Addiction Recovery with a Spiritual Focus

“O Lord, listen to my prayer
And let my cry for help reach you.
Turn your ear towards me
And answer me quickly when I call.”
- Psalm 102

Faith-based addiction recovery recognizes the importance of God in healing from addiction. A faith-based program seeks God’s help and intervention as the core of each person’s recovery, encouraging addicts to admit how powerless they have become and see the crippling impact that drugs and/or alcohol have had on their lives.

Often the addicted person feels very distant from God, doubting His existence or willingness to help. They question whether God will forgive them for their mistakes or consider them worthy of His care and guidance. Often they assume He is angry because of their behavior and their apparent inability to stop drinking or using. In spite of the millions of people who claim that God has led them through their recovery process, those who are trapped in the bonds of addiction are often reluctant to trust in God due to issues of low self-worth, and even self-loathing.

Our faith-based community understands how these misguided thoughts and feelings about God often accompany addiction and interfere with the healing process that leads to recovery. We meet the addicted person where they are, and begin the journey of spiritual healing and growth together. We do not try to impose a particular set of religious beliefs on anyone. Our goal is to help each person explore who they are in God’s eyes and how He has called them to a life of goodness and love. Residents of our program learn to appreciate and use the gifts God has given them on their journey to find joy, meaning, and purpose.

In addition to the benefits of living in an faith-based community, our residents meet God throughout each day of our program, experiencing Him through prayer, Scripture reading, and encounters with staff members who genuinely care about their well-being and their progress in recovery. Residents are taught to appreciate the goodness of God and the gifts He has bestowed on them. They learn to form a partnership with God, turning to Him for help and support.

At St. Joseph Institute, we begin by helping each person realize their dignity and worth in the sight of God. Regardless of their failings, God is full of mercy, compassion and love. Most importantly, God is present to them each and every day in His word and in those they encounter as they begin their journey of recovery.