ArticlePsychology of religion and spirituality2020
THE ROLE OF SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGIOUSNESS IN AIDING RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG PROBLEMS: AN INVESTIGATION IN A NATIONAL U.S. SAMPLE.
Article in Psychology of religion and spirituality, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Spirituality and Harmful or Hazardous Alcohol and Other Drug Use: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies.JAMA psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- On the need and contents of a specific addiction recovery research agenda.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- "God Did for Me What I Couldn't Do for Myself": Understanding Religiosity, Spirituality, and Locus of Control Among Black Americans Who Use Opioids.Journal of religion and health · 2025Article
- Medications for opioid use disorder and other evidence-based service offerings in faith-affiliated treatment centers: Implications for implementation partnerships.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2025Article
- Daily Variation in Religious Activities, Spiritual Experiences, Alcohol Use, and Life Satisfaction Among Emerging Adults in the USA.Journal of religion and health · 2024Article
- "Everybody needs to find the best path for them": Insights into recovery strategies of people who have not used specialty treatment for alcohol use disorder.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2024Article
- Prevalence and correlates of 12-step and second-wave mutual-help attendance in a nationally representative US sample.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2024Article
- Psilocybin for Opioid Use Disorder in Two Adults Stabilized on Buprenorphine: A Technical Report on Study Modifications and Preliminary Findings.Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2023Article
- Spiritual Awakening in 12-Step Recovery: Impact Among Residential Aftercare Residents.Spirituality in clinical practice (Washington, D.C.) · 2023Article
- Who affiliates with SMART recovery? A comparison of individuals attending SMART recovery, alcoholics anonymous, both, or neither.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2023Article
- Spirituality: A Key Component of the Salvation Army's Bridge Programme Model of Treatment in Aotearoa New Zealand.Journal of religion and health · 2023Article
- Reporting and Interpreting Effect Sizes in Applied Health-Related Settings: The Case of Spirituality and Substance Abuse.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mutual Help Group Participation for Substance Use Problems.Alcohol research : current reviews · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMore Americans than ever before are identifying as "spiritual but not religious". Both spirituality and religiousness (S/R) are of interest in the addiction field as they are related to alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems and are central to some recovery pathways. Yet, little is known overall about S/R identification among people in recovery, the role these play in aiding recovery, and whether they play more or less of a role for certain sub-groups (e.g., men/women, different races/ethnicities; those with treatment or 12-step histories).
methodNationally representative cross-sectional sample of US adults (N=39,809) screening positive to the question, "Did you use to have a problem with alcohol or drugs but no longer do?" (final weighted sample
resultsParticipants reported being mostly moderately spiritual and religious, and that, overall, religion had not helped them overcome their AOD problem. In contrast, spirituality was reported as either not helping at all, or having made all the difference. Substantial differences were observed by race-ethnicity across both spirituality and religiousness, and to a lesser degree between men and women. Black Americans reported substantially more S/R than Whites and that these often made all the difference in their recovery. The exact opposite trend was observed for White and Hispanic Americans. Prior professional treatment and 12-step mutual-aid use were both related to greater spirituality, but not religiousness.
conclusionOverall, spirituality but not religion, appears to play a role in aiding recovery particularly among those with prior treatment or 12-step histories, but women and men, and racial-ethnic groups in particular, differ strikingly in their religious and spiritual identification and the role these have played in aiding recovery. These differences raise the question of the potential clinical utility of S/R in personalized treatment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.