Abstract
Background and Purpose:Spirituality is an important factor influencing the decrease of substance abuse severity and maintenance of the recovery phase. This research, investigates the effect of spiritual experiences in the recovery of substance abusers.Material and Methods:Qualitative data was collected from 16 men and 6 women, selected through purposeful sampling to ensure an equilibrated gender representation and data from different recovery periods. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews.Results:Data showed two main categories: “Mutual relationship between spirituality and recovery,” divided into four subcategories: religious background, religious teachings, experience exchange, and support of family and society; and “A new perspective toward life” subdivided into access to calmness and spiritual development. A factor “spirituality meaning religion” arose repeatedly throughout the study.Conclusion:The results of this study can be useful for policy makers, care providers, families, and drug addicts. The promotion of spirituality in substance abusers can help in their struggle with temptation. Effective strategies to ensure drug abstinence and maintenance of the recovery phase are encouraging substance abusers and their families to participate in spirituality-based psychotherapy sessions held in addiction treatment centers, multi-disciplinary cooperation among the organizations involved in the addiction phenomenon, and training the families regarding the importance of spirituality in the mental health of their children through mass media.
Highlights
Substance abuse has become one of the most serious problems for human kind, representing one of the most complex human phenomena; no other phenomenon has ever challenged humans to this extent (Cavalcanti, 1994)
Spirituality is an important factor influencing the decrease of substance abuse severity and maintenance of the recovery phase
The promotion of spirituality in substance abusers can help in their struggle with temptation
Summary
Substance abuse has become one of the most serious problems for human kind, representing one of the most complex human phenomena; no other phenomenon has ever challenged humans to this extent (Cavalcanti, 1994). As a chronic disease (Arevalo, Prado, & Amaro, 2008; Saitz, Larson, LaBelle, Richardson, & Samet, 2008), addiction threatens the individual integrity, and decreases his/her control on substance abuse (Rutter, 2005). Recovery is a process that begins with refraining from substance abuse, and proceeds with a continued abstinence, followed by dramatic changes in the individual and his/her interpersonal relationships. Recovery is a lifelong process involving several change stages, opening the individual possibility to recover his/her health and the type and level of improvement in his/her lifestyle (Dickens, 2011). Spirituality is an important factor influencing the decrease of substance abuse severity and maintenance of the recovery phase. This research, investigates the effect of spiritual experiences in the recovery of substance abusers
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