For lasting recovery, it is highly recommended to seek addiction treatment programs that are unique to the individual’s needs.
For women (and also men), rehabilitation is meant to first consider the person’s unique experience then the treatment should be tailored around that specific experience and person.
When the treatment is focused on the person based on the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects, recovery has been shown to be very effective in reaching sobriety and also long-lasting.
Men are more likely to drink alcohol and partake in substance use than women. However, women tend to experience and develop more severe addiction and health-related consequences than men. Why is this?
In this blog, we will learn:
- Differences in Addiction Between Men and Women
- How Do Women Experience Addiction?
- Recovery Programs for Women in Austin, TX
- Who we are
The Differences in Addiction between Men and Women
For many years, addiction research only focused on the effects of drug and alcohol consumption in men. However, from the year 1990, US organizations slowly started to include women in studies to understand the general effects of drugs and alcohol use.
Since then, these studies have shown numerous differences between men and women in regard to how differently the body reacts and is affected following drug and alcohol consumption.
These differences between men and women oftentimes stem from biological and sociological differences.
Why are men more likely to abuse illicit drugs and alcohol, and why are women more likely to end up in the emergency room or fatally overdose? A key component of these differences is the social norm that exists around men and women. Whether this includes childcare responsibilities or addiction stigma or relationship dynamics etc.
Aside from the social norm that is present, there are also visible biological differences between the genders such as body size and composition that can play a role in the way a woman behaves and react to substance use.
There are external differences and then there are internal differences, mostly revolving around the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen production in the body.
As we all know, hormones play a big part in the emotional aspects of a human being. Unfortunately, studies have shown that women may be more likely to relapse after treatment and this perhaps is due to the differences in hormone production.
How Do Women Experience Addiction?
Women and men can experience addiction recovery in different ways for the reasons previously discussed. Yes, men and women can revert to alcohol for similar reasons, but there were several common motivational cues that were more evident amongst a women group than their counterparts.
Women were more likely to turn to alcohol or substance use because of:
- Domestic abuse: physical, sexual, and verbal abuse
- Loss of child custody, divorce, death of loved one
- Mental health disorders such as panic attacks, anxiety, depression, PTSD
- Stress, loneliness, fatigue
- Body image issues
- Chronic pain
Recovery Programs for Women in Austin, TX
There are many Trauma Recovery Programs for women in the Austin, Texas area. At Emerge Recovery TX, the curriculum revolves comprehensively around the areas of mental health and its association with addiction and trauma.
Trauma is an extremely important area of study because it can significantly affect a person’s ability to stay present and take part in day-to-day activities. Trauma has been shown to prevent the brain to function at its best and causes a clouding of one’s conscious mind.
Who We Are
The core vision of Emerge Recovery TX is to educate, support, and nurture women that have experienced and/or experiencing episodes of addiction, or trauma, or substance abuse disorder.
The primary goal here is to promote long-term sobriety and educate women on how to maneuver through these obstacles that are centered around addiction and the effective actions to take.
