Alcoholics: Spirituality corks the bottle of spirits

A study of 154 adults who abused or depended on alcohol showed that those whose depth of spiritual experience increased were less likely to
fall off the wagon

"While people's actual beliefs don't seem to change during recovery, the extent they have spiritual experiences, and are open to spirituality in their lives, does change," says lead researcher Elizabeth A.R. Robinson, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the U-M Medical School's Department of Psychiatry and member of UMARC.. "This effect was also independent of their participation in Alcoholics Anonymous which has a strong spiritual aspect."

The specific beliefs of the recovering alcoholic did not change; it was the depth of participation that mattered. The study generally supported the role of faith-based recovery groups.