Abstract
Spiritual growth is a significant factor in Alcoholics Anonymous treatment process. In the literature, there is an observable lack of research regarding spiritual mechanisms of recovery in alcohol addicted individuals who are participants of self-help groups. The study purpose was to examine the potential mechanisms indirectly influencing participants of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and to determine the effects of spiritual experiences on their feelings of hopelessness through finding meaning in life, improving hope, and longer abstinence duration. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. Participants were AA meeting attenders from Poland. According to the obtained results, the relationship between spiritual experiences and feelings of hopelessness was indirect through meaning in life, hope, and abstinence duration. Additionally, the moderated mediation effect was positively verified. Meaning in life moderated the relationship between hope and feelings of hopelessness. In a group of AA participants with less-than-average and average levels of meaning in life, hope protected against feelings of hopelessness. Among AA participants with higher-than-average meaning in life, hope was not related to their depression symptoms. The spiritual mechanisms, which led to reduced feelings of hopelessness among AA participants, and the role of meaning in life, hope, and duration of abstinence were confirmed.
Highlights
Involvement in self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a common form of support in the recovery process for alcohol dependence individuals (Tonigan et al 1996; Kaskutas et al 2005; Allen 2000; Wnuk et al 2009)
Among individuals who were Oxford House residents, 43% came to believe in spirituality for the first time in their lives as a result of AA meetings, 11% developed the spiritual sphere of their life, 20% started to believe in a “Higher Power,” and 7% had a spiritual experiences for the first time (Nealon-Woods et al 1995)
The purpose of the study was to explore the spiritual mechanisms behind indirect influences of spiritual experiences in a sample of Polish AA participants on their mental health through their abstinence duration, meaning in life, and hope
Summary
Involvement in self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a common form of support in the recovery process for alcohol dependence individuals (Tonigan et al 1996; Kaskutas et al 2005; Allen 2000; Wnuk et al 2009). The aim of the study was to verify the potential influence of spiritual experiences on the mental health of AA participants through indirect mechanisms involving meaning in life, hope, and abstinence. Longitudinal studies have indicated the beneficial effects of spiritual practices on alcoholics’ abstinence (Tonigan et al 2017; Brown et al 2007) and drinking intensity (Kelly et al 2011; Krentzman et al 2013; Robinson et al 2011). This means that in this population, spirituality is an antecedent of abstinence. In a sample of Polish AA participants, spiritual experiences are indirectly related to hopelessness through abstinence duration
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