Toward a model for spirituality and alcoholism.

Spirituality is a significant factor in recovery from alcoholism, whatever definition of this condition one may use. One aspect of alcohol abuse is its apparent relationship to the balance between brain hemispheres. Excessive use of alcohol "anesthetizes" the object-based, language-oriented functions of the left hemisphere, associated with an "action mode" of consciousness. This allows greater engagement of the right-hemisphere "receptive mode," which is also associated with religious experience. A model of spirituality based on achieving a balance between hemisphere functions and modes of consciousness could provide a non-chemical alternative to excessive use of alcohol.