Gender-specific drug rehab and alcohol rehab is grounded on the simple concept that men and women need to be treated differently for addiction.
Not only are there obvious biological differences that need accounting for, but there are also cultural and social factors that mean males and females respond in different ways to different treatment modalities. Rehab Programs designed for women are beneficial in many ways. Women have different and valid struggles in comparison to other genders or their male counterparts.
With gender-specific rehab – something we specialize in here at The District Recovery Community – these differences can be catered for, and treatment personalized optimally.
How Men and Women are Affected Differently By Substance Abuse
Overall, women are more likely than men to abuse prescription medications.
Men, by contrast, more frequently abuse alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine.
Not only do men and women abuse different substances, but they do so for different reasons, too. IN general, men use substances for the benefits they believe will be delivered. Whether this is drinking to increase self-confidence socially, using Viagra to enhance sexual performance, or snorting cocaine to fuel long hours at the office, men typically use narcotics for a clear-cut reason.
Compare this with women, where a traumatic experience or an abusive relationship is generally the trigger for substance abuse. Substance abuse among females tends to be a response rather than a premeditated decision.
For women, it’s normal to begin using substances at lower doses than men, and to seek treatment soon after dependence sets in. Men will routinely start using much higher amounts of the substance, and they will often delay seeking treatment, even once dependent and acknowledging the existence of a problem.
So, with men and women abusing different drugs for different reasons, and also engaging with treatment at different phases of addiction, it makes sense to address these differences with gender-specific treatment programs.
Women’s Problems
Family Problems: Family problems can really affect women’s mental health whether its domestic violence, struggles with children/motherhood, or just the general weight of existing as a female in this world.
Relationship problems: Women’s mental health can rapidly decline during a toxic relationship. If they are in relationships with violent, angry, toxic, or uncaring people it can cause them many depressive disorders or episodes in life.
Sexual Problems: Women face being harassed when they go into large city areas at night without defense skills or weapons to arm themselves against dangerous and larger foes from potential sex traffickers, rapists, and other generally creepy people. On average, criminals are more likely to assault women due to their smaller size when gender-related crimes occur.
Parenting: Women face uncompromising amounts of criticism in this area for not measuring up to societal views on what quality mother-son-daughter-other relationships look like. The criticism may volley into various substance and alcohol use disorders with pressure to be good parents with any number of problems from finances to relationship struggles. Alcohol abuse can become a common but unfair side effect of such pressure. While parenting is a difficult journey, it can become more treacherous more so in relation to various addiction-related traumas.
Socioeconomic problems: Women and men have an obvious pay gap and this has been known for a while by economics professors and scholars worldwide. Sadly, this can persistently trickle into their mental health and stir up bleak mental health disorders or substance abuse. Drug abuse can occur when finances are low or mental health is compromised. This has been well documented throughout history even into modern times and serves to be one of the many problems women face in daily life.
3 Key Benefits of Rehab for Women
Women entering addiction treatment in the wake of a traumatic event would strongly benefit from single-sex treatment.
All women who have experienced abuse at the hands of men would also find gender-specific rehab makes a smooth fit.
Mother struggling with substance abuse are also highly suited to single-sex addiction treatment programs.
Beyond these situations, there are several overarching benefits to pursuing single-sex rehab for drug addiction or alcohol use disorder.
- Distraction-free environment
- Focus on female-specific issues
- Less friction with single-sex counseling groups
1) Distraction-free environment
Members of the opposite sex often prove distracting during the early stages of recovery.
Aside from any issues female victims of abuse might experience in a mixed-sex group, there’s also emotional and sexual tension present in mixed groups that doesn’t exist in a gender-specific setting.
You’ll have more than enough confusion to deal with when you’re leaving drink or drugs behind, so why not cut away as many distractions as possible? Focus on yourself only. Be totally selfish and do what’s right for you.
2) Focus on female-specific issues
If you’re discussing issues related to pregnancy, motherhood, or certain female-specific traumas in a mixed group, male members of the group will only have a second-hand connection to these issues. They will also likely have little interest in probing these issues in the first place.
With a single-sex treatment program, you’ll be free to double down on all areas of life relevant to women, surrounded by people with a shared understanding of these issues.
3) Less friction with single-sex counseling groups
Whether you need inpatient drug rehab or an outpatient drug rehab center to help you fight back against substance use disorder, we can help out at TDRC.
Women’s Rehab at The District Recovery Community
Whether you’re addicted to alcohol, opioid painkillers, or illicit drugs, we can help you leave that destructive lifestyle behind.
Here at The District Recovery Community, we have a variety of gender-specific treatment programs for addiction. We can also help treat any co-occurring mental health conditions simultaneously with our dual diagnosis treatment programs.
If you’re ready to break free from the chains of addiction and you’d like to do so in an all-female environment, getting started is easy. Call the friendly team right now at 844.287.8506 and we’ll guide you every step of the way.
