Substance Abuse Treatment & Recovery Approaches for Women. Host: Ivette Torres, Associate Director for Consumer Affairs, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Invited Panelists: Becca Crowell, executive director of Nexus Recovery Center; Duiona Baker, associate administrator for women’s services at Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Imani Walker, with the Rebecca Project for Human Rights (RPHR); and Steve Buchness, therapist, program coordinator, Emmorton Treatment Services. Substance use disorders present serious and unique health concerns for women. Unfortunately, few available services are designed to specifically meet the needs of women with substance use problems. Recent studies point both to the need for gender-specific services for women and to the greater effectiveness of such approaches compared to more traditional treatment modalities. This program will examine how treatment services are changing to help women successfully navigate the road to recovery. It also explores other issues that can affect their recovery progress, such as child care, co-occurring disorders, and domestic violence. Women drink less alcohol than men any way you look at. Women are more likely to be non-drinkers, start drinking at an older age, consume smaller quanties when they do drink, drink less frequently, and binge less than their male counterparts. But, she is more likely to drink alone. Nevertheless, many women have alcohol abuse or alcoholism problems. About 4% of women have a current problem and 8% ever have had a problem with alcohol. Women are at risk for alcoholism with 1 to 1 1/2 drinks per day vs 4 for men. Women’s alcoholism and their relationships with a husband or signficant other is complex. Most people know that alcoholic men keep their wives while alcoholic women are divorced by their husbands. But this may actually be a good thing. Many women alcoholics stop once divorced of separated. Women who live alone are more likely to develop alcoholism. But this is not because they are unhappy being alone (married women are much likely to be depressed). It is because because men and women alike feel more comfortable commenting on and re-directing a woman’s behavior. They will intervene much sooner. There is greater social pressures on women to confrom, so their drinking either must be hidden from others. Since this is difficult to do with a housemate not doing it is often the result. There does not seem to be any differences in the genetic tendency towards alochol abuse. A typical woman who comes for treatment is about the same age as a man. But while he has had years of gradual escalation, her problem evolved rather quickly. Her drinking was likely triggered by specific events and she came to treatment because of health or relationship (not job or legal problems like men) affects of the drinking. Women suffer more damage to the liver and other health problems with comparable amounts (standardized by weight) than similar men, so there are more health problems sooner. Women are more likely to be addicted to prescription drugs than illegal. They combine them with alcohol. Stimulants (cocaine, methaphetamine, even Phen-Fen) are used at about the same rate as men. But women’s motivation is often weight loss or to temporarily counter depression that is more common in women. Women are more likely to start and continue smoking for weight control. Alcohol use is associated with higher rates of breast cancer and osteoporosis. They are more prone to liver disease. Menstrual disorders and impaired childbearing potential are associated with both alcohol and drugs. Specifically, heavy, irregular, paninful periods and PMS are implicated. Women smokers go through menopause earlier. While unplanned pregnancy is a consequence of addiction, it is also one of women’s strongest motivators to quit. Female drug users have a much higher rate sexually transmitted disease, including AIDS. This is due to having unprotected sex with high risk partners while stoned. Male to female transmission is always higher. Also, drug addicted women trade sex for drugs.
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