Spirituality and Harmful or Hazardous Alcohol and Other Drug Use

What is the association between spiritual exposures and related drug use outcomes?This meta-analysis of 55 rigorous studies on spirituality and harmful or hazardous drug use (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or illicit drugs) documented a significant protective association of 13% related to both prevention and recovery. The risk reduction, which extended across all 4 drug categories, reached 18% for individuals with greater than weekly religious service attendance.These results have implications for clinicians and communities regarding future strategies to address harmful or hazardous alcohol or other drug use.

Corresponding Author: Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (hkoh@hsph.harvard.edu).

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