Healing from addiction is a process with many elements. When entering addiction recovery, most individuals are somewhat ready to address more obvious elements of the healing process, such as healing from physical withdrawal and cravings, mental fog and motivation, and emotional distress. Meanwhile, spiritual healing is often left on the back burner despite the valuable role it can play in establishing lasting wellness in an individual’s life. As the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment highlights, “Spirituality has long been regarded as an important component of recovery from addiction.” Being open to the value of spirituality in the healing process from addiction can foster deeper meaning for sobriety while strengthening well-being for a lifetime to come.
At Rancho Recovery, we understand that addiction recovery is a lifelong journey that calls for whole-person healing of the mind, body, and spirit. Our mission is not only to help individuals overcome addiction but also to embrace lives of lasting sobriety and recovery. Through our use of individualized care alongside our wide range of comprehensive recovery services, we work to ensure our clients have the knowledge and resources they need to foster self-determination in their healing process. Moreover, since spirituality often plays a pivotal role in many of our client’s recovery journeys, it is necessary to invite conversations about spirituality in the healing process, particularly its role in fostering a deeper purpose for sobriety and recovery.
Understanding Addiction Recovery as a Healing Process
Those who are new to addiction recovery may wonder why the journey is considered a healing process. Contrary to what some may believe, recovery from addiction is not as simple as merely ceasing alcohol or drug use. Rather, chronic substance use triggers alterations to brain structure and functioning, leading to lasting impairments to an individual’s thoughts and behaviors. Moreover, according to the National Insitute on Drug Abuse (NIDA):
Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences.It is considered a brain disorder, because it involves functional changes to brain circuits involved in reward, stress, and self-control. Those changes may last a long time after a person has stopped taking drugs.
Thus, to effectively heal from addiction, these brain changes and associated functional impairments must be addressed and resolved with professional intervention and treatment over time. Yet, it is important to note that healing from the physical, mental, and emotional impacts of addiction only addresses a few pieces of the larger puzzle of wellness.
Defining the Healing Process: A Process Toward Wellness
Simply put, the healing process is a process toward wellness. When people think of wellness, they often consider the more common elements of the healing process mentioned previously: physical, mental, and emotional healing. Yet, as the Canadian Veterinary Journal explains, “[Wellness] is so much more. Wellness is a holistic integration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, fueling the body, engaging the mind, and nurturing the spirit.” Furthermore, there is no one-size-fits-all for obtaining whole-person wellness; rather, wellness requires the use of personalized approaches toward becoming the best version of oneself, and this is especially important as one forms a new identity in sobriety.
The publication titled Creating a Healthier Life: A Step-by-Step Guide to Wellness by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was created to help individuals envision a future where individuals with mental health or substance use problems can “pursue health, happiness, recovery, and a full and satisfying life in the community.” Though every person will approach the healing process toward wellness in a unique way, SAMHSA explains that “Working toward all of them in one way or another is a great goal because wellness relates directly to the quality of a person’s life.”
The 8 Dimensions of the Healing Process
Furthermore, SAMHSA highlights eight interconnected dimensions of wellness that must be addressed when working to attain whole-person wellness, especially when recovering from addiction. These eight dimensions of wellness include:
- Physical
- Emotional
- Intellectual
- Occupational
- Financial
- Social
- Environmental
- Spiritual
Consider how each of these dimensions of wellness is impacted by substance use and addiction. For example, in addition to the more obvious effects of addiction on physical, emotional, and intellectual health discussed earlier, addiction can also impact occupational health by interfering with work retention and performance, which can further affect one’s financial health.
Additionally, an individual’s social health is undeniably impacted by addiction, often fostering relational conflict, broken trust, and more. Addiction also often compromises one’s environmental health, as individuals commonly live alongside triggers and reminders that facilitate recurrent substance use. Finally, though some individuals may believe otherwise, an individual’s spiritual health is also affected by addiction, causing many to question their own sense of meaning and purpose.
Meanwhile, to effectively recover from addiction, individuals must work alongside professionals to address each of these eight dimensions of wellness, working to create a well-balanced life in sobriety. As each dimension builds on another, it is essential not to leave out any of the dimensions in the healing process. Here, we will shed a deeper light on the dimension of spiritual health in the healing process, helping individuals recognize the valuable role it can play in facilitating further healing.
