In the world of addiction recovery, one question has lingered in the background for decades; whispered in meetings, debated in therapy rooms, and shouted by those who found healing on both sides of the spiritual line: Is God necessary for recovery?
I propose it’s not a question of theology, but rather a question of transformation.
Most of us know someone who got sober through a spirituality-based (i.e., AA) or religious (i.e., Celebrate Recovery) 12-step program and gave God credit for the outcome. Most of us also know people who’ve rejected the religious or spiritual pathways and recovered anyway, usually through therapy (i.e., CBT) or via a secular community-based program (i.e., SMART, The Phoenix, Refuge). So who’s right?
The honest answer is: both, and neither, because the question itself is the wrong starting point. To get the right answer you have to start with the right question. Maybe a better starting question is: what must change for a person to move from addiction to freedom? That question probes the details of ‘what is necessary’ instead of the more polarizing, ‘who is responsible’ for recovery, leaving plenty of room for people to credit God if desired. Let’s explore both sides of the ‘Is God Necessary’ question to see if we can meet in the middle.
This article probes the depths of this topic in an objective way; as a Christian and person in long-term recovery, I certainly have my biases, but I think you’ll find this to be a thoughtful assessment of faith-based and secular pathways to recovery. Click HERE to access the PDF, or click the graphic below. As always, please leave comments and let’s begin a conversation!
