Muslims who observe the holy month of Ramadan—which began this year at sundown on Feb. 28 and will conclude on March 29—abstain from food and drink, including water, from sunrise to sunset. Many also take on additional devotional practices: more frequent prayers, religious reading, and mosque attendance. A collection of the Prophet Muhammad’s hadiths (sayings) compiled a couple of centuries after his death repeatedly forbids intoxicants, meaning anything that prevents the mind’s good working order and focused prayer. At one time in his life, Greg Kovalec, 71, had an idiosyncratic interpretation of this prohibition. “I was careful not to pick up my crack pipe during Ramadan until after sunset,” said Kovalec, who is now in recovery. “If you’re Muslim, and you still think of yourself as Muslim, and it’s Ramadan, and you’re still using, this is cognitive dissonance on steroids.” But he said that for some Muslims, ridding themselves of distractions during the day for Ramadan is what causes them to realize they need to change. America’s approximately 4.5 million Muslims have a lower risk factor for alcoholism compared to the rest of the population, but the same risk prevalence for other substances. Research backs spirituality as an effective addiction intervention, but American Muslims and their leaders can have divergent views on acknowledging and treating members of their communities who struggle with addiction. Modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous, which famously requires members to recognize a higher power, Millati Islami began in 1989 as a 12-step program for Muslims; Kovalec is a board member. Today, Millati Islami is part of an effort to reduce stigma around addiction and addiction treatment within American Islam. The group’s mission is to return Muslims to taqwa: God-consciousness....

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