Individual Religiosity, Moral Community, and Drug User Treatment

Abstract

Some scholars have suggested that individual religiosity inhibits deviant behavior. Others have suggested thatbehavior is more responsive to the influence of religiously-oriented moral communities than to the religiosity of individuals. Still others have suggested that non-religious moral communities, such as sports teams or self-help recovery groups, are just as effective as religious moral communities. The current article examines the associations between addicts' reductions in drug and alcohol use and religiosity, increase in church attendance, and increase in addiction self-help recovery group attendance, following participation in publicly funded treatment programs. Results indicate that increase in self-help recovery group attendance and church attendance were independently associated with reduction in alcohol use. Only increase in church attendance was significantly associated with reduction in cocaine use. Self-assessed religious conviction was not associated with changes in drug use.Three decades have passed since the results of the Travis Hirschi -Rodney Stark (1969) "Hellfire and Delinquency" study shattered scholarly consensus on the relationship between religion and social deviance. Religious respondents in Hirschi and Stark's sample were found to be just as likely as non-religious respondents to commit delinquent acts. Their findings were supported by Burkett and White (1974) for most areas of delinquent behavior, but were at least partially contradicted by Albrecht and colleagues (1977). The question of the influence of religion on behavior has not been settled in the intervening decades. Some studies conclude that individual religiosity deters delinquent conduct (Peek, Curry, and Chalfant, 1985;Benda, 1994;Burkett 1993; Cochran, Wood, and Arnklev, 1994), while others suggest that religiosity has no independent effect on most delinquent behaviors Ross, 1994).Recently, Stark and William Bainbridge (1998: 70-71) have noted that the results of studies on religion and deviance are consistent within regions of the United States, but differ between regions. Specifically, they note that church attendance rates for the Pacific coast, where the null results studies were conducted, are far lower than for other regions of the country. They regard this regional variation as empirical evidence for Stark's (1987) "moral communities" hypothesis, which states that individual religiosity influences behavior only when it is reinforced by a cohesive religious community. The moral communities theory is directly supported by results from a few studies (Welch, Tittle, & Petee, 1991;Stark, Doyle, and Kent, 1980). Although these studies make use of ecological data, Stark and Bainbridge (1998: 64-65) and Evans and colleagues (1995)

Leaps of faith: the role of religious development in recovering integrity among Jewish alcoholics and drug addicts

“…Integrity was recovered among those who continued to progress in treatment. This parallels the findings of research on AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), where ongoing participation predicts to ongoing abstinence (Tonigan, 2003) and to research on religious participation (Richard, Bell, & Carlson, 2000) which, at least among sober alcoholics, finds that church attendance is correlated with continued sobriety.…”

A Faith-Based Intervention for Cocaine-Dependent Black Women

“…Research suggests that spiritual/religious involve ment is associated with decreased risk of drug use (Kendler et al 2003 ;Wi lls, Yager & Sandy 2003;Koenig 200 1 ;Miller 1998;Richard, Bell & Carlson 2000;Gorsuch 1995;Gartner, Larson & Allen 1991 ). Rel igious institutions can be among the most significant institutions within the Black community, where the church has traditionally served as an anchor of culture, social support, and mutual assistance, providing role models, and teachi ng effective coping strategies for day-to day problems (Moore 2003(Moore , 1991Sanders 2002;Morris & Robinson 1996;Gibbs 1989).…”

Drug Treatment Among Mandated Female Drug Abusers in a Faith-Based Program: Religion/Spirituality as a Predictor of Motivation in Treatment

“…Research by Richard, Bell, and Carlson (2000) examined the religiosity and church attendance of participants in drug and alcohol treatment. While they found that increases in church attendance are significantly associated with reductions in cocaine use, they did not find support for self-reported religious commitment and drug treatment effectiveness.…”