Faith-Based Addiction Treatment

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Faith-Based Addiction Treatment

Many people looking for a faith-based addiction treatment center have strong religious or spiritual beliefs.

While they need help for their substance problems, they don’t want to sacrifice their religious beliefs.

Luckily, if you’re a person of faith, you can choose a program that meets your specific needs called faith-based addiction treatment.

When it’s well-designed, faith-based addiction treatment can provide excellent support for your substance recovery.

To make effective choices, it helps to learn more about what faith-oriented care means.

It also helps to learn the ways in which this form of care provides its benefits.

Defining Faith-Based Addiction Treatment

So, what is faith-based treatment?

Broadly speaking, it’s addiction treatment based on religious or spiritual beliefs.

However, not all people mean the exact same thing when they use the term “faith-based.”

Some people use it only for groups connected to a specific religious organization.

Others also include religious groups that don’t have this kind of direct connection.

In addition, some people include any group that emphasizes spirituality or a higher power.

In America, most faith-based drug and alcohol programs have a Christian outlook. However, that doesn’t mean these programs are all the same.

Some treatment centers may strictly follow the beliefs of a particular Christian denomination. Others may rely on more general principles of Christianity.

There are also faith-based programs that emphasize faith in God, but don’t use specific Christian language.

In addition, you can find programs that use the word spirituality instead of religion or faith.

Benefits of Faith-Based Addiction Treatment

According to current research, faith-based treatments can indeed help you recover from your drug or alcohol problems.

Some studies show that well-designed programs of this type have the same general benefits as secular programs.

In addition, some studies show that a faith-oriented approach may produce even better results than secular care.

In addition to helping you get sober, faith-based rehabs may have other benefits. That includes improved self-esteem and relief from feelings of depression.

As with secular care, longer stays in treatment tend to work better than shorter stays.

Settings for Faith-Based Addiction Treatment

There are two main settings for addiction treatment: outpatient care and inpatient care. In outpatient alcohol or drug rehab, you stay at home while receiving help.

However, you’ll have to visit your rehab center at least once a week for treatment. Outpatient programs are meant for people with mild or moderate substance problems.

In inpatient (or residential) rehab, you live at your recovery center while receiving help. This live-in model provides you with round-the-clock care. It also gives your doctors the ability to monitor your condition both day and night.

Inpatient programs are meant for people with severe substance problems. faith-based treatment can take place in either an outpatient or inpatient setting.

The deciding factor is the severity of your drug or alcohol addiction. No matter your level of addiction, you can find a suitable faith-oriented program. In most locations, you can find faith-based outpatient rehab near you.

You can also probably find faith-based inpatient rehab near you.

Why Does Faith-Oriented Care Work?

Generally speaking, well-designed faith-oriented care works in the same basic ways as well-designed secular care. However, research shows that faith-based programs also work for some very specific reasons.

These reasons help explain the usefulness of a faith-oriented approach.

First, you can gain crucial support from an environment where people hold shared beliefs. In turn, this support can improve your chances of making progress in your recovery.

Peer pressure also plays a role in helping people in faith-oriented programs. When you share beliefs with others, the group may expect you to uphold those beliefs.

This pressure can serve as a motivator to help you stay on track. There’s also another side to peer pressure: fear of judgment. When it comes to sticking with your treatment, this fear can also help motivate you.

There’s another important reason why faith-oriented care works.

Research shows that there’s plenty of overlap between faith-based programs and secular programs. In fact, most faith-oriented rehabs don’t rely on religion-based beliefs.

Instead, they combine these beliefs with the same techniques found in the secular treatment. Since well-designed secular care works, it makes sense that well-designed faith-based care would also
work.

Faith-Based Vs. 12 Step Rehab

Twelve-step rehabs are programs that emphasize the 12 steps of addiction recovery.

These steps were created by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). They’re designed to help you get sober and remain sober going forward.

The 12 steps have a somewhat Christian focus. However, they don’t use Christian-specific language.

AA is a mutual self-help group. Similar groups include Cocaine Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. On their own, these groups aren’t meant to serve as treatments for substance abuse. Instead, they act as standalone organizations that provide you with sobriety support.

Many addiction treatment programs include 12-step principles in their approach. Twelve-step friendly programs combine these principles with other forms of care. They also rely on professional addiction specialists and other trained personnel.

How does faith-based recovery compare with 12-step rehab programs? The answer to that question is a bit complicated.

Some faith-based rehab facilities may include the 12 steps at the core of what they do. When this happens, the two types of rehab are essentially one and the same. However, not all faith-oriented programs use 12-step methods.

This means that the two approaches can be quite different, as well.

Faith-Based Vs. Christian Recovery

As with 12-step recovery, faith-based rehab and Christian rehab are often one and the same.

You can find programs that emphasize a particular branch of Christianity. You can also find programs that take a broader approach to Christianity-based recovery. However, faith-based and Christian can also mean different things.

For example, some programs may combine addiction treatment with beliefs from other religions. In addition, some spirituality-based programs may avoid using specific religious language altogether.

Faith-Based vs. Evidence-Based Rehab

Evidence-based treatment is addiction care based on the findings of scientific studies. Studies provide evidence that a given treatment works for its intended purpose.

Government organizations, like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, place a big emphasis on evidence-based treatments.

Evidence-based care comes in two main forms: behavior therapy and medication.

Behavior therapy is designed to help you change thoughts and habits that support substance abuse.

Evidence-based medications can help you make it through the worst symptoms of substance withdrawal. They can also help you avoid relapsing back into substance use. There are different therapy and medication options available for different forms of addiction.

How does faith-based rehab compare to evidence-based rehab?

As with 12-steps rehab, the answer to that question varies. There is no essential conflicted between faith-oriented care and evidence-oriented care. This means that you can find programs that combine the two approaches.

By receiving the best of both worlds, you may increase your odds of recovering from your substance problems.

However, not all faith-based programs use an evidence-based approach. Instead, they use other methods that don’t have the same firm grounding in research. It’s important to point out that the same thing is true for secular addiction programs. Some take an evidence-based approach, and some do not.

Take the Next Step With Faith-Based Care

Faith-based addiction programs rely on a religious or spiritual approach to addiction treatment. However, they don’t have to conflict with current guidelines for effective treatment.

In fact, many faith-oriented programs also use the same techniques as secular programs. Faith-based care can help you just as much as other treatment options. In some cases, it may even produce better results.

Faith-Based Addiction Treatment at Resurgence Behavioral Health

Want more information on the value of faith-based addiction care?

Just contact us today at 855-458-0050.

Our in-house experts can help answer all your questions. We can also help you work through your options and make effective choices.

There’s no reason to separate your recovery from your spiritual or religious beliefs.