Spirituality How Early Spirituality Deters Alcohol Abuse By Buddy T Buddy T Facebook Twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial process Updated on December 02, 2020 Medically reviewed Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE Medically reviewed by John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. He is the medical director at Alcohol Recovery Medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Getty Images Teens who have an active spiritual life are half as likely to have an alcohol or substance use disorder or even try illegal drugs than those who have no religious beliefs or training, research has found. Previous studies have indicated that being spiritual or religious may help persons recovering from substance abuse overcome their addictions later in life, but this new study suggests that adolescents are much less likely to ever develop those problems if they have a spiritual foundation when they are young. An Overview of Substance Use "Alcoholism, in addition to being a biological disorder, is a spiritual disorder," lead author Dr. Lisa Miller told Reuters Health. "Adolescents who claim to have a personal relationship with the Divine are only half as likely to become alcoholics or drug addicts, or for that matter even to try contraband drugs (marijuana and cocaine). This is particularly important because the onset of alcoholism and drug addiction usually occurs in adolescents." Strong Protection Against Alcoholism To determine the relationship between their religiosity and substance use of 676 adolescents aged 15 to 19, Miller and colleagues at Columbia University conducted a study using survey data. This is the first study to show that personal spirituality strongly protects against ever developing alcoholism or drug abuse. The study shows that teens with a higher degree of personal devotion, personal conservatism, and institutional conservatism were less likely to engage in alcohol consumption and less likely to engage in marijuana or cocaine use. More recent studies have also found that religiosity and spirituality are negatively related to alcohol, tobacco, and illicit substance use across the U.S., perhaps due in part to prohibitions against alcohol and other substance use inherent in some religions. Confirmed by Later Studies Another study at Brigham Young University of 4,983 adolescents found that those who were involved in religious activities were significantly less likely to become involved with substance abuse or have friends who are involved. A previous study at Brigham Young found that teens who were religious were less than half as likely to begin smoking marijuana—by far the most popular drug among adolescents. Spiritual, Not Religious "The findings show that a personal sense of spirituality helps adolescents avoid alcohol and drug use and abuse," Miller told Reuters. "Unlike adults in (Alcoholics Anonymous), adolescents in this study were shown not to be helped by a rigid or forced adherence to religion." "Religion" forced upon adolescents by their parents or others has little effect, but if teens have made a personal choice to pursue a spiritual life, they are much less likely to drink and use drug. Without Religion, Teens Will 'Go Shopping' "Spirituality, whether within or without of religion, is the most central bearing in an adolescent's life," Miller emphasized. "It cannot be ignored by parents, or the adolescent will go 'shopping' for meaning, communion, and transcendence," she said. The study authors concluded that adolescents at high risk might be protected from substance dependence or abuse if they engage with a Higher Power or become involved in a religious community. The survey questioned teens about their personal devotion, personal conservatism, and institutional conservatism defined as "representing an active personal relationship with the Divine, representing a personal choice to teach and adhere closely to creed, in some cases initiated through a 'born-again' experience, and as the degree of fundamentalism in a religious denomination." Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 1 Source Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Park CL, Masters KS, Salsman JM, et al. Advancing our understanding of religion and spirituality in the context of behavioral medicine. J Behav Med. 2017;40(1):39-51. doi:10.1007/s10865-016-9755-5 Additional Reading Cotton S, McGrady ME, Rosenthal SL. Measurement of religiosity/spirituality in adolescent health outcomes research: trends and recommendations. J Relig Health. 2010;49(4):414-444. doi:10.1007/s10943-010-9324-0 Miller L, Davies M, Greenwald S. Religiosity and substance use and abuse among adolescents in the national comorbidity survey. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2000;39(9):1190-1197. doi:10.1097/00004583-200009000-00020 Neighbors C, Brown GA, Dibello AM, Rodriguez LM, Foster DW. Reliance on god, prayer, and religion reduces influence of perceived norms on drinking. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2013;74(3):361-368. doi:10.15288/jsad.2013.74.361 Speak to a Therapist Online Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation.