Is the concept of a higher power comforting or uncomfortable for you? In today’s age of religious ambiguity, spirituality can be a loaded topic or even taboo among certain circles. But in recovery, it’s been proven time and time again that adding a spiritual component strengthens sobriety. In fact, wellness and spirituality in the addiction recovery process are featured prominently in the 12 Steps of AA, in the AA Big Book, and in Narcotics Anonymous meetings. But why is spirituality in recovery so impactful to your sobriety, and how is it usually incorporated into rehab?
Addiction and Religion: The Impact of Spirituality in Recovery
When you think about spirituality in your own life, the idea of connecting with your higher power in recovery may elicit shame, anger, or fear considering the consequential choices you’ve made. Trauma associated from past religious experiences may have even led to your addiction struggles today. The expectation that faith and recovery will intersect in your treatment journey may not sound appealing at all. However, it is in fact a major component of many addiction treatment programs out there, including ours here at Discovery Place.
According to a study by the Journal of Religion and Health, spirituality is incorporated into 73% of addiction treatment programs in the United States. That means the vast majority of treatment centers emphasize reliance on God or a higher power to stay sober. But why? In many ways, the strong relationship between spirituality and positive recovery outcomes has driven its wide usage. Just take a look at these findings:
- More than 84% of scientific studies show that faith is a positive factor in addiction prevention and recovery and a risk in less than 2% of studies reviewed, according to the Journal of Religion and Health.
- Based on a group study by the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, most participants claimed that they had achieved abstinence or were currently clean due to their belief in God. Prayer and a belief in a higher power were also most commonly cited as coping strategies in recovery from addiction.
- According to empirical research, AA members who reported a spiritual awakening in recovery had better drinking and mental health outcomes, such as increased abstinence and decreased cravings, shares Spirituality in Clinical Practice.
Faith in Recovery at Alcoholics Anonymous
When it comes to addiction recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the gold standard. As our founders are AA members themselves, the 12 Steps of AA influence much of our recovery programming here at Discovery Place. And once you get familiar with the 12 Steps, you soon realize that connecting with a higher power in recovery plays a major role. In fact, a majority of the 12 steps refer to a higher power.
Though the creators of AA were Christians themselves, AA is not a faith-based organization. The “higher power” for members following the 12 Steps is essentially whatever belief works for them, allowing people of all faiths and traditions to find common ground in recovery. But why is spirituality in recovery such an important part of AA’s process?
Why the 12 Steps of AA Emphasize a Higher Power in Recovery
In many ways, spirituality or a belief in a higher power becomes an inner resource of strength along the journey. AA members discover that seeking help from something greater than themselves helps them face the challenges ahead, stay the course, and ultimately maintain sobriety. The AA Big Book itself describes this process as the “essence of spiritual experience,” shares AA.org.
Within AA, achieving ongoing sobriety is itself a spiritual change. Bill Wilson, one of the founders of AA, defines the resulting “spiritual awakening” AA members work towards in Step 12 as:
“When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone. He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being. He has been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere, that life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered. In a very real sense he has been transformed, because he has laid hold of a source of strength which, in one way or another, he had hitherto denied himself.”
In other words, spirituality in recovery remains an important part of the AA process because getting sober when you’re an alcoholic is not something you can do alone. AA members have likely already tried doing that and failed many times. Realizing you can’t fix your recovery on your own and choosing to connect with your higher power instead — alongside the community of others — gives you the resources needed to finally get and stay clean.
“Spirituality influences my life by shaping my experiences in the now. The old emotions of shame and anger no longer influence the shaping of my life. I have been set free by the involvement in the 12 steps, by passing the principles on and by caring for all.”
Bob O., Discovery Place Spiritual Advisor
Spirituality in Recovery: What to Expect in Rehab
When you think about God, a higher power, and spirituality, it’s easy here in the US to picture sacred rituals, church pews, Bible studies, and dressing up on Sundays. Or maybe you think about other well-established religions like Islam or Judaism. While spirituality in recovery may very much be about those things, it doesn’t have to be. In faith-based substance abuse treatment programs, your higher power can be very much what you make it. Consider these views on higher powers from real people in recovery:
- “Spirituality for me is when you are trying to find yourself.”
- “I’m a very religious person. It means how a certain person feels about their own spirituality, which means their relationship with God.”
- “Spirituality to me is believing in a person that you really care about the most. I use my daughter as my higher power.”
- “Being spiritual means actively living life through a life-giving force. I believe this is any power greater than myself, whether I choose to call it God, Allah, Higher Power, Creative Intelligence, or the Power of Good.”
SOURCES: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment and AA.org
Because spirituality in recovery is so versatile to the individual, it’s used in a variety of rehab settings, including AA mentioned earlier as well as in 12-Step groups and NA meetings. Consequently, it can look different depending on the program. But bringing spirituality and addiction recovery together can often include the following components, which ultimately aid your ability to get sober and stick with your long-term recovery goals:
Finding Purpose
Your journey has likely been full of empty promises to your addicted self. At the same time, you likely have failed at fulfilling your personal responsibilities and obligations to work and family in favor of addiction. The effects of all this may have tanked your motivation and left you purposeless. However, accessing your higher power in recovery gives you a renewed sense of purpose and motivation as you work towards recovery that’s about more than just you.
Cultivating Gratitude
Incorporating spirituality in recovery often looks like developing gratitude for the blessings in your life and the hope you have for the future. This can also extend to the gratitude toward your higher power for another chance at getting sober. As your gratitude grows, you’re more likely to stay focused on your positive aspects of your recovery journey, preventing future relapse.
Building Strength
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), spiritual beliefs and practices can be a powerful tool for working through challenges, including past trauma. Because addiction is often rooted in trauma, faith-based substance abuse treatment programs will incorporate spirituality in recovery to help you find the strength needed to address your trauma and heal your addiction. Like AA’s process mentioned earlier, it’s easier to stick with your recovery goals when you feel like you have the support of something bigger than yourself.
Fostering Community
Addiction can be an isolating, lonely experience. But incorporating spirituality in recovery helps you to connect with other people who share the same struggles, as well as the same beliefs and values. This allows you to let go of the shame and fear that have often held you back, allowing you to step out of your comfort zone and be accepted for who you are.
Prayer and Meditation
Meditation is a healthy coping mechanism in its own right. But when faith in recovery is utilized during rehab, meditation is seen in a whole new light through prayer. Not only do you experience increased calmness, relaxation, and presence with meditation, but you can use this practice as a time to pray and connect with your higher power. This in turn gives you comfort and strength along your recovery journey.
A Spiritual Retreat at Discovery Place
Incorporating spirituality in recovery is an important aspect of our faith-based rehab programs here at Discovery Place in Burns, TN. In fact, we would describe our alcohol and drug addiction recovery approach more like a spiritual retreat than traditional treatment. That means we’re not beholden to the rigid regulations and curriculums of an insurance-based treatment center, nor are we bound by inflated costs of traditional clinics.
Rather, we’re driven by community and connection as we guide you on an immersive journey through the spiritual principles of the 12 Steps. Whether it’s through a positive peer community, giving back by serving others, or receiving support from staff who’ve been in your shoes, we can help you finally become “unthirsty” for drinks or drugs and reclaim the happy, joyous, and free life you deserve. If you’re ready to get back on track and achieve long-term sobriety, call us today.
