Facts About Women and Drug Addiction
Women are more vulnerable than they think when it comes to drug and alcohol use. They are at a disadvantage in nearly every way drugs and alcohol can affect a person. Take a closer look at the different ways women can harm a woman’s life.
Facts About Women and Alcohol
Because women’s bodies tend to have a higher fat content, they absorb alcohol differently than men’s bodies. Also, women generally weigh less than men of the same age. That means that they will become more intoxicated than the man drinking the same amount. It takes fewer drinks to get a woman intoxicated, and it takes less time for a woman become addicted to alcohol.
Drug Abuse Can Affect Any Woman
Quick, what’s your first stereotypical image of a drug addict? Is it a grandmother in a tidy home? Is it a young mother recovering from a car accident? Is it successful business woman going through a divorce? Probably, your image doesn’t include any of these women. The truth is, drug abuse and addiction can affect anyone of any age in any socioeconomic standing.
Prescription drugs are highly addictive and can easily be abused by women of all types, intentionally or not. Alcohol is socially acceptable for many women, and it is also easy to misuse. Women are also used to multitasking, and may believe they can just handle their drug or alcohol use along with everything else. Unfortunately, most women needing help with drug addiction don’t reach out, or their problem isn’t suspected until the addiction is out of hand.
Pregnancy And Drug Addiction
Because women give birth, they are in a unique and dangerous position with drug and alcohol addiction. They may not only put their own life in danger, they can also dramatically affect the new life growing inside them.
Sometimes, women do sexual favors in exchange for drug. This is more common with harder drugs like heroin and meth. But when a woman is desperate, she may be willing to do nearly anything. This puts her at particular risk for pregnancy during a drug addiction. Drug rehab centers today have to face all of these variables with women: pregnancy, mothers with young babies, and women with sexual trauma in their past.
Women With Addiction Cope With Painful Emotions
The majority of women with drug addiction have at least one addicted parent. Most have also been abused in some way. As these patterns show, women use drugs and alcohol to deal with their most painful emotions. Women using drugs often feel low self-worth, low self-esteem, and fairly hopeless about their future. Drugs and alcohol act as salve of for their wounds. They also may find these to be their only opportunity to escape their desperate reality.
Drug Rehab For Women Meets Their Needs
Drug addiction recovery is different in some important ways for women. Social connections can have a significant healing impact on a woman recovering from addiction. These aren’t just any social connections. A woman’s female network can make or break her sense of well-being. Drug rehab professionals have recognized this in recent years. Rehab programs that focus on women make a stronger emphasis on female social networks in recovery.
Drug Addiction Impacts All Women
Drug addiction isn’t just for homeless people and rebellious teens. Women of all ages, ethnicities, and economic standings can become addicted to drugs when the circumstances are right. If you or another woman in your life is facing the pain of drug addiction, get more information about life-saving drug rehab today.
