Treatment for substance use has long included the idea that church benefits a successful recovery. In fact, this has led to the rise of spiritually-focused or faith-focused recovery programs at many prominent treatment centers.
From its inception, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) first promoted the idea that the belief in a higher power and dedicating one’s life to a spiritual focus was essential to treatment and recovery. That belief has remained at the heart of AA and in many treatment options.
Today, many treatment centers and churches offer outreach to those who are seeking treatment for substance use. If you are in recovery, spiritual communities can offer you a safe refuge and a chance at a new start.
Socialization and Successful Recovery
One of the key ways church benefits recovery is the socialization people receive when becoming involved in a spiritual community. Research has shown that social support plays a key role in the successful cessation of controlled substances. In fact, being a part of a spiritual community makes it more likely that an individual can avoid relapse.
Knowing that you have the support you need can help you overcome addiction. In fact, it ties into the four major dimensions of recovery: staying healthy, having a stable home, finding a purpose, and finding a community.
Treatment and recovery are about more than overcoming an addiction. They are about always striving to improve oneself and continuing to grow.
How Going to Church Benefits Your Recovery
One of the key ways going to church benefits recovery is that it provides those in treatment and recovery with the support of caring people. Caring for people in recovery requires the ability to look beyond someone’s past and focus on their future.
Recovery is a personal journey. Just as you spend your life learning, setting goals, and bettering yourself, those who support you are on a similar path. Finding that support to walk alongside you on your journey is spiritually uplifting.
Resetting Your Spiritual Journey in Recovery
As we said before, substance use can shatter our relationship with God and separate us from spiritual communities. But sometimes the vase that is pieced back together is the most beautiful because it has been reduced to nothing and been reborn into something new.
Those who are in treatment and recovery for substance abuse have already been that vase shattered on the floor. And just as Japanese ceramics are glued back together with gold lacquer, your cracks shine beautifully too as you painstakingly glue them back together again.
Embracing Spiritually-Focused Treatment
You may be wondering, what is a spiritually focused recovery? Spiritually-focused recovery is a faith-focused process where the idea of leaving addiction behind is tied to the renewal we receive from giving our lives and hearts to God.
This does not mean that traditional, medical interventions are eschewed. What it does mean is that faith is incorporated with medical and psychiatric treatments. This approach allows us to focus on the holistic self as we heal from substance use treatment.
Thinking in Terms of “Church Benefits”
Never forget that you get a lot out of the short time you spend in devotions and worship each week. In fact, it might be good to refocus on how you think about church. It may be time that you start thinking of “church benefits” just like “health benefits.”
The reality is that when you go to church and fellowship in your spiritual community, you are reaping tangible benefits. Because it can be easy to overlook these things that we experience all of the time, here are a few of the church benefits you reap:
- A sense of community: Never underestimate the power of being involved with other like-minded people in the spirit of God. Their support can be as unwavering as the strength of your higher power.
- Safe and meaningful events: The church does not only provide a way that we can socialize in a safe and sober environment on Sundays. Church events throughout the year can bolster and support us as we learn to navigate and overcome our triggers.
- Personal growth: We grow when we learn more. Being involved in a spiritual community can help us to know where we need to grow and where we have finished growing. In other words, God can point us to our weaknesses and show us our strengths.
Going to church is a valuable part of our recovery. Not only is it encouraged by The Twelve Steps, but church attendance also benefits our personal self by providing us the place we need to meet others in a safe and sober environment.
Getting Involved in Your Social Community
Substance use can fracture our relationship with God and our connection with spiritual communities. Now that we are in recovery, it is time to start repairing those relationships and connections and restoring our spiritual selves.
Successful recovery is another one of those “church benefits” we reap when we attend a regular congregation. In many ways, our church family is just as important as our real family, and for those in recovery, they become a lifeline.
Being involved with others gives us a social community. As people in recovery, those in treatment for substance abuse and after need that support as they seek to lead safe and sober lives.
Therefore, make it your priority to get up and get your church benefits. You deserve it, and you will find that your presence may be that support someone else in your church family needs today.
The agony of addiction can leave us feeling alone and vulnerable in the big, cold world. Even after treatment, we can sometimes feel that our faith is on shaky ground. A big part of treatment is learning again how to reconnect with God, the church, and our communities of faith. Building those bonds of kinship goes a long way to building the support structures we need to live a lifetime of sobriety and health. Through the spiritually-focused treatment at Renaissance Ranch and the embrace of The Twelve Steps, you have probably had your faith renewed. When you need to turn to someone, call us at (801) 308-8898 and share your faith with your brothers today.