The Decline in Religious Faith is Having a Role in Nation’s Drug Crisis

In the latest Gallup survey, only 46 percent of Americans think that religion can answer today’s problems, but the reality is that religion provides answers for one of today’s biggest problems—addiction. This finding should not be a surprise. With fewer Americans, particularly the young, affiliated with religion today, there is less experience with faith and its positive impacts.

Various research shows that youth who are spiritually active, participate in a faith community, and invest in a prayerful relationship with their God, are less likely to use or abuse drugs and alcohol. By contrast, teens who do not consider religious belief important are almost three times more likely to smoke, five times more likely to binge on alcohol, and almost eight times more likely to use marijuana. Teens who never attended religious services at least weekly, compared with teens who regularly attended services, were two time more likely to drink, two times more likely to smoke, and more than three times more likely to use marijuana or binge on alcohol, and four times more likely to use illicit drugs.

Adolescents who frequently attend religious services, who are involved in faith-based activities, and who place a high value on spirituality exhibit greater resilience when facing the stressors that can lead to the use of drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism.

The decline in religious activity, particularly among the young, is a remedy to those who are at the highest risk for a substance disorder.