Spiritual Development

I work as a mental health therapist with many addicts and alcoholics.  Part of what I find when working with them is that their spiritual and emotional sides have not been attended to and are not developed.  Personally, that was true with me as well until I got into recovery and realized that was part of my problem.  The lack of emotional and spiritual development is one of the common clinical and sociological results of addiction but it is also one part of its cause.  There is and emotional and spiritual hole or lack which is filled, at least initially, by the chemical of addiction.  In my work with addicts, I first locate their God or love part and then, using that part, begin to develop their spiritual sides.