ts together outside of their addiction.
             There have been a number of research studies published with regard to spirituality and the impact that it has on the treatment of substance abuse(Matthews, 2000).
             "For decades, the spiritual component of recovery from addiction has been discussed and incorporated into most chemical dependency treatment programs (White, 1998). Hester (1994) conducted a meta-analysis of more than 250 controlled or comparative studies on the effectiveness of treatment for alcohol problems and concluded that "the data indicate that there is no one treatment that is most effective" and that both "retrospective analyses and prospective studies have found that the level of empathy of the therapist contributes positively to favorable outcomes" (p. 40) (Matthews, 2000). Hester also stated that research on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)-oriented treatments did not provide sufficient evidence of effectiveness(Matthews, 2000)." Further research indicates that those who are referred to and follow a basic 12-step program founded in the spirituality of some type, fare more favorably when it comes to continued abstinence than those who are only treated with cognitive therapy(Matthews, 2000). This has been a long-held belief of those who support the 12-step principles however, for those who are unfamiliar with the program it may seem harsh. Not long ago, however, an expert opinion was rendered with regard to the importance of spirituality in any substance abuse treatment plan. In 1991, the American Society of Addiction Medicine's went public with its belief that spirituality is a key component in the treatment of substance abuse when it released the following statement." We acknowledge that spirituality is absolutely inherent in the comprehensive biopsychosocial multi-dimensional assessment, treatment, and continuity of care for substance abuse disorder patients. Spiritual concepts, ideas, and relationships are integral to all le...