Belief, Behavior, and Belonging: How Faith is Indispensable in Preventing and Recovering from Substance Abuse

Abstract

This study reviews the voluminous empirical evidence on faith’s contribution to preventing people from falling victim to substance abuse and helping them recover from it. We find that 73% of addiction treatment programs in the USA include a spirituality-based element, as embodied in the 12-step programs and fellowships initially popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous, the vast majority of which emphasize reliance on God or a Higher Power to stay sober. We introduce and flesh out a typology of faith-based substance abuse treatment facilities, recovery programs, and support groups. This typology provides important background as we then move on to make an economic valuation of nearly 130,000 congregation-based substance abuse recovery support programs in the USA. We find that these faith-based volunteer support groups contribute up to $316.6 billion in savings to the US economy every year at no cost to tax payers. While negative experiences with religion (e.g., clergy sex abuse and other horrendous examples) have been a contributory factor to substance abuse among some victims, given that more than 84% of scientific studies show that faith is a positive factor in addiction prevention or recovery and a risk in less than 2% of the studies reviewed, we conclude that the value of faith-oriented approaches to substance abuse prevention and recovery is indisputable. And, by extension, we also conclude that the decline in religious affiliation in the USA is not only a concern for religious organizations but constitutes a national health concern.

The Effect of Baseline Patterns of Spiritual Coping, Forgiveness, and Gratitude on the Completion of an Alcohol Addiction Treatment Program

“…This finding indicates a need to routinely measure the initial levels of these variables during admission to alcohol addiction treatment to build a robust basis for subsequent practice. This is in accordance with the recommendations of many scholars and clinicians (Grim and Grim 2019 ; Hodge 2001 ) as well as with professional guidelines for therapists (e.g., Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling 2009 ) and codes of ethics (e.g., American Counseling Association 2014 ). However, although many mental health professionals have acknowledged the benefits of incorporating clients’ spirituality in treatment, it is still not a standard practice in therapy.…”

Exploring the Roles of Daily Spiritual Experiences, Self-Efficacy, and Gender in Shopping Addiction: A Moderated Mediation Model

“…Previous studies have identified religiosity and spirituality as protective factors against the development of substance and behavioral addictions (Bliss 2007;Clarke et al 2006;Cook 2004;Grim and Grim 2019;Shim 2019). Most religions (which may serve as a conduit to transcendent experience; Oman 2013) include explicit proscriptions against risky behaviors, encourage people to work on self-control to show more resistance to urges and temptations (Carter et al 2012), and teach about the importance of taking care of body, mind, and spirit.…”

Faith Communities’ Improvements in Readiness to Engage in Addictions Resilience and Recovery Support Programming

“…Spirituality and religion are well-documented and essential components of prevention, treatment, and recovery of substance use disorders (Beraldo et al, 2019 ; Grim & Grim, 2019 ; Walton-Moss et al, 2013 ). Religious beliefs, affiliation, and valuing spirituality are associated with lower propensity to engage in substance use across a range of studies and populations (e.g., Brown et al, 2013 ; Gorsuch, 1995 ; Leigh et al, 2005 ; Marsiglia et al, 2005 ).…”

“…Faith communities are in a distinct position to help individuals, families, and communities in supporting recovery and resilience of substance use disorders—particularly in times of crisis. Grim and Grim ( 2019 ) argued: “In addition to the efficacious role of spirituality, congregations and faith-based institutions are particularly effective in community mobilization and timely response to crises. Faith communities are adept at facilitating quality group interactions focused on overcoming past negative experiences, which are often drivers of the emotional and spiritual despondency that feed mental illness and substance abuse” (p. 1737).…”

“…Interventions that integrate faith-based components, such as 12-step programs, are evidenced to support those on their resilience and recovery journey (Dermatis & Galanter, 2016 ; Hennessy & Fisher, 2015 ; Lyons et al, 2010 ). Grim and Grim ( 2019 ) found that 73% of programs focused on treatment of addictions in the US have an embedded dimension of spirituality. Hai’s et al ( 2019 ) systematic review and meta-analyses of interventions with an underpinning focus on spirituality or religion (excluding AA or twelve-step programs) demonstrated programmatic efficacy in supporting those with substance use challenges.…”