Christian alcohol recovery programs have a good success rate because they offer standard addiction treatment protocols in addition to religious activities.
Alcohol abuse can cause people to lose a lot – health, work, relationships, just to name a few things. Others even lose their faith along the way; hence spiritual support is very important during alcohol detox and recovery. Patients who want to find faith or at least reinforce an existing one can explore spirituality while treating alcohol addiction at the same time. This is possible through Christian alcohol rehabilitation centers.
- What is Christian-based alcohol rehab?
- What are the types of Christian alcohol programs?
- How does a faith-based alcohol treatment program look like?
- What is the role of spiritual support in alcoholism rehabilitation?
- What are the benefits of Christian alcohol rehab?
- How to choose the best Christian alcohol rehab?
What is Christian Based Alcohol Rehab?
Traditional rehabs do not focus on spirituality during treatment. Individual and group therapy sessions would include peers who are on the same walk with overcoming alcohol addiction, but approaches involved are for dual diagnoses, cognitive behavioral therapy, and holistic alcohol rehabilitation like exercise, meditation, and yoga.
Christian alcoholism rehab, on the other hand, offers a wide range of benefits to patients looking for faith-based addiction treatment. It digs deep by identifying the pillars of well-being in life and building up areas of neglect so one can focus on the whole treatment process and recovery.
Their programs would include spiritual guidance as part of alcohol use disorder treatment. It doesn’t really matter what someone has gone through due to alcohol abuse. As long as he or she has faith in a higher power, healing becomes faster, and the path to recovery is easier.
Rehab for alcoholics, both Christian and traditional types, offer support, therapies, and tools to help a patient dial into the underlying causes of alcohol addiction and to treat it so they can live free again. The difference is that Christian alcohol rehabs build a better foundation of strength and support for life.
Types of Christian-Based Alcohol Programs
Christian alcohol treatment centers offer assistance to patients with an addiction to alcohol and certain behaviors. In all these techniques, spirituality is the foundation. Listed below are some of the most common and popular spiritual approaches:
12 Step Programs
These programs offered are meant to treat several kinds of addiction like alcohol, gambling, narcotics, sex, and more. Contrary to what most people think, Christian alcohol counseling does not force patients to believe in Jesus Christ. Rather, they are encouraged to find their own higher power and believe in it.
Patients attend support groups like AA. Most of the 12-Steps made popular by AA acknowledge the existence of a higher power that can give patients a new state of consciousness.
Primary care physicians and psychiatrists agree to refer patients to faith-based programs because they believe that an emphasis on spirituality is critical to the success of 12-step programs.
A patient will undergo a series of steps. Completion of the previous step is a requirement before proceeding to the next. Common steps in Christian drug and alcohol counseling include:
- Believing that God can help restore their sanity
- Deciding to turn themselves to God
- Humbly asking the good Lord to correct their shortcomings and remove all problems in their character
- Praying for strength so they can carry out His will at all times
- Having a spiritual awakening to be able to relay His message to other alcoholics and practice these principles in all aspects of life
Inpatient Christian Alcohol Treatment Center
Some recovering patients require more intensive help at faith-based inpatient alcohol treatment centers. These programs offer additional guidance, support, and strength. Medical professionals direct care every step of the way. Individual and group therapy sessions are focused on the reasons for alcohol abuse.
Patients may start and end sessions with a prayer to seek God’s help. Therapists help patients renew their religious practices and faith. Many recovering patients first complete a drug therapy and then proceed with participating in a 12-step outpatient program for a more comprehensive approach to Christian alcohol recovery.
Combined Christian Alcohol Rehab Treatment
There are continuous sessions with a therapist and support group meetings to avoid relapse. Most Christian alcohol and drug rehab offer 12-step programs followed by weekly outpatient meetings.
Celebrate Recovery
This recovery program does not only attend to alcohol addicts, but also to patients with compulsive behaviors, sex addiction, drug addiction, financial dysfunction, eating disorders, and more.
It is one of the biggest addiction recovery support groups that use both the 12 steps introduced by AA and a very similar set of 8 sequential principles that are known as a lesson of Jesus’ Beatitudes.
Aside from group gatherings and individual counseling, this program encourages patients to create a small group of accountability partners who all have similar problems and support each other closely. These groups are held under the supervision of local church organizations.
One study on participants of this program found that levels of faith were associated with greater confidence to resist alcohol abuse.
Potter’s House
Potter’s House is a popular residential Christian based recovery program that offers not just the usual 12 steps, but several other techniques like family alcoholism rehab. Patients participate in religious activities like Bible reading and studies, prayer meetings, church attendance, and more.
The mission of the Potter’s House is to walk with patients every step of the way as they seek forgiveness, humility, and emotional and spiritual wholeness while trying to recover from addiction. Patients are guided to become more aware of their subconscious emotions and make amends for their wrongful acts to others.
Lazarus Project
This Christian alcoholism treatment program focuses on counseling, Bible study, occupational training, and community service.
Faith-Based Alcohol Treatment Program
Christian alcohol treatment will most likely include prayer, Bible reading and study, and spiritual support and guidance. Christianity holds that the group is really important. As addiction may cause isolation from the family, friends, and the church, a faith-based treatment will commonly work to strengthen these bonds and rely heavily on fellowships and methods of improving a patient’s discipline to be able to bring them back into the faith and the spiritual collective.
Importance of Spiritual Support in Alcoholism Rehabilitation
Spirituality can fill in the gaps in a life’s voids. Religious affiliations and spiritual support can help a patient achieve spiritual awakening. Support groups can help one acknowledge a high power of powers controlling one’s life and reminds patients that there are loving forces bigger than themselves who can help them in their recovery, new life, and continued sobriety.
Social support, spirituality, and religiousness have the potential of contributing to the overall recovery experience and therefore, should be made an integral part of the many services being offered to recovering patients.
Benefits of Christian Alcohol Rehab Center
Patients battling alcohol addiction may find many advantages to the services of Christian drug and alcohol rehab centers. They include:
Spiritual Support
Community plays a significant role in Christian rehab facilities. Patients can start to enjoy fellowship with other patients who have the same beliefs and bond with sober friends. This kind of spiritual support makes a huge difference in the treatment’s overall success.
Physical Healing
Faith-based rehabs do not just focus on healing the mind and the soul. They likewise address and resolve physical issues that are part of alcohol addiction. Medical help is provided for symptoms of withdrawal and detoxification from alcohol.
Patients in Christian alcohol rehab centers are being trained on how to eat healthily, plan a workout routine, and relieve stress. Strategies like these can prepare them for the hardest parts of their sobriety.
Emotional Healing
Alcohol addiction can cause damage that extends to more people other than the patient. The pain spreads through loved ones and friends. Most faith-based rehabs offer treatments that deal with healing the whole family and their pain and emotions.
Christian Mentors
Mentors are always an important part of any treatment facility.
Coaches can promote positive growth that can continue even after treatment. Learning how to control their thoughts and actions through mentoring can help them transition from rehab back into the real world.
Faith-Based Living Arrangements
Sober living gives a healthy environment for patients looking for post-rehab support. If a patient needs more time to heal from alcohol addiction, these living arrangements are the perfect place to do so.
These facilities are surrounded by other patients with a similar devotion to God.
Choosing A Christian Alcohol Rehab
Alcohol addiction can take a lot from a patient, but he or she can get it back with proper treatment. Making a decision to get help will be the biggest and most important choice of their life.
There are several types of faith-based programs available; some even offer free alcohol rehab centers. However, a patient must look for one that adheres to his or her specific beliefs and teachings.
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