Religion and the Recovery of Addicted Women

Author: Turner N.H.   O'Dell K.J.   Weaver G.D.  

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

ISSN: 0022-4197

Source: Journal of Religion and Health, Vol.38, Iss.2, 1999-01, pp. : 137-148

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

Personal interviews were conducted with 102 African-American and Anglo-American women in Texas coastal communities to determine the involvement of religious organizations in women's initiation and maintenance of recovery from drug addiction, the extent of women's help-seeking for recovery, and women's spiritual needs. Means, frequencies, chi squares, Pearson's correlations, and one-way ANOVAs were used to describe the data. Religious organizations helped about one-third of the women to begin or stay in recovery, primarily through counseling or ministering to spiritual needs. Only one-fourth of the women had sought help from churches. The predominant spiritual needs were forgiveness, love, and understanding. Implications for research and outreach are given.