Frequent churchgoers may be less likely to drink heavily or smoke than those who attend church less frequently, according to the results of a 30-year study. And those who do smoke or drink may be more likely to quit once they start going to church regularly.
Not all of the regular attendees started off with such good behaviors. To some extent, their good health behaviors occurred in conjunction with their attendance.
For example, regular churchgoers who reported smoking at the beginning of the study were almost 80% more likely to have kicked the habit than the less-frequent attendees, and those who initially reported depression were more than twice as likely to have stopped being depressed, study findings show.
The study was supported by grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute on Aging.
Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 2001; 23: 68-74
More indirect evidence that spiritual health is intimately connected to physical health. Going to church just to achieve the benefits or fulfill some obligation will likely not work. Church attendance is probably correlated with an authentic spiritual commitment. I fully believe that spiritual health is essential to optimal wellness and would encourage prayer as a tool to grow in that direction. It is a simple, natural, very inexpensive strategy and is amazingly effective. Is works best if done on a consistent basis, but really will work any time it is used.
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