Drug addiction among women and girls has increased steadily in the past few years and in may cases faster than among boys and men. Drug addiction among women, presents a totally different challenge to their health, drug addiction can progress differently in women and may require different treatment approaches. Many studies have shown that women having undergone sexual violence especially during their childhood are more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol. The connection of drug addiction among women with violence and the fact that it is rarely brought into open and it’s highly negative social image has served as a convincing argument for developing programmes specifically targeting women.
Drug addiction among women is rising steady primarily because women do not seek treatment as they are afraid. The main reason of their fear is being a mother and that they may be perceived as unable to take care of their children. Drug abusing women run the risk of having their children taken away from them either temporarily or for good, and in South Carolina, of being sentenced to prison for up to 10 years. Women abusing drugs report that their drug addiction was initiated by their drug abusing male sex partners. In addition, research indicates that drug-dependent women have great difficulty abstaining from drugs, when the lifestyle of their male partner is one that supports drug use.
Drug abusing women have no choice but to hide their addiction from their families and authorities. To declare it openly is to sign a social death warrant, and sometimes actually leads to physical death: many women questioned at treatment centers admitted that they had made suicide attempts. Unlike drug abusing men, women drug abusers are unable to hide their guilt of abusing drugs and maintain a false high self esteem as men do because women are unable to blame their drug abuse on external causes.
Drug addiction among women has to be treated differently from their male counterparts. Only 41% of women who need drug treatment actually receive it, and when they do, most programs are based on male-oriented models that are not geared to the needs of women. Women are most likely to benefit from drug treatment programs that provide are geared towards providing comprehensive services for meeting basic needs of women. Addressing the social and family needs of women is the key to successful treatment of women drug abusers. Traditional drug treatment programs may not be appropriate for women because those programs may not provide these services. Research also indicates that, for women in particular, a continuing relationship with a treatment provider is an important factor throughout treatment. Any individual may experience lapses and relapses as expected steps of the treatment and recovery process; during these periods, women particularly need the support of the community and encouragement of those closest to them. After completing a drug treatment program, women also need services to assist them in sustaining their recovery and in rejoining their social file.
While choosing the drug rehab it has to be made sure that all the aspects of what caused the addiction problem in the first place have to be addressed.
Try these Resources: