Inviting Women to Drug Rehab

According to the Federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, nearly 2.7 million women in the U.S. abuse alcohol or drugs. However, only about 25 percent of patients in drug rehab programs are women.

Recent studies revealed that women are less likely to seek treatment for addiction than males. Research also showed that women usually become addicted to substances more quickly than males. These in combination are endangering the likelihood of full recovery from addiction for women.

Drug rehab suited specifically for women may help more women come forward to get the treatment they need.

Prolonging Addiction

Women tend to wait longer to get treatment than males. Multiple factors attribute to this decision. Some of those factors include the following:

• No childcare
• Fear of losing custody of their children
• Lack of finances
• No transportation
• Belief that the addiction is caused by depression or anxiety and try to work on that first
• Embarrassment
• Denial

Double the Risk For Women

Research has shown that women reach addiction faster than males. Alcohol and drugs metabolize differently between the sexes. Two glasses of wine for a man may feel physiologically like four glasses for a woman.

Women who stay at home tend to have more privacy, and can engage in alcohol or drug abuse without an employer or co-worker noticing.

Inviting Women to Recovery

In order to get women treatment for their addiction to drugs or alcohol, drug rehab centers must address some of the above needs. The best Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) for drug rehab offer women multiple options to help them receive care.

Often the primary caregivers (though the number of male caregivers is rising), women may not have child care or may feel torn between sharing family time with their children and leaving them for drug rehab. Some feel guilty that they are taking away family time for something they perceive as a personal “problem” they feel they should be able to overcome.

In studies, women express that their number one deterrent for seeking treatment is that they don’t have reliable, safe child care. If drug rehab facilities could offer a welcoming child care environment for patients, more women would feel comfort in attending.

Offering day and evening treatment sessions, would expand the times that both stay-at-home moms and moms who work day shifts could receive treatment. Also, treatment centers could assist those women who have no access to a car during the time of treatment sessions. Bus passes or a courtesy shuttle could open up that road block.

Woman to Woman

In order to help provide specific treatment for women, drug rehab centers must provide for more than just female counselors. While some women will succeed in mixed-group therapy, others may need female-only groups. Others will need more intensive aid and support.

When drug rehab centers take into account the various emotional, physical, economical, and social needs of females, more women may feel confident and brave enough to step forward and begin their journey of recovery.