Spirituality and the 12-step programs: A guide for clinicians.

Abstract

Twelve-step programs are the most popular mutual-help organizations for individuals seeking relief from a common problem. It is estimated that 3.5 million individuals attend 12-step programs annually (Room, 1993) and that 1 in 10 Americans will attend an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting, the largest of the 12-step programs, in their lifetime (McCrady & Miller, 1993). Among individuals seeking professional treatment, prior 12step involvement is relatively common (especially in substance abuse; Burton & Williamson, 1995), at rates that are certainly higher than for the general population. For example, in a national study of alcohol treatment-client matching (Project MATCH Research Group, 1997), a majority of clients seeking professional treatment for alcohol problems had already attended AA

Acceptability of shamanic healing for treating psychostimulant dependence: a pilot survey

“…A positive relationship has long been documented between religiosity or spirituality and drug abstinence, as well as the development of spirituality or spiritual practices and recovery . Consistent with these results, multiple interventions for substance abuse – from Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous (AA and NA) to the Matrix model – incorporate aspects of spirituality into the recovery process . Yet, to our knowledge, only a few studies have examined the impact of spiritual‐based healing interventions on recovery .…”

“…25,29 Consistent with these results, multiple interventions for substance abuse -from Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous (AA and NA) to the Matrix model -incorporate aspects of spirituality into the recovery process. 30 Yet, to our knowledge, only a few studies have examined the impact of spiritual-based healing interventions on recovery. 31,32 For instance, one pilot study examined the efficacy of Johrei energy healing, a spiritual-based direct healing intervention, on substance use, 33 with those receiving the intervention reporting greater improvement in mood and utilization of 12-step recovery tools than the wait-list control.…”

Planetary Health Ethics: Beyond First Principles

“…We choose to organize our thinking into 12 ethical statements in recognition of the need for a 12-Step Programme [39,40] for Earth. This recognizes that the human race must identify and reject damaging behaviours such as excessive energy use, food systems that drive land degradation and disposable consumerism.…”

“Spiritus contra Spiritum?”: Spiritual Well-Being and Depression Among Male Alcohol Dependents in Treatment

“…Thus, this topic might be considered as promising and fundamental in the context of addiction research, particularly in view of its role in the treatment of addicted patients. It has also continuously received attention from empirical researchers (Cook, 2004;Koenig, 2002Koenig, , 2008 driven by observations that religious/spiritual intervention techniques might substantially contribute to altering the course of the disorder(s) favorably (Miller, Forcehimes, O'Leary, & La Noue, 2008;Piderman, Schneekloth, Pankratz, Maloney, & Altchuler, 2007;Tonigan, Toscova, & Connors, 1999).…”