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The key finding of this two-year study is that tapping the power of God, religion and spirituality has enormous potential for lowering the risk of substance abuse among teens and adults and, when combined with professional treatment, for promoting recovery. The most troubling findings of this report are the discovery of two profound disconnects: the extent to which clergy see substance abuse as a problem among their congregations yet lack the knowledge and training of how to deal with the problem; and the failure among health care professionals--especially psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals--to take advantage of the importance of God, of religion and spirituality in prevention and in their treatment of those struggling with addiction and recovery. As part of this study, CASA conducted two unprecedented surveys: one, asking presidents of schools of theology and seminaries about their perceptions of the extent of substance abuse problems and the formal training and coursework offered in this subject; the other, asking clergy in the field their perspective of these problems among their congregations and what training they had received in this area. CASA also conducted its own special analyses of three national data sets: 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, CASA's Back to School Surveys V and VI, and the General Social Survey.
Published Date: November 2001