Drug Treatment for Women

Drug treatment programs for women are specifically targeted toward the particular treatment needs of women afflicted with drug addiction and alcoholism. Drug addiction in women has a distinctive origin, progression, and specific addiction treatment methods. A growing body of research shows that drug abuse among women and the issues surrounding their addiction differs from that of men, requiring a specialized regimen of drug treatment.

Psychologically, women who become addicted to drugs or alcohol have a different narrative and profile than men who become addicted. As an often-underestimated rule, women have a greater tendency to have developed a drug addiction to cope with trauma and emotional pain. Women also have a range of social and cultural pressures and issues that men do not experience.

For many years, drug treatment programs were designed to offer simultaneous treatment to both men and women. And since the numbers of admissions favored men, approximately 60% to 40%, the programs were tailored more toward the male population. But recently, it has been discovered that by creating drug rehabs specifically for women, there is a greater chance that a woman would seek treatment. This is a huge step forward in the treatment of women suffering with drug addiction and alcoholism.