Spirituality is the fuel for a recovering drug addict, in the same way that obsession was the fuel for active addiction.  What this means is that spirituality is the mindset, the attitudes, and the connection with a higher power that allows us to succeed in recovery.  This directly replaces the obsessive thinking that used to drive our addiction.It’s no mistake that most traditional recovery programs are spiritual-based.  Here is how spirituality can fuel your recovery:

1) Shift in perspective – when you grow spiritually, you gain perspective.  The same things happen in your world and in your life, but you find better ways to respond to those events and become more able to learn from them.  There is an element of optimism built into the spiritual approach as well.  This shift in perspective is about finding the good in situations.

2) Spirituality fuels your ability to learn - genuine humility is knowing that we can find a lesson in almost any experience, if we becoming willing to look for it.  As we grow spiritually, new layers of information are revealed to us if we stay open to the possibility of new knowledge.  This concept goes hand in hand with the last one, as we can start to take a “negative” event and turn it into a learning experience.

3) Spirituality gives strength – in connecting with a higher power, we can draw on that source of strength in situations where we used to fail as an individual (such as trying to resist drugs and alcohol in a high-risk situation).

4) Spirituality pushes you to reach out to others - there is a definite emphasis on reaching out and helping others when you focus on spiritual principles.  The benefits of doing this are at least two fold: one, you help someone else, and they can benefit from the knowledge that you are passing on to them, and two: you benefit yourself, as you strengthen your own knowledge and understanding.  Not to mention that most of us get an emotional boost out of helping someone else out.

Want to be more spiritual?  Here are some things you can do:

1) Write out a gratitude list – this is all about attitude and perspective.  If you practice optimism and gratitude, life will be brighter and you’ll feel more “spiritual.”

2) Take time to reflect - meditate or pray in a quiet place.  Try to do this at least once a day, if only for a brief moment.  Try to increase the time frame to really boost your spirituality.

3) Help others – either recovering addicts or just regular people.  Doesn’t matter.  Help out and you’ll feel good about yourself.