Spirituality and Addiction Disorder: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Addiction disorder is a complex condition with biological, psychological, social, and several other dimensions. This comprehensive review explores the role of spirituality in both the prevention and treatment of substance use and behavioral addictions. Drawing from a wide range of interdisciplinary research, the paper examines how spiritual practices, beliefs, and communities contribute to resilience, meaning-making, recovery, and longterm abstinence. Theoretical models such as spiritus contra spiritum, genospirituality, and forgiveness-based recovery are discussed alongside empirical findings that demonstrate spirituality as a protective factor— particularly among adolescents and young adults. Evidence shows that spiritual engagement enhances coping mechanisms, identity transformation, community support, and emotional healing. Furthermore, the review addresses the integration of spirituality into clinical settings through evidence-based interventions including spiritually modified cognitive-behavioral therapy, culturally adapted models, and spiritual direction. It also highlights challenges such as cultural diversity, exclusion risks, negative religious coping, and clinician training gaps. Emerging directions suggest the value of trauma-informed spiritual care, mystical experiences, and narrative identity in recovery. The review concludes by advocating for holistic, patient-centered approaches that ethically and effectively incorporate spirituality into mainstream addiction treatment and recovery frameworks.