{"id":20828,"date":"2026-03-14T18:54:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T17:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20828"},"modified":"2026-03-14T18:54:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T17:54:58","slug":"spirituality-linked-to-lower-risk-of-substance-misuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2026\/03\/spirituality-linked-to-lower-risk-of-substance-misuse\/","title":{"rendered":"Spirituality linked to lower risk of substance misuse"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Medscape<\/span><\/div>\n
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\u00a0by Dawn Attride – Medscape Medical News – March 13, 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n

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Engaging in meditation, prayer, or other spiritual practices was linked to a decreased risk for alcohol and drug misuse, a new meta-analysis showed.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Harmful use of alcohol, tobacco,\u00a0marijuana, or illicit drugs was 13% lower in individuals who engaged in spiritual practices, and 18% lower among those who regularly attended religious services.<\/span><\/p>\n

The results suggest that for some patients, integrating spirituality into medical care may hold potential for substance use prevention and recovery efforts, researchers said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur findings indicate that spirituality may be protective against substance misuse, one of the biggest public health challenges of our time,\u201d lead author Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, and Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, said in a\u00a0news release.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor many individuals and families, using spirituality as a resource \u2014 whether that be attending religious services, meditating, praying, or seeking other forms of spiritual comfort \u2014 may be an avenue to enhance their health.<\/span><\/p>\n

The study was\u00a0published online\u00a0on February 18 in\u00a0JAMA Psychiatry<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A Question of Faith<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As reported by\u00a0Medscape Medical News<\/em>, previous research suggests that integrating spirituality into medicine is linked to\u00a0improved mental\u00a0and\u00a0physiologic health\u00a0and\u00a0less substance use. But evidence on long-term effects, particularly with alcohol and drug use, was lacking.<\/span><\/p>\n

To fill that gap, investigators conducted a meta-analysis of 55 longitudinal cohort studies involving 540,712 children, adolescents, and adults. These studies, published between 2000 and 2022, explored the associations between spirituality and dangerous alcohol or drug use. Most of the studies focused on prevention, and one randomized clinical trial was also included in the meta-analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spiritual practices, religious or not, were associated with a 13% lower risk for hazardous alcohol or drug use (relative risk [RR], 0.87; 95% CI, 0.84-0.91). This risk reduction was consistent across all substance types.<\/span><\/p>\n

Individuals who attended religious service more than once a week were 18% less likely to engage in substance misuse (RR, 0.82;\u00a0P\u00a0<\/em>< .001).<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe consistency of the results across all the studies was striking, with all but a few \u2014 including over a dozen studies conducted outside of the US \u2014 showing a protective, not detrimental, effect,\u201d senior author Tyler J. VanderWeele, PhD, John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Protective benefits were found in both the prevention of substance misuse and in outcomes related to substance use disorder recovery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cParticipation in spiritual or religious communities may affect outcomes through mechanisms including social support, strong abstinence or nonintoxication or moderation social norms, meaning and purpose, and moral beliefs,\u201d researchers wrote.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cEmerging evidence from neuroscience suggests that spiritual practices can influence brain regions associated with stress regulation, reward processing, and social connection,\u201d they continued.<\/span><\/p>\n

Limitations of the study were potential biases in study design and selection, as well as variability in how spirituality was identified across studies.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cClinicians and communities can consider identifying and aligning spirituality themes to broaden future efforts in drug use prevention and recovery,\u201d the investigators wrote, suggesting that clinicians ask patients whether spirituality is important to them for health. They also noted that efforts should respect patient autonomy and evidence-based practices<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Source: https:\/\/www.medscape.com\/viewarticle\/spirituality-linked-lower-risk-substance-misuse-2026a10007ri<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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