Sarcouncil Journal of Arts and Literature Aims & Scope

Abstract: Faith-informed interventions on substance use disorders (SUDs) have grown in the United States and abroad, but their efficacy, ethical considerations, and policymaking have been disputed and not fully comprehended. There are scanty randomized controlled studies that support religious-spiritual group therapy as an effective intervention in enhancing spiritual health and quality of life in patients undergoing methadone treatment. Residential faith-based models program evaluations show that residential faith-based programs have high completion rates (≈98%), low recidivism rates (≈5%), and that higher spiritual well-being is correlated with reduced severity of substance use. Nevertheless, some qualitative ethnographies report about ethical issues such as the compulsory worship, coercion, proselytization, and violation of rights in certain residential therapeutic communities. The policy mechanisms used in the U.S. are SAMHSA grant funding of church-based programs, Medicaid reimbursement model to determine treatment capacity, and Section 1115 waivers that impact access to residential care. The disparity in state regulation provides uneven regulation of faith-based programs. Faith-informed SUD care demonstrates initial signs of advantage in spiritual wellbeing and life quality and recommendative correlation with less substance use. There is still critical ethical lapse in areas of autonomy, informed consent and avoidance of coercion, especially in residential cases. Policy frameworks are sources of funding but do not have uniform regulatory protection. Long-term, well-conducted, inter-sites studies, with uniform results and clear ethical safeguarding are extremely required.