Finding Spirituality in Recovery
Spirituality can have many different forms and meanings often determined by the individual. At The Best Treatment Center, each guest has their own treatment program and within that their own form of spirituality. It can be religion, meditation, healing through enlightenment books, chakras and even healing crystals. It is much more down to earth and a universal concept contrary to what some may believe. We believe that spirituality is each individual’s way of finding meaning and purpose in our guest’s new lives through recovery.
Everyone and anyone can benefit from spiritual practices, even those who do not suffer from addiction- we often encourage families and loved ones to learn about spirituality. The search for meaning is especially important when healing from addiction to drugs and alcohol. When we are able to incorporate spirituality with the recovery treatment process, it can help our guests understand themselves, stay dedicated to their recovery journey and also connect to a greater sense of purpose.
The Definition of Spirituality
As previously mentioned, spirituality is a broad concept that means something different to everyone. The main concept being finding the meaning and purpose in life, and this is something every single individual will experience. It is a connection that is greater than just oneself. It can be connecting with nature, the universe, God, a different higher power and all of society/humanity.
Different people respond differently to each spiritual experience because everyone is connected to each other and themselves differently. While one person may lean on God, church, religion and The Bible or other holy scriptures or books, others may seek healing from nature, music or art. At The Best Treatment Center we know there is no wrong way to seek spirituality in the recovery process. The important aspect is to find something that personally speaks to each individual that helps find meaning through existence and individual experiences. We encourage our guests to step out of their comfort zone when it comes to spirituality and be accepting of all other views. Whatever you can connect with to stay clean and sober is the ultimate goal.
The larger questions in life is what spirituality is all about. These questions are:
- How Can I be the Best Version of Myself?
- What is the purpose of my life?
- How Do I Connect to the World Around Me?
- What Does it Mean and How can I be a Good Person?
- Why do I Suffer?
- Does Everything Happen for a Reason?
The Benefits of Spirituality in Recovery
Regular spiritual practice can:
Increase attention, compassion and empathy:Practices such as gratitude, meditation, devotions, journaling and yoga encourage inner reflection. This allows you to understand others and yourself and others more fully. It encourages you to pay attention more and enjoy the little things in life.
Improve your ability to connect:Communities with a spiritual base like meditation groups, yoga classes, or churches are a great source of social support. They are providing with a sense of security, community, and belonging. Your spiritual community will be comprised of people who share similar values and gives you the chance to form new, deep fulfilling relationships, this will not just help you mentally, and spiritually but physically as well.
Make it easier to overcome hardships and work through negative emotions: Recognizing the fact that everyone deals with suffering and pain can also allow you to see hardships as part of the shared human experience, and will help you better deal with emotional pain without burying it. You will be able to eventually see the meaning and growth within the challenges that are faced.
Types of Spiritual Practices at The Best Treatment Center
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Journaling
- Creative Arts Therapy
- Teaching Gratitude
- Devotional Activities
- 12 Step Groups
To learn more in detail about any of these specific areas of recovery, call us now at 888-670-9424 and one of our recovery counselors would be happy to further explain in detail our specific spirituality practices to you.
Including Spirituality in Your Recovery
Spirituality in recovery allows this time to look back on life, the negative choices made, and make the changes needed in order to continue on more aware of yourself while choosing to live happy, healthy, and free from drugs and alcohol addiction.
As mentioned above, the 12-step groups are among the most common examples of structured spirituality in recovery. These groups you may be familiar with already are Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). There are also specified groups for each substance of abuse and also for Codependency. The 12-steps are as follows with slight variations for each different substance of abuse.
- Admitting your powerlessness over drugs or alcohol.
- Believing that a power greater than yourself can help you recover.
- Making the decision to put your life in the hands of this greater power.
- Taking an honest, fearless moral inventory of yourself.
- Admitting the wrongs you’ve committed to your higher power, yourself, and another human being.
- Allowing yourself to be ready for your higher power to remove the wrongs you admitted to in the previous step.
- Humbly asking your higher power to remove your shortcomings.
- Making a list of all the persons you have harmed, and becoming willing to make amends with them.
- Making amends with the people mentioned in the previous step, whenever possible.
- Continuing to take a personal inventory and have the willingness to admit when you are wrong.
- Improving your contact with your higher power through prayer, meditation and other spiritual practices.
- Passing the lessons you’ve learned through the 12 steps on to other people struggling with substance use disorder and continuing to incorporate new values into all areas of your life.
For many people, the “higher power” in the 12 steps is God. For others, it’s something that is not based in religion, like nature, art, music, the universe, humanity, or really anything one chooses. 12-step programs are the most common way to bring spirituality into recovery, but is definitely not the only way. As previously mentioned, there are many other meaning-seeking practices like meditation, devotionals, yoga and journaling into an addiction treatment program without the use of the 12-steps that can be just as valuable.
Benefits of Spirituality in Recovery
Spiritual practices can be beneficial to everyone and often encourage family members and loved ones to participate. In recovery from drugs and alcohol they are particularly useful and vital. When you can make sense of difficult times, trauma or suffering in a meaningful way and take healthy and productive steps to work through hardships, you’re more likely to stay successful in your own personal recovery journey.
Incorporating spiritual practices and principles into your recovery process can benefit you by:
- Making past experiences easier to heal from and move on
- Allows you to find the greater purpose and meaning of life
- Improves your sense of self-worth and self-esteem
- Allowing you to feel more joy and peace in daily life
For more information on The Best Treatment Center Spirituality Practices, call us anytime 888-670-9424.