How Addiction Affects Women Differently

In 2013 Christina Huffington relayed her addiction story. She is the daughter of the founder of The Huffington Post and she went public with her story about cocaine addiction, highlighting how addiction affects women differently.  This difference may be due to gender, social mores, and environment.

Morningside Recovery’s Dr. Elizabeth Waterman was included in the conversation for her professional input. Morningside Recovery recognizes the unique needs of women and has specialized programs that meet the needs of female clients.

Women and Addiction

Sometimes in order to control an unmanageable life, women will binge eat and then purge.  It feels like she may have control over something if she controls what goes in and out of her body.  Young women are bombarded by the media’s perfect body image and often emotional disorders feed into a poor body image.

Maybe as the young woman gets older, she finds that alcohol and drugs fill that comfort void.  It’s a short step to addiction. Women also seem more bound to social mores and feel added stress about school, work, career, home life and how to deal with it all.  How addiction affects women ties to hormones and brain chemistry. In that regard, women are different from men.

Alcoholism and depression often attack women who are wondering how to navigate the stress of life. Maybe women are depressed about life situations they cannot control and alcohol takes the edge off.  Maybe too much alcohol makes her depressed.  Either way, addiction treatment can get to the bottom of any dual diagnosis.

How Addiction Affects Women

Then when women suffer a full-blown addiction, the thought that it’s a moral weakness still permeates our society.  That makes it difficult for women to admit a problem and get help. Once in rehab, women may be reluctant about sharing their feelings and stories with a co-ed group of recovering people.

All of these issues make sobriety difficult for addicted women.  At Morningside Recovery, we recognize those differences and use gender-specific programs at our women’s drug rehab to address only women’s issues.  You don’t have to be alone in your addiction. We’re ready to walk the road of sobriety with you.  If you are struggling with your life in addiction and don’t know where to turn for help, call us at 855-631-2135.