Spirituality and Harmful or Hazardous Alcohol and Other Drug Use

This meta-analysis synthesises evidence from 55 longitudinal studies involving more than 540,000 participants to examine the relationship between spirituality and harmful or hazardous alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. The findings demonstrate a consistent protective association, with spirituality linked to a 13% reduction in the risk of alcohol and other drug use across prevention and recovery outcomes. Among individuals who regularly participated in spiritual or religious communities, the protective effect increased to an 18% reduction in risk.

The review found that nearly all included studies reported beneficial rather than harmful associations, with consistent effects across alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other illicit drugs. The authors conclude that spirituality and engagement with faith communities may contribute to substance use prevention and recovery, highlighting their potential value for clinicians, community organisations, and policymakers while recommending their consideration as part of comprehensive public health approaches.