Get a free mental health assessment and find out what treatment options are most suitable for you. We Level Up Florida can help with inpatient primary mental health therapy. Depending on the extent of secondary behavioral disorders such as addiction we can first help assess your condition and thereafter guide you to suitable treatment options.
Addiction affects billions of people worldwide. It is not gender-specific, and substance use disorders don’t discriminate. They affect both women and men, but that doesn’t mean the treatment should be the same for both. Gender-Specific Treatment for Substance Abuse programs, such as the ones available at We Level Up Florida, customize the care plan to meet the needs of women and men individually.
Gender-Specific Treatment for Substance Abuse programs recognizes the genders’ uniqueness and how you might feel more comfortable with a group of people who experience the same challenges you do. This removes some of the distractions that may arise from being around members of the opposite sex. It also allows patients to feel more comfortable or focused as they recover around peers of the same sex, enabling them to relate to experiences specific to their gender.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse [1], research has shown that women often use drugs differently, respond to drugs differently, and can have unique obstacles to effective treatment as simple as being prescribed treatment that has not been adequately tested on women.
Gender Group Addiction Treatment
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [2], women typically consume less alcohol than men when they drink. Also, they are less likely to develop alcohol-related problems than men. Conversely, when women develop substance abuse problems, they tend to develop them faster than men do. As a result, women report more severe problems and experience more health-related consequences from substance use. However, addiction affects women differently than it does men. Consequently, it is necessary to take specifically Gender-Specific Treatment for Substance Abuse, approaches for men and women.
How Addiction Affects the Genders Differently
Gender-Specific Treatment for Substance Abuse has been created thanks to comparative studies that showed that drug addiction was more common among men than among women. In addition:
- Men start using drugs at an earlier age
- Men abuse drugs more often and in larger amounts
- Males are more likely to abuse alcohol and tobacco
- Males are more likely to engage in binge drinking
Here are some of the nature of women’s substance abuse problems:
- Women are less likely than men to use illicit drugs and develop drug-related problems.
- Women drinkers tend to drink less alcohol less often than men do. Also, are less likely than men to develop alcohol-related problems.
- When women develop substance abuse problems, they report problems of greater severity and experience more health-related consequences.
- Women’s problems related to substance abuse interfere with functioning in more areas of life than men’s do.
- Women are older than men are when they begin drinking to intoxication. However, once they develop a pattern of regular intoxication, they lose control over their drinking more quickly than men.
- Women make up about one-third of the population with alcohol problems. Also, slightly less than half of those who have problems with other drugs.
LGBTQ Substance Abuse Statistics
According to numbers published by the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III), those who identify as a part of the LGBTQ + community are drastically more likely to struggle with a substance use disorder than their heterosexual counterparts. Additionally, the survey reported that those who were unable to identify their sexual identity were as much as 5x more likely to have a substance use disorder than someone who identifies as heterosexual.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Health [3], substance abuse may be used as a coping mechanism or method of self-medication. It is a significant concern for members of this community. LGB adults are nearly twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a substance use disorder. Transgender individuals are almost four times as likely as cisgender individuals to experience a substance use disorder. Illicit drug use is significantly higher in high school-aged youth who identify as LGB or are unsure of their identity, compared to their heterosexual peers.
Different Treatment Needs for Men and Women
Men and women have different treatment needs for addiction because drug and alcohol abuse affects each sex differently in a number of ways.
Addiction has a more severe effect on women than men. It is because of biological and genetic variations between the two genders.
Physically
Male and female bodies are different. Therefore, men process alcohol and drugs differently than women. However, addiction has a more serious impact on women than men. It is because of biological and genetic variations between the two genders. For example, estrogen (a hormone present in women’s bodies) increases the effects of cocaine and other stimulant drugs. Additionally, women’s bodies hold more fat than men, and fat is known to absorb and retain more alcohol. Consequently, a woman’s blood alcohol concentration level is higher than a man’s.
Socially
Women struggling with addiction also face many social challenges. For instance, society is more critical of a female addict than a male addict. As a result, it makes women addicts feel neglected. Unfortunately, this only serves to push them further towards drug abuse. Moreover, women addicts are likely to have experienced physical and sexual abuse because of their vulnerability.
Psychologically
Although women are less likely than men to develop drug and alcohol problems, the process is much faster when they develop them. As a result, women tend to enter substance abuse treatment programs with more severe psychological, medical, behavioral, and social problems.
Benefits of Gender-Specific Treatment
There are many benefits to providing separate treatment for men and women. Gender-Specific Treatment for Substance Abuse programs offers multiple benefits for each gender, including:
For Women
- Allows women to share about social pressures, expectations, and other personal experiences.
- Helps eliminate any potential distractions that may occur during treatment.
- Helps women get back in touch with self-care, relaxation, and building community with each other.
For Men
- Allows men to display their emotions and vulnerability more freely.
- Enables men to be less competitive with the people around them.
- Helps men support and care for each other more openly.
- Aids men in developing strong and reliable relationships.
- Helps prevent men from always using humor as a tactic to deflect questions or concerns.
Gender-Specific Treatment for Substance Abuse also eliminates distraction between members of the opposite sex. This is crucial in early sobriety.
Find the Help You Need to Overcome Behavioral Issues
Gender Group Addiction Treatment helps you take control of your life, do it today. Our friendly addiction and mental health specialists won’t give up on you. Gender group addiction treatment programs provide men and women with the right tools and treatment methods to overcome substance abuse.
Inpatient medical detox and residential primary addiction treatment may be available at our affiliated facility at Level Up West Palm Beach Rehab. For some primary behavioral health treatment clients, medical detox and or addiction rehab may be required first. If you have a co-occurring severe substance abuse diagnosis, please contact us prior to beginning inpatient mental health therapy. Treatment services may vary. Please call us to learn which treatment options are most suited for your individual needs.
Sources
[1] The National Institute on Drug Abuse – Gender Group Addiction Treatment https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/substance-use-in-women/sex-gender-differences-in-substance-use
[2] National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism – https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh291/55-62.htm
[3] National Alliance on Mental Health – https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/LGBTQI