{"id":20764,"date":"2026-02-21T18:11:54","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T17:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20764"},"modified":"2026-05-04T16:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T15:52:26","slug":"spiritual-practices-strongly-associated-with-reduced-risk-for-hazardous-alcohol-and-drug-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2026\/02\/spiritual-practices-strongly-associated-with-reduced-risk-for-hazardous-alcohol-and-drug-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual practices strongly associated with reduced risk for hazardous alcohol and drug use"},"content":{"rendered":"<header id=\"navigation\" class=\"hidden-search\">\n<div class=\"navbar navbar-static-top\">\n<div class=\"container flush\">\n<div class=\"clearfix\">\n<div class=\"col-md-6 col-sm-8 col-md-pull-6 col-sm-pull-4 col-xs-10 hidden-xs\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20694\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Eureka-AAAS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"491\" height=\"97\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"container \" role=\"main\">\n<div class=\"row equal\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"col-md-8 has-sidebar white\">\n<article class=\"article\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"release_date\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">News Release\u00a0<time datetime=\"TODO\">18-Feb-2026<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"page_title\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"entry\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><em>Key points:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Broad spiritual practices, ranging from attending religious services to meditation to prayer, were associated with a 13% reduced risk of hazardous drug and alcohol use, according to a meta-analysis. The greatest reduction (18%) was seen among individuals attending religious services at least once per week.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The meta-analysis is the first of its kind to synthesize and comprehensively estimate how dangerous substance use is impacted over time by spirituality.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">According to the researchers, the findings carry potential for individuals who find spirituality important in other aspects of their lives to also use it as a resource in their relationship with drugs and alcohol. Clinicians and communities can also use these findings to consider broader strategies for addiction prevention and care.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Boston, MA\u2014Individuals who engaged in spirituality were significantly less likely to exhibit hazardous use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and illicit drugs, according to a new meta-analysis led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The meta-analysis is the first of its kind to synthesize and comprehensively estimate associations between harmful or hazardous substance use and spirituality\u2014considered any practice, religious or otherwise, through which an individual finds ultimate meaning, purpose, and connection to something greater than themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cOur findings indicate that spirituality may be protective against substance misuse, one of the biggest public health challenges of our time,\u201d said lead author Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership. \u201cFor many individuals and families, using spirituality as a resource\u2014whether that be attending religious services, meditating, praying, or seeking others forms of spiritual comfort\u2014may be an avenue to enhance their health.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The study will be published Feb. 18, 2026, in\u00a0<em>JAMA Psychiatry<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Of more than 20,000 spirituality and health studies published in the 21st\u00a0century (2000-2022), the researchers identified 55 that fit their criteria for rigor, including large cohorts and longitudinal design. They analyzed the results of these studies, which collectively followed more than half a million people over time, to understand the overall relationship between spirituality and alcohol and drug use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The meta-analysis found that broad spiritual practices, including spiritual and religious community involvement, attending religious services, meditation, and prayer, reduced individuals\u2019 risk of dangerous alcohol and drug use by 13%. This reduction was greater (18%) among individuals attending religious services at least once per week. The results were consistent across all of the drug categories studied (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and illicit drugs).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cMeta-analyses of such longitudinal studies on spirituality and health are rare. This is a sort of once-in-a-decade advance,\u201d said senior author Tyler VanderWeele, John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology. \u201cThe consistency of the results across all the studies was striking, with all but a few\u2014including over a dozen studies conducted outside of the U.S.\u2014showing a protective, not detrimental, effect.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">According to the researchers, the findings carry potential not just for individuals, but also for clinicians caring for patients at risk of or struggling with substance misuse and communities working to address substance misuse epidemics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">For example, the researchers wrote that clinicians could ask patients about the role of spirituality in their lives and prompt those who find it important to consider spiritual practices or community participation. Moreover, public health organizations and spiritual or religious communities could join forces to provide more resources and opportunities that help address the factors often driving substance misuse, such as stress, loneliness, and loss of meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Article information<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cSpirituality and harmful or hazardous alcohol and other drug use: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies,\u201d Howard K. Koh, Donald E. Frederick, Tracy A. Balboni, Samantha M. O\u2019Reilly, John F. Kelly, Keith Humphreys, Michael Botticelli, Maya B. Mathur, Constantine S. Psimopoulos, Katelyn N.G. Long, Tyler J. VanderWeele,\u00a0<em>JAMA Psychiatry<\/em>, February 18, 2025, doi: 10.1001\/jamapsychiatry.2025.4816<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The study was supported by the Templeton Religion Trust (grant 2022-30967) and the Lee Family Fund.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Source: https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/1116640<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News Release\u00a018-Feb-2026 by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Key points: Broad spiritual practices, ranging from attending religious services to meditation to prayer, were associated with a 13% reduced risk of hazardous drug and alcohol use, according to a meta-analysis. The greatest reduction (18%) was seen among individuals attending religious services at least once [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,129,68,40,36,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alcohol","category-culture","category-drug-use-various-effects","category-prevention-research","category-treatment-addiction","category-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20764"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20764\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20766,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20764\/revisions\/20766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}