Women and addiction: challenges and treatment approaches

Women & Addiction

Substance addiction, also referred to as substance dependence, is characterized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TR, as "the presence of many problems, related to taking the substance. These include using more of the substance than intended, trying unsuccessfully to stop, having physical or psychological problems made worse by the drug, and experiencing problems at work or with friends" (Kring et al., 2007, p. 297). This definition involves two important components that we should keep in mind. Firstly, the person is taking in the substance and cannot seem to withdraw. Secondly, many other aspects of the person's life are adversely affected by this problem of substance dependence.

The issue of substance addiction has yielded a lot of studies -- often focusing on the profile of substance dependents (see Chih-Hung et al., 2006; Califano, 1998; Yen et al., 2007) as well as on the state and current developments regarding treatment procedures for this problem (see Institute for Women's Leadership, n.d. & Estronaut, 1999).

In 2003, statistics showed that in the United States, over 21 million people have met the diagnostic criteria for substance addiction. This represents over 9% of the entire U.S. population. A large percentage of the diagnosed substance dependents were alcohol-related addiction cases (Kring et al., 2007).

In the larger domain of substance addiction discourse, a closer look at the female segment of the substance-dependent population can be regarded as an arable research field to till. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse of Columbia University (CASA) (in Diaz, 2009), cases of women's alcohol and substance abuse have been sweeping the United States like an epidemic in the past five years. Not only does substance abuse cut across gender, but it also cuts across race, ethnic groups, and age. This observation has lead to tremendous research of the profile of these women and the factors that led them to their addiction state.

Addiction: Difference in Men and Women

Factors that lead to substance abuse may be different from men and women. At face value, we all know that men and women experience different socialization processes in the same way that they have different life circumstances, roles, and responsibilities. This observation was pursued by CASA, women respondents mentioned that they were not the only ones drinking, their daughters, nieces, and granddaughters are part of the problem as well (in Diaz, 2009). Young girls for example, experiment with alcohol to lose weight, reduce sexual inhibitions, and increase confidence among peers (ibid). Other women use alcohol as a coping mechanism to problems involving emotional pain, loneliness, and boredom (National Women's Health Report Online, 2007). Another study showed that sexually abused women are more likely to experience alcohol-related problems than women who have not had such experience (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1999). Culture also shows that alcoholic men get to keep their wives but alcoholic women are divorced by their husbands (Estronaut, 1999).

More importantly, the effects of substance abuse differ among men and women. Findings of the CASA study showed that heavy drinking increases a woman's risk of sexual or violent assault because lesser sense of surrounding and inhibitions are just some of the many effects of substance abuse (Diaz, 2009). Physiological effects are also a give away when we think of the effects of substance abuse. For instance, it has been noted that women have higher chances of developing liver disease, brain and heart damage than men even if their period of drinking is lesser than their male counterparts. A link between breast cancer and alcohol abuse was also found (National Women's Health Report Online, 2007).

Treatment-wise, it was noted that women who struggle with substance-related problems do not have accessible services and resources. There is also a need to "develop training curriculum for workers on the issues of domestic violence..." (Institute for Women's Leadership, n.d., pp. 3-4) as domestic violence often leads to substance abuse as it is used by women as coping mechanism to such kind of marital difficulties (NCADV, 2009). The method of "intervention" or other forms of therapy which are confrontational in nature are also problematic for women because they tend to be overly concerned with what others will think of them, as well as their significant groups or circles (Estronaut, 1999).