Types of Help Available for Women Suffering from Addiction
Addiction, in any form, has as much to do with a person’s circumstances as it does the effects of the drug being used. As women and men face different types of challenges and issues in everyday life, the types of addiction help available for women should address the kinds of issues and challenges women face on a day-to-day basis.
According to Harvard Health Publications, definite gender differences exist for certain types of addiction. While males, overall, are more likely to become addicted, addiction affects women in different ways than it affects men.
Addiction help available for women centers on the day-to-day issues women deal with as these are oftentimes the very same issues that drive a woman’s addictive behaviors. As with any other kind of rehab treatment, much of the help available for women employs talk therapies, which provide the type of guidance and nurturance needed by women in recovery.
Women’s Addiction Issues
Gender-specific rehab programs and general approaches are available for individuals suffering from addiction.
As women’s addiction issues often stem from the types of roles they fill in daily life, the types of help available for women tap into their roles in one way or another. According to Westminster College, the majority of women battling addiction problems have a history of sexual, physical and/or verbal abuse. In many cases, the severity of a woman’s addiction reflects the severity of abuse she’s suffered.
The role women take in intimate relationships also has an influence on their risk of becoming addicted to drugs. In general, married women are more likely to have a spouse that uses drugs than married men. As males gravitate towards addiction at higher rates than females, women attached to drug addicted males are introduced to drug use by their partners. In effect, the severity of a woman’s addiction mirrors that of her spouse.
As these issues can go a long way towards shaping and driving a woman’s addiction behaviors, the types of help available for women must address these areas in a woman’s life.
Treatment Options
As addiction can take on varying degrees of severity from person to person, the types of help available for women encompass a wide range of treatment options to match each person’s individual needs. As far as treatment options go, the types of help available for women include:
- Residential programs
- Outpatient programs
- Day treatment programs
- Aftercare programs
Women with a long history of drug abuse typically require residential care when first entering recovery. Outpatient and day treatment programs work well for women who’ve completed residential programs or those who are dealing with less severe addictions. Aftercare programs offer a long-term treatment option that helps women maintain abstinence in their daily everyday lives.
Talk Therapies
Women suffering from addiction may develop other psychological conditions as a result of long-term drug use. Conditions, such as anxiety and depression disorders can further aggravate a women’s desire or need to use drugs. Talk therapies offer another type of help available for women.
Talk therapies – psychotherapy, group counseling and support groups – enable women to work through difficult emotions and develop healthy ways of dealing with everyday life stressors. Talk therapies also provide women the tools needed to maintain abstinence on a day-to-day basis.