Addiction as a Spiritual Disease
Individuals may initially choose to engage in alcohol or drug use for a variety of reasons – for example, to ease curiosity or to ease social pressures. Yet, not everyone who engages in alcohol or drug use will develop an addiction. This is because addiction often develops through a combination of risk factors, some of which include:
- The presence of a mental health disorder
- Family history of substance use
- Chronic stress and anxiety
- The frequency, duration, and intensity of substance use
- Family rejection of sexual orientation or gender identity
- The presence of unresolved trauma (whether during childhood or adulthood)
- Lacking purpose and meaning for one’s life
Although an individual’s initial decision to engage in alcohol or drug use is often voluntary, the presence of risk factors can make an individual more vulnerable to engaging in substance use repeatedly for the sake of self-medication. In other words, many individuals develop an addiction in an attempt to self-medicate their physical, mental, or emotional distress. Yet, it is necessary to understand that those who engage in self-medicating practices may also be unknowingly seeking to treat even deeper underlying concerns – specifically, those related to their spiritual health.
Addiction is a spiritual disease, a disease of isolation, disconnection, and darkness. It causes individuals to believe that they are not connected to something greater; rather, it spreads the false notion that they are alone and deserve to be alone. Likewise, addiction triggers a profound effect on an individual’s sense of self-worth, causing individuals to believe they have nothing to be grateful for or nothing worth living for. By approaching the healing process of addiction recovery through a spiritual lens, individuals can use faith to illuminate any darkness while curating a lasting path of hope in their lives.
Understanding the Role of Spirituality in the Healing Process
According to Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, “Human beings have long looked to faith for strength and support, particularly in difficult times.” In active addiction, individuals may have tried to replace this faith with alcohol and drug use. Yet, in recovery, faith must be rebuilt, as it plays an undeniable role in an individual’s ability to envision and develop a better life for themself in sobriety.
According to The Relationship Between Spirituality, Health-Related Behavior, and Psychological Well-Being, “Spirituality and health-related behaviors are positively related to psychological well-being, and that the relationship with spirituality is also mediated by health-related behaviors.” As mentioned previously, having a sense of purpose can help to provide strength in difficult times. It can provide individuals with spiritual communities and associated social support, which is a necessary component of lasting sobriety and recovery.
Differentiating Spirituality From Religion
When considering the impact of spirituality on addiction recovery, some individuals may feel uncomfortable if they associate spirituality with organized religion. For this reason, it is necessary to differentiate spirituality from religion. As an article from PLoS One explains:
Spirituality and religion are often used interchangeably, but the two concepts are different. Some authors contend that spirituality involves a personal quest for meaning in life, while religion involves an organized entity with rituals and practices focusing on a higher power or God.
Although spirituality and religion can overlap, they can also exist separately. In the context of addiction recovery, it can be helpful to understand spirituality as separate from religion, as there is no one spiritual path that individuals must follow to attain spiritual wellness. Instead, the universal human search for meaning and purpose is an individual journey, one where individuals can be free to question and express transcendence and personal growth in ways that make sense to them and their unique sober journey.
The Benefits of Spirituality in Addiction Recovery
Spirituality encourages individuals to step outside of themselves, placing their focus on the bigger picture of life. As individuals discover deeper meaning for their lives and their sobrieties, spirituality can help bring them out of their comfort zones and provide them with more optimistic viewpoints on their life experiences.
Additionally, spirituality also works to counteract self-rejection through social support and faith, which helps to create a positive sense of self. By fostering faith in a Higher Power of one’s choosing, individuals in addiction recovery can have a clearer sense of the healing process through their own lens. In turn, they can feel better prepared to know what to work toward and protect themselves from falling back into old habits throughout the lifelong recovery journey.
