The Effects of Spirituality on Drug Use

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a statistically significant correlation between the degree of substance use and the level of spirituality among participants in a long-term substance abuse treatment program. Data were collected from 30 individuals attending two long-term substance abuse programs. Mode of measurement consisted of the Index of Core Spiritual Experiences to measure the level of spirituality and the Addiction Severity Index, which measured the amount of drug use. Data for this study were coded numerically and analyzed using a Pearson product moment correlation coefficient to determine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between spirituality and substance use. Results revealed that there was not a statistically significant correlation between the level of spirituality and substance use. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Keywords:

• Drug use
• religion
• spirituality
• cognitive behavioral treatment
• alcohol use