Faith Based Drug Treatment

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as much as 8.3 percent of the U.S. population, 12 years old and older, participated in illicit drug use in 2006. As a result, the need for effective drug treatment facilities is an ongoing concern. Faith based programs help to meet this need by incorporating spiritual principles within the recovery process.

Identification

• Faith based drug treatment programs follow much the same treatment protocols as non-religious facilities. Detoxification is a mandatory first step regardless of what the program's underlying philosophy may be. Oftentimes it's necessary to follow detox with anti-depressant medication treatment as well. Where faith-based programs differ is in how they work to strengthen the spiritual core of the addict. The will to abstain from further use is based on an underlying belief in God's love and protection.

Approach

• Whether an addiction is inherited through the genes, or acquired through life experience, it's the ongoing participation in drug use which keeps a person inside the addict's lifestyle. Lifestyle changes are a necessary part of any recovery program, and this need is addressed within the process of the 12 step program used by traditional drug treatment systems. Faith based programs also use the 12 step method, however the principles contained within the 12 steps are combined with biblical teachings and prayer.

Features

• Standard drug treatment protocol follows guidelines that include detoxification, individual counseling, group counseling, education in chemical dependency, and aftercare planning to help people transition back into the real world. Life after the treatment program is the most challenging aspect of recovery. Having a support system in place upon re-entering everyday life is essential to maintaining sobriety. Faith based programs incorporate church attendance and ongoing pastoral counseling into a person's transitional period, in addition to attending AA or NA meetings.

Function

• As of the start of Alcoholics' Anonymous in the 1930s, steps towards rehabilitating an addict relied heavily on some form of spiritual guidance which emphasized personal responsibility as the bottom-line in a person's recovery process. Faith based programs incorporate this approach as well, however they also encourage a person to believe in the forgiveness provided by God as a way to alleviate feelings of guilt. In doing so, the addict is able to share the burden, and responsibility for his recovery with God.

Considerations

• As of 2001, the federal government began the push for a Faith-Based Initiative which provided federal grant monies to religious-type organizations that worked within a social service capacity. Faith based drug/alcohol treatment programs were also eligible to receive these monies. An ongoing controversy surrounds the government's attempts to fund religious based organizations due to the constitutional provisions regarding the separation of church and state. To date, government continues to establish these programs, however debates regarding how tax-payer monies are being appropriated for religious organizations are ongoing.