer and researcher for DrugRehab.com. She is passionate about helping people. She started her professional writing career in 2012 and has since written for the finance, engineering, lifestyle and entertainment industry. Sonia holds a bachelor’s degree from the Florida Institute of Technology. [email protected]

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View Sources

• Cocaine Anonymous. (2003). A Higher Power. Retrieved from https://ca.org/literature/higher-power/

• Hendrickson, M. E. (2013, May 13). Incorporating Clients' Underlying Religious and Spiritual Beliefs in Therapy May Improve Substance

Abuse Treatment Practices, Especially for Persons of Color. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1044&con text=edissertations_sp2

• Pardini, D. A. et al. (2000, December). Religious faith and spirituality in substance abuse recovery: determining the mental health benefits. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11166499

• Sneed, K. J. (2008, February). Divine Intervention: Integrating Spirituality into Addiction Services. North American Association of Christians in Social Work. Retrieved from http://www.nacsw.org/Publications/Proceedings2008/SneedKDivineInt ervention.pdf

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014, November 25). About Faith-based and Community Initiatives. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/faith-based-initiatives/about

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• Van der meer Sanchez, Z. & Nappo, S. A. (2008, April). Religious intervention and recovery from drug addiction. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18372977

• Wells, J. (2012, February 23). Religion can be powerful ally in fight against substance abuse. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved from http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-02-23/opinion/os-ed-whitney- houston-abuse-lessons-022112-20120222_1_substance-abuse-drug-an d-alcohol-abuse-illicit-drugs

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