As substance abusers, women have certain needs that differ from those of men. This is because women have a physical, chemical and psychological makeup that is not the same as that of men. Females tend to be more sensitive, and emotional, and they usually spend most of their time taking care of their families and sometimes balancing work-life with it too. This is why they believe that they do not have the time to leave all their responsibilities and give themselves some attention. The dominant hormones in a woman’s body are different from those of a man’s body; hence the chemical treatment needs some alteration as well. Click here for helplines and more information regarding women’s drug abuse treatment needs. Some tips and strategies for treating women who are drug addicts are the following:
Background check
It is of primary importance to first figure out when and where the abuse started. The reasons often revolve around family or husband related issues, being unable to balance career and home-life, being pressurized to leave work, being harassed or any other such reason. At times, women are tricked or forced by their boyfriends or their peers to start drug abuse; as a stress reliever or just to look ‘cool’. Treatment given in accordance with whatever began the abuse is most effective. Thus, background information must always be considered.
Unique concerns
Women also have unique concerns that should be considered during rehabilitation treatment. Their menstrual cycle, pregnancy concerns and complications and mood swings pertaining to such issues must also be considered.
Rehabilitation facilities
There exist rehabilitation facilities that only entertain female patients. Women who would not be comfortable working with males or need the kind of help that is specific for women should consider these kinds of facilities. Treatment for women includes mainly detoxification of all the harmful components in their body and then psychological therapy so that they never go back to being substance abusers. Also, for the more needy and helpless women, many kinds of insurance plans exist, these can be private or government arranged that could cover a big part of their inpatient or outpatient costs. Is rehab effective? Read more here.
Controlling complications
Drug abuse causes complications in other systems of the body as well. Rehab centers employ doctors that control most of these complications and regularly check for signs and symptoms they may cause. Some of these include breast cancer and HIV. Psychological effects include severe depression and anxiety, along with diseases like anorexia and bulimia. The doctors and therapists employed keep checking for any such symptoms.
Continual care
Since women are prone to psychological issues even after their rehabilitation is over, it is important to continue follow-up therapy after the rehab time itself is over. It is important for the doctors to keep record of their patients for this purpose, other than this, those close to the patient must also make sure she is regularly taking her medication and is not falling into the same pit again.