Spirituality may protect against substance misuse
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- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Spirituality can certainly enhance life's meaning. But there may be another benefit: people who are spiritual are significantly less likely to misuse alcohol and drugs and are better able to recover from substance abuse, according to a Harvard-led analysis published in the April 2026 issue of JAMA Psychiatry.
Reviewing 55 long-term studies conducted over 21 years that involved 540,712 adults, researchers examined how participants' self-reported misuse of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and illicit drugs correlated with their spiritual activities. These were defined as any practice, religious or otherwise, through which someone finds meaning, purpose, and connection to something greater than themselves.
People who engaged in spiritual practices were about 13% less likely to misuse alcohol or drugs compared to participants who had little or no engagement in these practices. Regular spiritual community involvement had the strongest effect: participants who attended services more than once a week were 18% less likely to misuse substances. Engaging in spiritual practices appeared to also support recovery from substance use disorders to a similar extent. The findings suggest that, for those inclined, spirituality could be considered one component of a holistic approach to addiction prevention and treatment, the study authors said.
Image: © Jordan Lye/Getty Images
About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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