12 - Spiritual and religious factors in substance use, dependence, and recovery

Abstract

This chapter describes the spiritual and religious factors in substance use, and its dependence, and recovery. It examines the clinical research and programmatic interventions addressing the influence of religiousness and spirituality on substance use, abuse, and recovery. Harmful substance use targeted in this chapter includes alcohol, drugs of abuse, and tobacco. According to this chapter, there are important evidence that suggests positive role of religiousness factors in substance use, abuse, dependency, and spiritual factors in recovery from addictions. The strongest evidence for the religiousness-substance non-abuse relationship is at the initial and continued substance abuse stages. The chapter states that research is also needed with respect to the role of specific spiritual factors and processes in substance use and abuse. It also suggests that researchers should attempt to develop consistent measures of spiritual and religious components. The chapter summarizes that with better operational definitions of spirituality, religiousness, and substance use, one will be better able to provide the empirical support for the development of more proficient and cost-effective treatment interventions. The chapter provides evidence that religious and spiritual factors play an important role in substance abuse and recovery.