Spiritual awakening predicts improved recovery outcomes

~ Jason Schwartz

healinghandsAn interesting study from a friend of ours:

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study examined concurrent and longitudinal associations between two dimensions of affiliation in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)-attendance and spiritual awakening-and drinking outcomes among adult patients who were in treatment for alcohol dependence in Warsaw, Poland. In a study conducted at four addiction treatment centers, male and female patients (n = 118) with a DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence were assessed at baseline (Time 1 or T1), 1 month (T2), and 6-12 months postbaseline (T3) for AA meeting attendance, various aspects of AA affiliation, and alcohol use. Alcoholics Anonymous meeting attendance and alcohol consumption were measured using the Timeline Followback interview. Self-report of having had a spiritual awakening was measured using a modified version of the Alcoholics Anonymous Involvement Scale.

RESULTS: There were no cross-sectional or longitudinal associations between AA meeting attendance and improved drinking outcomes. In contrast, self-report of a spiritual awakening between T2 and T3 was significantly associated with abstinence (OR = 2.4, p < .05) and the absence of any heavy drinking (OR = 3.0, p < .05) at T3, even when demographic and clinical characteristics were statistically controlled.

CONCLUSIONS: Self-reports of spiritual awakening predicted improved drinking outcomes in a Polish treatment sample.

via Spiritual awakening predicts improved … [J Addict Nurs. 2013 Oct-Dec] – PubMed – NCBI.

Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.

4 thoughts on “Spiritual awakening predicts improved recovery outcomes”

  1. interesting. So meeting makers make meetings. But those who have a spiritual awakening (I assume this means working the steps) do better.

    1. Yeah. I wouldn’t want to read too much into it, it’s one study in another culture, but that would be my take on it. There’s lots of evidence that 12 step involvement is a better predictor of good outcomes then 12 step attendance. In this case, maybe, as you suggest, spiritual awakening is an indicator of involvement.

  2. An OR of 2.4 for a self-reported spiritual awakening is hard to ignore. Wish they had more information about the detail of those self-reports!!!

  3. …and now I feel a bit more confident in saying that Steve S. didn’t fail miserably at being my first sponsor 25 years ago – I did! lolz…

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