Normally when a person thinks about a drug addict, they generally envision a man prior to envisioning a woman, however new evidence reveals that substance abuse in women is increasing. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University developed a 10-year long investigation and discovered that women become addicted to drugs and alcohol easier than guys. Lately more and more girls and women across the nation are checking in to residential drug treatment programs. These rehabilitation facilities are now starting to offer womens addiction programs to help get more of these women away from the drugs they’ve become addicted to. You can find quality treatment programs at https://www.thewatershed.com/resource/residential-drug-treatment-programs/ to help your loved ones.
Exactly what the Research Revealed
The research conducted by CASA discovered that drugs and alcohol have a more serious effect on women than they do men. That is due a lot to the unique biological makeups among males and females. A man’s body is comprised of a lot more water and less fatty tissue which makes alcohol and drug absorption take more time in men. Additionally, a woman’s body carries lower levels of certain digestive enzymes like alcohol dehydrogenase which actually metabolizes alcohol in the body. This can be particularly serious because without the ability to break down harmful substances in the body, the chance of overdose is increased.
Substance Abuse in Women
Despite the fact that statistically, there are more male drug addicts than there are female, the potential for addiction is actually higher in women. Men and women usually have unique underlying causes for their addictions. For example, psychological or sexual abuse is less frequent in men, yet a prevalent cause of drug addiction in women. Women are a lot more at risk of eating disorders which often co-occur with other mental disorders like depression or anxiety. A lot of these women may turn to appetite suppressant drugs like cocaine or crystal meth and end up getting hooked.
Treatment Methods
Often, different treatments work more effectively on women compared to men. Although the standard straight-forward medical therapies have a pretty decent cure rate in men and women, women additionally have a tendency to respond better from psychotherapy and counselling sessions as a great deal of their addiction is emotionally centered. Getting to the root of the problems that cause women to turn to drugs and dealing with the original issue is very effective. Women additionally respond very well to group sessions where they are able to freely talk about their problems with other women that are also suffering from addiction.
Substance abuse in women is certainly growing in the United States right now, and needs to be very carefully monitored. Women are more susceptible to becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol even when using smaller amounts than men. By setting up more womens addiction treatment programs, residential drug treatment programs will be able to provide better care for women who often require very different treatments than men. As medical professionals start to understand these differences in men and women, better treatments will become available. It is important to get help for anyone struggling with a drug or alcohol problem. Check out https://www.thewatershed.com/treatment/individualized-programs/womens-program/ for more info on women’s programs.