Men and women trying to overcome addiction and alcoholism have turned to spiritual guidance all throughout history. As medical understanding has advanced and addiction has become classified as a disease of the mind, lots of new techniques aimed at remediating the behavioral patterns of the addict have become more commonly practiced. However, many Christian drug rehabs and faith-based recovery programs still offer addiction treatment that is rooted in a spiritual solution. For those interested in recovery through Biblical principles, there are a few things to look for when seeking a faith-based addiction treatment program.
What Are Some Drawbacks of Certain Faith Based Addiction Treatment Programs?
When asked about what to look out for when seeking a good Christian recovery program, Pastor Daniel Cornide of All In Solutions Counseling Center’s faith-based recovery program offered this advice.
“I think that there has been a bend, especially within Christian circles or the Christian church as a whole, to look at addiction as a, specifically and exclusively, spiritual problem. This is in contrast with looking at addiction through a holistic lens. Through a holistic approach, we recognize a biopsychosocial spiritual model of addiction. This means acknowledging that there’s a biological component to this -that there are genetic factors that play into alcoholism and addiction. It means acknowledging that there’s a mental health aspect to it. And it means acknowledging that there’s a social aspect to it. So, while spirituality plays a part, and a very large part, in addiction, it isn’t the whole picture.
But there’s been a desire to just try to pray the addiction away. Now, I’m not saying that I don’t believe in deliverance, where the obsession and compulsion is lifted instantaneously. That is what happened for me! But I still had a lot of stuff going on in my life that required attention. I still had to process broken relationships, a broken home, alcoholism in the family, insecurities, and so on. So, I think that’s where an awareness of these non-spiritual factors becomes important.
I’ve come across people who say, ‘I love the Lord, but I can’t stop drinking.’ The truth is that your drinking has nothing to do with how much you love the Lord, or you don’t love the Lord. This is where the addiction cycle comes into it. There are neurological factors that happen to your brain when you’re constantly stuck in the same vicious cycle of addiction. I’m a big believer that 95% of it is the spiritual malady, as explained in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. But there’s more to it that is often overlooked by the Christian community.”
Getting Into Christian Rehab
The key understanding, according to highly successful faith-based addiction professionals, is that addiction is a multi-faceted disease that is most effectively treated using a combination of techniques. As is explained in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, many drug addicts and alcoholics suffer from “grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest with themselves.” That honest examination can be achieved by combining evidence-based addiction treatment therapies with a faith-based program designed to reveal a foundational Christian identity.
If you or a loved one are ready to take the next step, call us today to learn more about All In Solutions Counseling Center’s faith-based recovery program.
Recovery isn’t just about quitting drugs. It’s the process of rebuilding one’s entire life. And for many people in recovery, that rebuilding begins with their faith.
At All In Solutions, our faith-based treatment program approaches helping people overcome their addiction by applying the principles of spirituality and the latest evidence-based research to help the whole person — mind, body, and spirit — become healed.
What Is Faith-Based Addiction Treatment?
Faith-based addiction treatment is a method to treat substance abuse that uses beliefs, practices, and support from the religious and spiritual community as part of the clinical treatment plan.[1] It doesn’t replace evidence-based therapy; rather, it enhances it.
Faith-based recovery programs recognize that addiction is a multifaceted disease with biological, psychological, social, and spiritual components. If only the clinical symptoms of addiction are treated without addressing the spiritual aspects of shame, disconnection, and loss of purpose, then part of the person still remains untreated.
Faith-based treatment programs have differing approaches to treatment, but the majority use a combination of prayer, studying Scripture, providing spiritual counseling, sharing in the 12 Steps, and providing community-based support. Individuals will also receive individual and group therapy and other evidence-based treatment modalities. Some programs are affiliated with specific denominations, and others are non-denominational, providing a welcome environment for all religions and for individuals who are spiritually curious but may not be committed to a denomination.
At All In Solutions, our faith-based program’s goal is to be spiritually based on biblical principles while also being accessible to recovering individuals who would like to pursue a spiritually oriented path to recovery, no matter what faith they may have.
How Faith and Recovery Work Together
Spirituality Addresses What Clinical Treatment Alone Cannot
Evidence-based treatment for addiction is a must, but there are many people in recovery who feel they are missing the spiritual aspect of the process: a deep spiritual emptiness caused by the absence of meaning in life, or by extreme shame, that cannot be captured by clinical language alone. Faith-based recovery programs address these deeper issues.
The 12-Step Program, the foundation for both AA and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), is based on the understanding that in order to achieve a lifetime of sobriety, a person must surrender to something greater than themselves. This concept and whatever the person describes as their higher power serve as an anchor for recovery that is fundamentally different from a coping strategy or a behavioral strategy. It provides a sense of identity, accountability to a higher power, and motivation to move forward with life.
