title: Spirituality-based recovery from drug addiction in the twelve-step fellowship of narcotics anonymous.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Narcotics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship that employs the Twelve-Step model for members dependent on drugs of abuse. The spiritual orientation of its program of abstinence has not been subjected to empirical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Responses of 527 American Narcotics Anonymous meeting attendees to a structured questionnaire were evaluated for the roles of cognitive and psychosocial aspects of spirituality in their recovery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents had last used drugs or alcohol on average 6.1 years previously. They were found to be more oriented toward a spiritual than a formally religious orientation than probability samples of the general population. Aspects of membership such as affiliation toward other members and the experience of spiritual awakening were associated with lower rates of drug or alcohol craving, whereas scores on depression were associated with higher craving scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spiritual renewal combined with an abstinence-oriented regimen in Narcotics Anonymous social context can play a role in long-term recovery from drug addiction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. marcgalanter@nyu.edu
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galanter
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dermatis
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Post
authors.forename: Cristal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sampson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D032763:Behavior Control / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012681:Sensitivity Training Groups; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014894:Weights and Measures / Q000592:standards