The current study revealed some significant correlates of recovery not examined in earlier analyses of the Wave 1 NESARC data. Consistent with other studies (Koenig and Vaillant, 2009; Prescott et al., 1997), religiosity (frequency of attendance at religious services) showed a strong positive association with recovery although spirituality, which has also showed strong associations with recovery in other studies (Kelly et al., 2010; Miller 1998; Robinson et al., 2007; Zemore, 2007), did not. This suggests that the support system and social norms associated with participation in a religious community may offer more benefits for recovery than any inner strength or equanimity conferred by spiritual beliefs. In addition, any independent association between recovery and spirituality may have been mediated by the treatment variables, which distinguished formal treatment from participation in 12-step programs that often have a strong spiritual component.
