ABSTRACT
Working with people from faith communities and those who define themselves as spiritual is the focus for Chapter. Spirituality has played a key role in addiction recovery for many years, from treatment programmes developed and provided by religious groups to the hugely popular and ever-growing 12-Step communities. Many people see spirituality as a cornerstone of addiction recovery and whilst some disagree, for clients who define themselves as spiritual, this element of their life and their identity should not be ignored. This chapter begins with an exploration of what spirituality and religion mean and the history of their role in addiction treatment. Guidance is provided on how to work with people from faith communities and the importance of working within a spiritually affirmative framework.
