Spirituality and Addiction Recovery

Building the foundation for a lasting recovery involves more than simply abstaining from drugs and alcohol. Addiction affects the mind, body, and spirit—which means lasting recovery requires a holistic approach. At St. Joseph Institute for Addiction, we encourage you to explore your spirituality as part of our comprehensive treatment approach.

Benefits of Spirituality in Addiction Recovery

While no two people have the exact same experience in recovery, spirituality can offer a number of important benefits. For example:

Developing a relationship with higher power provides a source of comfort and strength as you face the challenges of building a sober life for yourself.
Your faith in a higher power helps you make sense of past experiences, including the trauma that may have contributed to the development of your substance use disorder.
Spirituality encourages gratitude for the blessings you have, which promotes a more positive worldview and prevents you from getting trapped by a victim mentality.
Spirituality promotes a connection to the community at large—providing companionship and a sense of purpose.
Spirituality encourages compassion and forgiveness, which helps you move forward from past mistakes related to substance abuse.
Spirituality gives you a framework for making better choices in the future.

Exploring Your Spiritual Side at St. Joseph Institute for Addiction

St. Joseph Institute for Addiction is a non-denominational faith-based drug and alcohol addiction treatment center. Located in picturesque Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, we encourage our clients to connect with a higher power as a source of emotional strength and support.

The staff members at St. Joseph Institute for Addiction are committed to living their faith personally and as a community. We’ve designed our residential treatment program from a psycho-spiritual perspective to teach residents how to connect with God through prayer and meditation, as well as through their daily lives.

We are not connected to any specific church or religious organization and welcome anyone who wants to see how exploring their spirituality can help them embark on a life free from the burden of addiction. Our clients include those who’ve regularly attended worship services their entire lives, as well as those who are newly exploring their spirituality. If you’re committed to changing your life for the better and interested in this holistic approach to recovery, we’re here to help.

Spirituality and Support Groups for People in Recovery

When you graduate from residential treatment, continued participation in an addiction support group is recommended as a way to stay connected to the recovery community. These groups often incorporate spirituality into their meetings and general recovery philosophy.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other support groups based on the same 12-Step approach encourage members to surrender to a higher power as part of their recovery process. The founders of AA were members of a fundamentalist Protestant Christian movement, the Oxford Group. However, modern AA meetings leave it up to each individual to determine how they define their higher power. You will find many Christians at AA meetings, but you’ll also find a significant number of people who believe in no organized religion or who are still in the process of figuring out what they believe. AA meetings in the community are often held at Christian churches, but the group is not affiliated with a specific church, and you do not need to be a member or a practicing Christian to attend.

Celebrate Recovery is a popular self-help support group for people who want an experience that follows a strictly Christian viewpoint. This Bible-based group welcomes people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, as well as those struggling with eating disorders, gambling, codependency, and other forms of hurt or hangups. The program encourages prayer and Bible study, as well as mutual support, to help members continue to work towards their recovery goals. Some people attend Celebrate Recovery as an alternative to AA and its related self-help groups, while others use it as a supplement and additional source of support. Celebrate Recovery meetings are sponsored by the churches where they are held, but you are welcome to attend even if you are not an active church member.

Spirituality in Everyday Life

Exploring your spirituality isn’t an item to check off your daily to-do list. It’s an ongoing process—much like your recovery journey.

Ways to incorporate spirituality into your everyday life include:

Attending worship services
Attending a Bible study group
Praying
Meditating
Listening to calming music
Keeping a gratitude journal
Decorating your home with symbols that reflect your spiritual beliefs
Learning about religious traditions from around the world
Talking to others about their spiritual journeys—including your peers in recovery as well as those who’ve never struggled with addiction
Reading books about people who’ve used their spirituality to change their lives for the better

Spirituality is born of a search for meaning and connection—two elements that are often significant factors in the development of a substance use disorder. This makes exploring your spiritual side and connecting with a higher power a vital part of the process of building a sober life for yourself.