Faith Communities as Recovery Support
The most impactful aspect of faith-based recovery is its ability to connect people within a community. Faith communities such as churches, 12-step programs, Bible study groups, and other spiritually based support groups create an ongoing, long-term supportive network that exists outside the scope of traditional treatment settings. For many people in their long-term recovery, these communities will become their main social support network that will assist them in maintaining their sobriety.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that being part of a supportive community is one of the most powerful predictors of long-term recovery from addiction.[2] As these faith communities provide an avenue for connection, they also provide a uniquely meaningful connection by establishing common values, providing mutual accountability, and creating a shared vision for something other than simply abstaining from substance use.
Spiritual Growth as a Recovery Skill
Spiritual growth, or a person’s ongoing relationship with God or a higher power, their understanding of their own values, and their sense of meaning and purpose, is not an afterthought in faith-based recovery. It is one of its primary objectives and offers practical advantages for maintaining sobriety.
Those who participate in faith-based recovery programs report having a greater ability to resist cravings, feeling more strongly compelled to remain sober, and possessing more resilience in dealing with life’s challenges. People engaged in faith-based recovery are less likely to relapse and are more likely to view their recovery as meaningful rather than merely an effort.[3] Faith provides a larger-than-personal reason to seek good health.
Faith Has Always Been Part of Recovery
Since before addiction was considered a medical diagnosis, alcoholics and other people struggling with substances turned to God and spiritual communities for support, comfort, healing, and purpose. This illustrates the deep connection between addiction and the recovery process.
The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) recognized that a higher power — something bigger than all of us — needed to be a permanent part of the program. When Bill Wilson wrote The Big Book, he noted that many people recover from their “grave emotional and mental disorders” if they are honest with themselves and do an honest inventory of who they are, what they believe, and how they want their lives to be.
Faith-based recovery programs are designed to support exactly that kind of examined, self-honest recovery. Today, they are offered in conjunction with many evidence-based treatment programs at accredited addiction treatment facilities throughout the United States. Research supports spirituality as a path to recovery from substance abuse, with evidence of positive long-term outcomes including improved medication compliance and reduced rates of relapse. Faith is not a relic of the past; it is now considered a viable therapeutic asset in treating addiction.
The Efficacy of Faith-Based Recovery Programs
Faith-based programs have become an important part of the treatment landscape, with a growing body of research documenting the relationship between spirituality and addiction recovery. Studies demonstrate that faith-based recovery programs are associated with improved substance use outcomes and longer periods of abstinence for some people.[4]
Research has shown that participants in faith-based programs who practice spiritual activities — including religious services, prayer, and meditation — significantly reduce their use of drugs and alcohol and improve their mental well-being.[5] Studies of 12-step program participation, which is based on belief in a power greater than oneself, have found that participants often achieve higher long-term sobriety rates than those using alternative forms of recovery support.[6]
Faith-based programs may be particularly effective for people with co-occurring mental health disorders, where spiritual engagement provides an additional source of purpose, belonging, and hope that supplements clinical mental health treatment.[7]
It is worth noting what research does not support: the idea that spiritual practices alone are sufficient treatment for substance use disorders. The most effective faith-based programs include both spiritual guidance and comprehensive clinical treatment, not one in place of the other.
What to Look For in a Faith-Based Recovery Program
Not all faith-based programs are created equal. If you are seeking treatment that integrates spirituality with clinical care, it is important to understand what distinguishes a strong program from a weak one.
- Experienced spiritual leadership with addiction expertise. The pastor, counselor, or spiritual guide who leads the program must possess both genuine faith and significant experience with addiction — ideally including their own recovery experience. Spiritual leadership without addiction expertise is insufficient, and addiction expertise without genuine spirituality misses the point.
- Integration with evidence-based treatment. Successful faith-based recovery programs use evidence-based treatment like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) as a complement to, not a replacement for, their spiritual development programs. Programs that treat addiction as a purely spiritual condition and rely solely on prayer address only one dimension of substance use disorder.
- A non-denominational, welcoming approach. While some people are drawn to a program because of its affiliation with a particular denomination, many are best served by programs that are rooted in Biblical principles but open to participants from all faiths. Being excluded from recovery due to one’s religious background is an unnecessary barrier to getting help.
- Proper accreditation and licensure. A spiritually oriented program must still adhere to the same level of clinical accountability as any other treatment program. Any faith-based recovery program should hold the same level of accreditation and licensure, such as accreditation by the Joint Commission or other recognized governing bodies, as their non-spiritual counterparts, to ensure the quality and safety of clinical services.
The Role of Faith-Based Treatment at All In Solutions
At All In Solutions, we are dedicated to providing our clients with recovery solutions, including recovery solutions based on spirituality. Our faith-based recovery program is open to people from all denominations, cultures, and faiths, and utilizes a blended approach consisting of both faith-based and evidence-based recovery treatment methods.
