Many Women Needing Drug Treatment Dont Realize It

An astonishing research article was released by SAMHSA (US government department) in 2007.  It showed that out of all addicted women not receiving drug treatment services, 94% of them felt no need for drug treatment. Yes, 94% needed help but didn’t actually believe it was that big of a problem.

Statistics On Women In Need of Drug Treatment Astonishing

The only word that came into my head was “Wow”.  Unbelievable.  That’s the power of denial right there in the statistics.  it’s so astonishing I had to read it several times to soak it in.  Almost all the women actually needing drug treatment did not perceive they had that need.  According to the article, they weren’t ready to stop using.  That means they probably couldn’t see any other effective way to cope with their problems.  And drug treatment certainly didn’t seem to be on their radar.

The powerful grip addiction has on their minds and emotions tells them that there are no other good alternatives.  They only have their drug of choice to rely on, their trusted friend in a time of need.  It’s instant, they can get it, and it works well enough.  Plus, an addict justifies so many things to make sense of their use – minimizing their use and the consequences, blaming others, making excuses, blacking out and not clearly remembering the true impact, flat out lying to protect themselves.  All of these things make it even more difficult for an addicted woman to even perceive that she has a big enough problem to seek drug treatment or any type of help.

Admitting To Drug Addiction Can Be Tough

This is where the first step of a twelve step recovery program rings so true.  First, you must admit that you have a problem.  Looking at the stats on this, that looks like a pretty tall order.  Just getting addicted women to recognize that they have a problem will be a major step.  Having more women’s drug treatment centers available will be very important.  However, if you all you do is build it, they won’t necessarily come.

Women and girls need to absorb knowledge about what an addiction looks like for females.  They might be the missing link of information and support for a friend, a cousin, a mom needing drug treatment.  Or, they can understand and learn what choices to avoid.  Often, people involved with a person who has an addiction don’t really know how to effectively intervene or don’t feel comfortable rocking the boat.  They are worried that if they bring up the issue, their daughter or mom or friend won’t talk to them anymore.

Be Compassionate Give Info on Drug Rehab

If you think a woman in your life is needing drug treatment, share your concern with her.  Be compassionate and give her some information on drug treatment centers for women.  Being pushy is usually more of a last resort, though sometimes that can be effective.  Mostly, she needs to know that you care and that what she’s going through can be turned around if she will take the first step.