Other benefits of spirituality for the healing process and addiction recovery include:
- Enhanced spiritual growth and understanding
- Improved relationships
- Greater life satisfaction
- Increased resilience to stress and adversity
- Improved motivation and commitment to sobriety
- Treatment retention
- Greater perceived social support
- Reduced levels of anxiety and depression
Navigating the Healing Process In Recovery: Boosting Spiritual Wellness
Once individuals get a better sense of spirituality and the benefits it can bring to their recovery journey, the next step involves working toward boosting spiritual wellness in their recovery and in their lives. As spirituality is an individual journey, there is no wrong way to go about it. Still, there are common spiritual practices that individuals can consider trying to help provide direction for their spiritual health and transcendence in sobriety. Consider some of the following suggestions:
Connect With Local Faith Communities
One of the most helpful ways to boost spiritual wellness in recovery is to connect with local faith communities. For those who aren’t sure what they believe or what faith communities exist near them, consider utilizing online resources to provide context to what’s available. Churches and other spiritual organizations may regularly host support group meetings, educational groups, volunteer opportunities, and services to help develop one’s spiritual health and wellness over time. Furthermore, many spiritual organizations connect individuals in addiction recovery with recovery resources, from sober living homes to recovery support groups and more.
Try Meditation
Simply put, meditation involves the deliberate use of mindfulness practices to focus one’s attention on one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, and/or surroundings. It creates the space to allow an individual to connect deeper with themselves, as well as their Higher Power, in different ways.
There are many different types of meditation, each with its own benefits for addiction recovery. One of the most beginner-friendly types of meditation is known as mindfulness meditation, which calls for individuals to focus intently on their breath over a set amount of time, such as 5-10 minutes. Meditation in addiction recovery can serve as a healthy distraction from temporary cravings, a coping mechanism for triggers, and a source of inner peace to prevent relapse in long-term recovery.
Spend Time in Nature
Another suggestion for boosting spiritual health in addiction recovery is by spending time in nature. Disconnecting from technology and daily routines to spend time in nature can give individuals a chance to slow down and appreciate existence by merely existing. The more time a person spends in nature, the more awareness and knowledge they can learn from their natural surroundings and environment. Individuals can also stabilize their physiology through grounding in nature, specifically by walking barefoot outdoors, as the Earth’s natural electric charge helps to reduce pain and stress, improve blood flow, and promote greater well-being overall.
Reflect on Meaning and Purpose for Life and Sobriety
Exploring an individual’s spiritual core will certainly help to add context to their spiritual wellness in addiction recovery. Individuals can consider learning about different spiritual or religious phenomena while identifying their morals and values to help them recognize what spiritual practices may fit best for their personal sobriety and recovery journey. Moreover, reading different books about spirituality and talking with friends and relatives can also help provide deeper perspectives about spiritual beliefs and practices while helping individuals discover their own meaning and purpose for their lives and sobriety.
Approaching the Healing Process at Rancho Recovery
At Rancho Recovery, we believe that addiction recovery is a personal journey, one that can be best approached by addressing each of the eight dimensions of wellness described earlier. We offer a variety of different treatment programs and services, from detoxification to residential treatment, various outpatient treatment programs, alumni programs, and more. Using a combination of evidence-based approaches and holistic activities, we strive to support and guide individuals in achieving lasting healing from addiction, other substance use problems, and co-occurring disorders.
Moreover, we recognize the undeniable role that spirituality can play in facilitating faith, social support, and deeper meaning for sobriety in addiction recovery. No matter what spiritual background a client comes from, we can help them attain spiritual wellness in a way that aligns with their values and makes sense to them. We have seen spirituality aid in addiction recovery by fostering commitment and motivation to sobriety and preventing relapse. Allow us to continue our mission of providing individualized care and enabling lasting recovery by providing spiritual guidance in recovery.
Addiction is a disease that affects the mind, body, and spirit; yet, often, individuals only consider the physical, mental, and emotional impacts of addiction when making the decision to enter treatment and begin recovery. The truth is that spirituality can be an important component of the healing process, as it helps to foster faith in something bigger than yourself. In addition, spirituality can also aid in social support and optimism, which can play essential roles in establishing and maintaining lasting sobriety and recovery. At Rancho Recovery, we are passionate about providing individualized care through both evidence-based and holistic means to ensure whole-person recovery from addiction. Let us help you find spiritual wellness during the healing process. Call (877) 484-1447.