It’s Recovery Month and with it comes hope! We hosted our annual fundraising event to support Dove Recovery House programming and directly impact the clients we serve. This year, we celebrated 21 years of Dove House and the triumphs of hundreds of Dove House clients who have overcome substance use disorder.
To bring that hope, we do have to recognize that the path to recovery for women often differs greatly than it does for men.
Substance use and misuse impacts people from all walks of life and backgrounds—and through wide ranging ages. A variety of factors can influence how one individual will react to a particular substance compared to another. One of the strongest variants in these influences is gender.
“Research has shown that women often use drugs differently, respond to drugs differently, and can have unique obstacles to effective treatment,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
While more men are in substance use disorder treatment than women, women typically come to treatment with more severe problems. This is true for medical, behavioral, psychological, and social problems. And women’s progression toward dependence has been shown to be quicker than for men.
When it comes to alcohol specifically, studies show that women start to have alcohol-related problems sooner and at lower drinking levels than men. Additionally, women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with co-occurring mental health disorders. Also, women are more likely than men to seek treatment for prescription drugs like antidepressants. Furthermore, according to NIDA, “the more vulnerable to developing substance use or other mental health disorders following divorce, loss of child custody, or the death of a partner or child.”
These and many more varying factors present challenges for women to seek and find suitable treatment options. From not being able to find child care or being vulnerable to domestic violence, it can be a huge hurdle for a woman to find the care she desperately needs. And treatment is not one-size-fits-all across genders.
With all of the research pointing to the specific challenges for women confronting substance use disorder, our mission remains that Dove Recovery House is committed to empowering women to become substance free, self-sufficient, and healthy, by providing safe housing, quality programming, and—above all—hope for the future. Transitional housing or long-term sober living facilities are proven to substantially increase the chances of long-term sobriety, reduce recidivism, increase family reunification, and decrease costs on health care and lost wages.
We aim to remove the stigma and other barriers women face by providing a safe and sober home along with motivational case management, trauma informed therapy, wrap around programming, and life skills—and address the unique obstacles to effective treatment for our most vulnerable women.
If you or a loved one want help in recovery from substance abuse, we can help. Reach out today.
1. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/substance-use-in-women/sex-gender-differences-in-substance-use-disorder-treatment
2. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/women-and-alcohol
