TY - JOUR
T1 - Forgiveness and alcohol problems among people entering substance abuse treatment
AU - Webb, Jon R.
AU - Robinson, Elizabeth A.R.
AU - Brower, Kirk J.
AU - Zucker, Robert A.
N1 - Funding Information:
Jon R. Webb is Assistant Professor, East Tennessee State University, Department of Psychology, Campus Box 70649, Johnson City, TN 37614 (E-mail: webbjr@etsu.edu). He was Research Fellow, Department of Psychiatry and University of Michigan Addiction Research Center (UMARC). Elizabeth A. R. Robinson is Research Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and UMARC. Kirk J. Brower is Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and UMARC. Robert A. Zucker is Professor and Director, Department of Psychiatry and UMARC. Supported by Fetzer Institute/NIH grant R21AA13061 and NIH grant T32AA07477.
PY - 2006/8/31
Y1 - 2006/8/31
N2 - Forgiveness is argued to be highly relevant to problematic substance use, yet supportive empirical evidence is lacking. Findings are presented from a longitudinal study exploring the relationship between religiousness and spirituality (RS) variables and alcohol use disorders. We examined forgiveness of self (ForSelf), of others (ForOthers), and by God (ByGod), hypothesizing positive relationships with RS and negative relationships with alcohol use and consequences, at both baseline (N = 157) and six-month follow-up (N = 126). ForSelf scores were significantly lower than ForOthers and ByGod scores, and ForOthers scores increased modestly over time. ByGod was most consistently associated with other RS variables. ForSelf and ForOthers were associated with alcohol-related variables at both time points, and baseline ForSelf and ForOthers were associated with fewer drinking consequences at follow-up, but not after controlling for other pertinent variables. ForSelf may be most difficult to achieve and thus most important to recovery, thereby preventing full recovery and fostering relapses.
AB - Forgiveness is argued to be highly relevant to problematic substance use, yet supportive empirical evidence is lacking. Findings are presented from a longitudinal study exploring the relationship between religiousness and spirituality (RS) variables and alcohol use disorders. We examined forgiveness of self (ForSelf), of others (ForOthers), and by God (ByGod), hypothesizing positive relationships with RS and negative relationships with alcohol use and consequences, at both baseline (N = 157) and six-month follow-up (N = 126). ForSelf scores were significantly lower than ForOthers and ByGod scores, and ForOthers scores increased modestly over time. ByGod was most consistently associated with other RS variables. ForSelf and ForOthers were associated with alcohol-related variables at both time points, and baseline ForSelf and ForOthers were associated with fewer drinking consequences at follow-up, but not after controlling for other pertinent variables. ForSelf may be most difficult to achieve and thus most important to recovery, thereby preventing full recovery and fostering relapses.
KW - Addiction
KW - Alcohol problems
KW - Forgiveness
KW - Spiritual beliefs
KW - Substance abuse treatment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33748473180&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1300/J069v25n03_08
DO - 10.1300/J069v25n03_08
M3 - Article
C2 - 16956870
AN - SCOPUS:33748473180
VL - 25
SP - 55
EP - 67
JO - Journal of Addictive Diseases
JF - Journal of Addictive Diseases
SN - 1055-0887
IS - 3
ER -