Prayer and Addiction – Refill the Spiritual Bank

Prayer and addiction for those who arrive at treatment centers in a state of spiritual bankruptcy can replenish their accounts with prayer for addiction recovery. Having drawn on all their spiritual resources and coming up empty, addicted individuals may find it difficult to come before God and ask for help one more time. They may experience shame brought on by their addictive behaviors and shy away from contact with God; or they may even find it hard to believe that there is a God after all they’ve been through. They may come to an adult rehabilitation center with a sense that life lacks meaning or purpose, or they may be covering up tremendous fear with arrogance and pride that won’t allow them to admit they need help from anyone, let alone God. These individuals have likely forgotten, or maybe they have never known, the healing power and forgiveness available to them through a loving God. They may not realize that God has brought them to this point in their lives for a reason, and the reason is always associated with love, not torment or punishment. Establishing or re-establishing prayer practices can go a long way toward healing the self-loathing, fear and grief that comes with addiction.

Successful recovery requires a number of coping tools, and prayer can be one of them. Prayer has a calming effect that evens out the rollercoaster of emotions typical of early sobriety, relieving stress, fear, and loneliness. The mental and physical health benefits associated with peaceful prayer and meditation enhances the recovery experience. In fact, scientific studies have shown that prayer generates an increase of dopamine levels in the brain, replacing the manufactured calm and relaxation brought on by drugs or alcohol.

Praying for others is as important as petitioning prayers for one’s self. Doing so performs a service and may help engender an understanding of life’s meaning, a feeling of love for others. Those being prayed for may feel a moral lift, a sense of self-worth, when they know someone is thinking of them in such a deep and meaningful way. Considering others in prayer for addiction as well as oneself is a powerful way to connect to God.

Because we are have rehabilitation centers in Southern California grounded in Christian values and spiritual principles, we encourage prayer for drug addiction throughout treatment. We use the strong moral compass of Christian ideals to help steer our clients through a dark and frightening time of drug detox, practicing prayer regularly throughout the day and incorporating it into our therapies.

We believe that every person deserves a chance to live a healthy, productive life filled with purpose and self-respect. Our Christian rehab treatment is designed and staffed to heal the past and bolster the present with a strong spiritual foundation on which to build new behaviors and attitudes, and on which to establish a strong connection with God.