Is Christian Based Rehab the Right Choice?
Every year, a National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. According to the most recent survey, “In 2011, an estimated 22.5 million Americans aged 12 or older—or 8.7 percent of the population—had used an illicit drug or abused a psychotherapeutic medication (such as a pain reliever, stimulant, or tranquilizer).”
Only a small portion, less than 1 percent, of these individuals ever received treatment in a specialized facility. Addiction is a disease that causes communication failures within multiple brain circuits and changes our behaviors and the ability to control them. Addiction causes a sense of separation from our true self and from the relationships we value most. This can be devastating and in the Christian life, it is even more so, when one feels like they have lost their connection with God.
Christian based rehab can be healing and rewarding to addicts from all walks of life, whether Christian or not, because, while focusing on religion and the Bible, they offer many of the same treatment options found at traditional drug rehabs. In a Christian based rehab, addicts can learn to accept themselves, reestablish relationships, values, and priorities, encouraging abstinence and hope, through the inspirational principles of God.
Is Christian Based Rehab the Right Choice?
Rehabs based in Christianity offer a unique perspective for recovery from addiction.
It is important for the addict to receive the proper treatment needed to work through their recovery and continue in sobriety. Traditional drug rehabs provide program options geared toward this through scientific methods and therapeutic techniques.
As Christians, we value our faith and we know that God is merciful and forgiving. By his grace, we can be healed and made strong in the midst of trials. This confidence can be recognized as a building block for renewing our minds and trusting in a higher power to change and grow into what God intended us to be. Grace, courage, and wisdom are acknowledged in the Serenity Prayer, which was adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 Step programs, as a fundamental part of acceptance and incites this same purpose of helping individuals in recovery, as they pray:
“God, give me Grace to accept with serenity, the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”
Healing the mind, body, and soul of the addict is the main idea of addiction treatment, as the individual becomes self aware and learns coping mechanisms to lead a sober and gratifying life. Christian based rehab programs focus on the concepts of religion and incorporate Biblical scripture into this recovery process. These teachings can be beneficial to anyone as they learn they are not alone and they, increasingly, value doing the right things, caring about others, and understanding their importance, and their place in the world. The addict’s focus is shifted from addiction to hope as they know more about Christ and learn that:
“..suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:2-5
