All too often, it is overlooked how addiction affects you spiritually.
The reason why recovery centers like ours provide comprehensive treatment for addiction is that it’s a whole-person problem, mind and body. Not only that, but it is often the case that co-occurring mental health disorders accompany substance use disorders and behavioral addictions. The mind has great influence over one’s management of their addiction, and it’s worth considering how they impact each other.
What Is the Spiritual Impact of Addiction?
Addiction affects you spiritually in various ways, from how you feel or think internally to your relationships around you.
Loss of Connection
The cycle of addiction becomes narrowly focused on oneself and the object of one’s addiction. The consequences of this can result in an increasing strain and even loss of relationships with friends and family, as well as a sense of disconnection from a higher power if that is within their beliefs.
Emptiness and Void
Many people associate an emptiness within themselves with addiction, and the attempt to fill it with the object of their addiction only makes the matter worse. This produces a sense of hopelessness and faithlessness as their proposed solution doesn’t pan out, and they are left with the loss of so many healthier things that are more conducive to feeling “fulfilled.”
Shift in Identity
Addiction heavily affects one’s sense of self-worth as it brings out the worst in our character and corrodes virtues. The journey of recovery then becomes something likened to reclaiming who they once were or who they could be.
Does Addiction Cause a Crisis of Faith?
Questioning Beliefs
Addiction has a way of shaking the foundations of one’s beliefs, which can provoke doubt. Some might ask, “If there’s a God, why am I suffering?” or “Why can’t I stop despite my faith?” This can also lead to drifting away from religious practices such as prayer, church attendance, or other rituals. Such an experience can also be referred to as an existential crisis, especially for those who don’t subscribe to a formal religious tradition or practice.
Guilt and Shame
Guilt and shame often accompany addiction as they conflict with a person’s sense of morality, especially if it is grounded in long-held beliefs and religious upbringing and practice. Someone might feel they aren’t “good enough” anymore or are “unworthy of redemption,” given that they’ve departed from a moral standard.
Abandonment Fears
Spiritual abandonment is common among those struggling with addiction, feeling that their God or higher power has forsaken them because of their current state and lack of overcoming it. This can turn into despair, which is the antithesis of the fact that recovery is possible.
How Can Spirituality Help Overcome Addiction?
Spirituality can be a powerful foundation for overcoming addiction. Practices such as prayer, meditation, or mindfulness can strengthen a person’s resolve to withstand cravings and persevere through setbacks that may come. It serves as a source of hope, which is why the element of a higher power is embedded in 12-step recovery.
Holistic Addiction and Mental Health Recovery at Desert Recovery Centers
We utilize comprehensive programs to come alongside you to heal your mind, body, and spirit. From drug addiction to alcoholism and various mental health conditions, we’re here to walk alongside you through your recovery journey, providing effective, proven treatments and therapies for lifelong sobriety.
Our treatments include:
- 12-Step Programs
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Dual Diagnosis Treatment
- EMDR
- Holistic Therapies
- SoftWave Therapy
Contact us today!
