Women, Drug Abuse, and Treatment: What You Should Know
A report published by the National Institute for Drug Abuse noted that women who abuse drugs face many barriers to entry into treatment and to long-term treatment that men don’t. These barriers include inadequate finances, lack of adequate referral networks and women-oriented services, and conflicts with child-related responsibilities.
In the National Institute report, it notes that a major contributing factor to drug use in women is childhood sexual abuse. In this regard, some studies indicate that up to 70% of women in treatment for drug abuse reported repeated incidents of physical and sexual abuse that began before the age of eleven. The report also states that nearly 32% of women drug users, who became pregnant before reaching 18, had a history of either rape or incest.
What has been found to be effective in getting women with drug problems and addictions into treatment and keeping them there are when there is the availability of women-sensitive services and non-punitive and non-coercive treatment. Incorporation of psychological treatments in which a supportive environment to embrace behavioral changes also appears to be part of an effective treatment program.
In the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study (DATOS), which was carried out in 1991-1993, results showed that for women who were in treatment for at least 28 days, at least 14 of them in an inpatient facility, there was a dramatic reduction in their use of illegal drugs and associated illegal activities. Statistics in the study show that, when admitted for treatment, over 84% of the women were using drugs every day. After 12 months of combined inpatient and outpatient treatment, three quarters of the participants had beaten their addictions and were off drugs. Even with only short term inpatient treatment, almost three of five women were able to stop abusing drugs.
