One consequence of spiritual deprivation is addiction, and not only to drugs. At conferences devoted to science-based addiction medicine, it is more and more common to hear presentations on the spiritual aspect of addictions and their treatment. The object, form, and severity of addictions are shaped by many influences—social, political, and economic status; personal and family history; physiological and genetic predispositions—but at the core of all addictions there lies a spiritual void.
