Women are just as likely to struggle with substance use disorders as men. More than 19 million women (about 15 percent) used illegal drugs in 2015, and more than eight million (6.6 percent) abused prescription drugs that same year. Research also shows that women use and respond to drugs differently than men and that they often face unique barriers that prevent them from receiving treatment. Some women feel safer in a treatment program at a women’s rehab center, while others will find treatment at a women’s rehab center more effective than at a coed facility.
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Differences in How Women Use Substances
Women are less likely to use illegal drugs than men, yet they are more likely to misuse prescription opioids. They also tend to use more anti-anxiety medications, which can lead to misuse and overdose. While they tend to abuse alcohol less often than men, their drinking problems tend to develop more quickly than men’s. For example, women experience a shorter interval between the onset of regular drunkenness and negative effects associated with drinking, such as relationship issues, physical problems, and inability to fulfill their responsibilities. They also experience more long-term negative health effects of alcohol abuse. Substance abuse disorder involving other drugs also progresses more quickly because their bodies process drugs more slowly.
Barriers to Women’s Addiction Treatment
Women also face unique challenges when seeking substance abuse treatment. Women are more likely to feel that a stigma is attached to their substance abuse disorder than men. Compared to men, a higher percentage of women with substance abuse disorders have been victims of physical, sexual, or verbal abuse. Other barriers to treatment include:
- Suffering from eating, depressive, or anxiety disorders
- Economic inequalities, such as lower wages, can affect the ability to pay for treatment
- Pregnancy – Women who are pregnant might be afraid of legal or social services actions if they seek treatment
Seventy percent of women entering substance abuse treatment have children, and child care responsibilities may also prevent them from seeking or completing a treatment plan.
Support Required for Women’s Treatment
To be effective, a women’s residential treatment center should include certain types of support. Sexual health services should be part of routine exams. Because women tend to enter treatment with lower self-esteem than men, counseling and group work that is empathetic, supportive, and enhances their sense of worth is most effective. Helping women secure childcare so that they can participate in treatment is also important, as is legal help for women whose children may have been removed from the home.
As many as 70 percent of women with a substance abuse disorder have experienced sexual abuse. For many of these women, gender-specific treatment options are critical. These options include women-only, peer-groups and housing, and women treatment providers.
Finally, because of economic inequities, women often require comprehensive aftercare services to complete their recovery. These services would include transportation, housing, education, child care, and income support.
Our Women’s Treatment Center in Ohio
Ethan Crossing in Ohio recognizes that women have different needs in treatment and offers gender-specific treatment for women. Our women’s treatment center offers these programs, all of which focus on family engagement:
- Drug detox center
- Medical detox program
- Partial hospitalization treatment program
- Intensive outpatient treatment program
- Outpatient treatment program
The team at Ethan Crossing is with you for the journey. The team customizes therapy for the patient’s needs. Still, it often includes 12-step, alternative self-help, cognitive and dialectical behavior therapy (CBT and DBT), eye movement desensitization, and reprocessing (EDMR) to treat trauma. The facility offers a gym, game room and lounge area, and calm room. It also provides yoga and music therapy. Contact our women’s treatment center at 833.691.0736 to begin your recovery journey.