Exploring the Link between Grief, Addiction, and Cultural Perspectives: Insights from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Link between Grief and Addiction - Certain forms of grief increase the risk for substance use - Research shows suffering from complicated grief are more venerable to developing Addiction to get away from mourning. - Complicated grief tends to activate the nucleus accumbens which is the brain’s reward Center that plays a role in addiction-related behaviors Judaism - Death - Judaism believes that every life is valuable, and it is forbidden to die by euthanizing, Assisted suicide and suicide. - If someone is suffering, Judaism hopes for prolonging life with using artificially Instruments - Ventilator - Judaism does believe in certain circumstances if a person is near death, the person has The right to “pull the plug. ” - Mourning Death - Shiva - Last 7 days - Family, friends, and people of the community visit with gifts and food - Shloshim - 30 days after burial - Family is not supposed to go to parties or celebrations

- Avelut - Period where the parents of the deceased to mourn for the next year - Judaism mourning practices are very extensive. Practicing not to fear death, but to Correlate with death. Mourning - Respect the dead - Comfort the living Christianity - Wake - Visitation or viewing at the funeral - Remember the deceased and to give thanks to their life - Reading of “liturgy of the hour” - Funeral - Christianity celebrates the deceased with mass at the wake or church - Christianity also believes that the righteous will go to heaven while the sinners will go Too hell - Family and friends gather for the celebrations - Funeral allows anyone to express grief - Burial - The rite of committal is the conclusion of the mourning - Open grave or place of interment - Deceased awaits the glory of resurrection - Burial is expression of the communion that exists between the church on earth and the

Church in heaven Islam - Janazah - Must be buried within the first 24 hours or ASAP - The body of the deceased must be washed three times, this is called “Ghusl” - The body is covered and rapped in a white sheet - No viewing of the body - Funeral service will be held at the mosque and perform Sala al Janazah - Prayer asks for forgiveness - Burial - Traditionally only men are allowed to bury the deceased. But women are allowed if. Given permission. - The deceased is placed on their right side, so they can be facing the Islamic Holy City - Wood and stone are placed on the casket in the hope the deceased never touches the Soil - Mourning - Gathering at the home with family and friends - The first three days the community provides food for the family - Mourning can last 40 days - Widow is given four months. Where she is not allowed to remarry