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Uncovering the Spiritual Dimension in the Treatment of Addictions
Oxford University Press
June 2002
On Sale: June 13, 2002
320 pages
ISBN: 0195147685
EAN: 9780195147681
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Millions of alcoholics and addicts recover through
spirituality. In The Soul of Recovery: Uncovering the
Spiritual Dimension in the Treatment of Addictions, author
and journalist Christopher D. Ringwald tells how and why
they seek and achieve these transformations.
Ranging as far back as the Washingtonian Total Abstinence
Society in 1840, Ringwald illuminates the use of
spirituality within a wide range of treatment options--from
the famous Twelve Step-style programs to those tailored to
the needs of addicted women, Native Americans, or homeless
teens not ready to quit. Focusing on the results rather than
the validity of beliefs espoused by these programs, he
demonstrates how addicts recover through practices such as
self-examination, meditation, prayer and reliance on a
self-defined higher power. But the most compelling evidence
of spirituality's importance comes from those directly
involved in the process. Ringwald traveled across the
country to visit dozens of programs and interview hundreds
of addicts, alcoholics, counselors, family members, doctors
and scientists. Many share moving stories of suffering,
survival, and redemption. A homeless man, a surgeon, a
college student, a working mother-each describes the descent
into addiction and how spirituality offered a practical,
personal means to recovery. Ringwald also examines the
controversies surrounding faith-based treatment and the
recovery movement, from the conflict between science and
spirituality, to skepticism about the "new age" brand of
spirituality these programs encourage, to constitutional
issues over court-mandated participation in allegedly
religious treatment programs.
Combining in-depth research with powerful personal accounts,
this fascinating exploration of spirituality will provide a
fuller understanding of the nature of addiction and how
people overcome it.
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