Addiction is officially classified as a mental illness and can seriously warp a person’s mind, almost literally rewiring the brain to prioritize substance abuse over all other needs. Even after going through detox and ending the chemical dependency of addiction, the former addict will often still feel urges to use drugs or alcohol based on psychological cues that can be hard to snuff out. Treating the patient for mental health is therefore vital, but emphasizing the power of faith can be just as important in many cases.
The intersection of mental health and faith in recovery cannot be overstated for the recovering addict.
Mental health is an important aspect of overall well being and addiction can directly harm that side of your life, bringing about dire consequences in the long run. Any addiction treatment needs to address the mental health concerns of the patient and help them overcome the long term mental strain and damage substance abuse can cause in an addict’s life.
It’s important, though, to recall the importance of faith in such treatment, as well. For the religious patient, faith can be an essential part of their mental makeup and emphasizing the role of faith in their life and in their mental health can be vital to getting the best results.
Of course, not every patient has religious beliefs of that nature, but for those who do, faith can directly contribute to feelings of security, social structure and general well-being, all things that can benefit a patient’s mental health and fight against the conflicts created by addiction and substance abuse.
Luckily, some rehab facilities directly appeal to patients with a religious background, emphasizing faith for those in treatment that desire such an approach. Most such facilities don’t proselytize or push religion on those without such beliefs, but simply provide the tools and opportunities for those who do share such beliefs to receive treatment from that shared background.
Faith is a major component of a believing person’s mental makeup, so its effect on mental health can be of major importance. By emphasizing faith in an addict’s recovery, you can also emphasize its restorative powers on their mental health and overall makeup.
This does not mean a proper treatment center will not also emphasize proper clinical methods and psychological tools. Faith is simply one more approach to treatment, not the only one. But it can be a vital one, especially in how it can give the recovering addict a ready-made support network of fellow believers via their local house of worship and other faith-based groups.
Good Landing Recovery is a faith-based treatment center, boasting a rehab program based on a Christian worldview that links faith and mental health directly in its overall treatment of substance abuse and addiction. They can provide vital help to the addict who still maintains their faith or perhaps has lapsed from the faith but wishes to return even as they seek to leave behind their addiction.
Faith and mental health are not opposed but directly linked and a fully engaged rehab program should emphasize the importance of each on the other. The intersection of faith and mental health in recovery cannot be underestimated and the patient can find they are inseparable in their life.