FAITH MAY HELP PREVENT DRUG ABUSE

NEW YORK - People with religious faith are markedly less likely to abuse
alcohol and illegal drugs than non-believers, a Columbia University
research report issued Wednesday says.

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

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

Center vice president Susan Foster, who directed the latest study, said the
report shows clear correlations but does not say 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 worshippers.

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 specific
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., center president and former U.S.
secretary of health, education and welfare, warned in a statement
accompanying the study. And psychologists 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.

It recommended increased training to help religious professionals recognize
signs of abuse, make appropriate referrals and prevent relapses. It also
urged clergy to speak more from the pulpit about the problem.

For health professionals, the Columbia center recommended more training and
sensitivity so they recognize religion's potential benefits and understand
that many patients desire spiritual help to complement treatment.

The report drew upon data from a combination of sources, including the
center's own annual surveying in 1999 and 2001, with margins of error from
plus or minus 2.2 to 3.1 percentage points. Also used were the 1998
questionnaires in the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse from the
federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and
figures from 38,000 respondents to the General Social Surveys conducted by
the National Opinion Research Center.