The 12 Steps: Spiritual or Religious Recovery?

If we are introduced to recovery through the 12 steps, we might have some misgivings about certain aspects of the program. We see the word “God” repeated multiple times throughout the steps and hear many people within the fellowships talk casually about subjects that seem religious. Most meetings we’ll attend probably open and close with prayers, as well. For addicts with religious predispositions, these matters aren’t likely to concern them much. However, may addicts come into recovery with strong anti-religious convictions. Many are atheists or agnostics; others have been too focused on their drug addiction to give these matters much thought. However, those addicts who are disappointed by the religious aspects of the 12 steps need not worry. The 12 steps are a spiritual program, not a religious one.

Many recovering addicts in 12-step programs like to put it this way: “Religion is for people who don’t want to go to hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been there.” This is not to say that the 12-steps are against religion. Rather, this little saying specifies who the 12 steps are designed for: people who already know what “hell” is like and don’t want to go back. In other words, addicts seeking recovery are probably more desperate for help than the average church-goer or temple-goer.

What exactly are addicts desperate for? Most don’t realize it, but addicts desperately long for spiritual recovery. Most addicts who have tried to get sober will admit that something has been missing in their recovery. After they detox, they are physically sober. After they receive some counseling and learn relapse prevention skills, they are mentally sober. Even so, they will feel a terrible emptiness inside them. Life without drugs seems boring, depressing and without purpose. Unable to use drugs, addicts become anxious and angry at little things. They quickly grow restless and miserable.

These are spiritual problems, and spiritual problems require spiritual solutions. Fortunately for every addict, the 12 steps identify with no religion, sect or denomination. This means that recovery is available for everyone; Christian recovery from addiction works just as an atheist’s recovery from addiction. What matters is not what an addict believes, but that he is willing to believe. Some choose religious belief; others choose to believe in nature, the universe, or simply the 12-step group itself. Every addict’s spiritual path will differ, but they all have one destination in common: recovery from addiction, and a life that’s better than anything they’ve known.

Recovery starts with treatment. To find a treatment center that’s right for you, call Drug Treatment Center Finder at 877-968-6682 today!