JUST SAYING NO

Study Says Faith Seems To Deter Drug Abuse

People with religious faith are markedly less likely to abuse alcohol and
illegal drugs than nonbelievers, a Columbia University research report says.

The report, issued this week by the university's National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse, found a greater tendency to shun drugs and
alcohol among people who attend worship regularly and among those who
personally consider religious belief important - whether or not they are
regular worshipers.

Previous studies have claimed that religion has beneficial effects in
mental health, physical health and life expectancy.

The center's vice president, Susan Foster, who directed the latest study,
said that the report shows clear correlations but does not say that faith
is the direct or only reason people avoid alcohol and drug abuse.

"We need a lot more research to understand the causes," she said.

Survey specifics:

*Adults who never attended religious services were more than five times
likelier to have used illicit drugs other than marijuana, and nearly seven
times likelier to have engaged in binge drinking, compared with those who
worship weekly.

*Adults who considered religion unimportant were more than three times as
likely to binge drink, and almost four times as likely to have used a drug
besides marijuana, than those who felt strongly that religion is important
(whether or not they worship regularly).

*Among teens, those who never attended worship were twice as likely to
drink and smoke as those who were regular worshipers.

*Teens who considered religion unimportant were nearly three times likelier
to drink, to binge drink, and to smoke; almost four times likelier to use
marijuana and seven times likelier to use other illicit drugs.

The study speculated that religion might have a positive impact by
specifically teaching against using drugs and alcohol, by providing a
"sense of acceptance and belonging" or by providing faith that "fills a
need that makes substance use unnecessary or provides hope for the future."

Clergy recognize that abuse is widespread but get little training on how to
deal with it, Joseph A. Califano Jr., the center's president and a former
U.S. secretary of health, education and welfare, warned in a statement
accompanying the study. And psychologists too often ignore religion's
importance in treating troubled patients, he said.

Among U.S. clergy, only 12.5 percent have formally studied substance abuse,
the report said.