Dialectic Materialism

When I was growing up I was basically a materialist.  But in the last several years, living in New York and reading Tolstoy and whatnot, I came to think that there is more to life than physical pleasure.  Now, though, I've come full circle and I'm a materialist again.  Still, for some people, moral/religious beliefs can have instrumental value.  If your faith in God is the only thing that keeps you from being miserable, then in what sense would it benefit you to become an atheist?  But I don't believe in God.  Nothing matters but the facts on the ground.