Women who suffer from substance use disorders often remain in the shadows. Most think of alcoholism and drug addiction as primarily impacting males. Addiction studies are primarily done with male participants. We rarely see studies involving women or studies that are specific to gender. Often, women’s substance use issues go undetected or are attributed to other mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety. This website aims to provide information specific to the needs of women who are struggling with substance use disorders. We want to be a place of safety, where women can ask questions, find resources, and make informed decisions about how they want to address their issues with substances.
Why is gender-specific treatment important? Many women report that they began using substances following an experience of a traumatic event. They became overwhelmed, didn’t feel that they could tell anyone what happened, felt that they didn’t have adequate support, and began using substances to numb their feelings. I spoke with Graciela del Moral, owner of a successful treatment center, about the needs of women in recovery and the importance of providing gender-specific resources, particularly on the internet.
For many women, the first realization that they might have a problem with drugs or alcohol occurs within the context of their relationships. Their partner or family may begin to complain about their substance use. They may find themselves becoming short-tempered with their children or becoming resentful of the time that childcare takes away from their ability to “socialize” or engage in activities that include substance use. They may complain of being stressed out and look for excuses to use alcohol during the day or in the evening after the children are asleep. Because there is so much stigma associated with substance use, women may turn to the internet to begin to find answers to questions they have about their substance use. Questions like, what is considered heavy drinking? Am I an alcoholic? Is my marijuana use out of hand? How much is too much? Del Moral reports that consumers of information regarding women in recovery include women looking for support in their recovery journeys, women who are socially isolated and don’t have ready access to treatment resources, women who are wondering whether they have a problem with drugs and alcohol, women who are frustrated with 12-step programs or aren’t getting their needs met in that environment, women who are looking for local resources, and professionals who are looking for resources for their clients or patients.
Stigma
Stigma regarding substance use plays a substantial role in keeping women from seeking help. A 2017 study published in Current Opinion in Psychiatry indicated that people with substance use disorders experienced stigma in five areas. They were considered more dangerous and unpredictable; to have reduced decision-making ability; to be responsible for their conditions (they are choosing to be addicts or alcoholics); that they should be able to stop without treatment; and that they are immoral or criminal (Baker et al.; Yang et al.). These myths about substance use impact women’s ability to reach out for help or sometimes, to even begin to investigate whether they have a problem. The shame and guilt associated with substance use become their dirty little secret. The risks of seeking help can include concern that family, spouses and employers may find out. There is always the risk of Child Protective Services involvement if the woman is a mother. She may be fearful of legal consequences. Fear is a powerful motivator when a woman risks losing her significant relationships if she acknowledges that she needs help.
Twelve-step programs are sometimes problematic for women. Meetings are usually dominated by men, and women can be uncomfortable sharing details of their lives in that environment. Many women have trauma histories and feel unsafe in male-dominated spaces. Professional women struggle with the idea that they “have to lose it all” to experience recovery. They have to “hit bottom” in order to experience rebirth and be saved (Smith). These archetypes are particularly distressing for women who have overcome numerous professional hurdles to launch successful careers. They want to learn how to manage their substance use, not be told that they are powerless over everything in their lives.
Communication
Treatment providers, writers, bloggers, and others interested in providing resources to those in recovery need to be sensitive to the needs of women utilizing their resources. It’s important to connect with the reader. Individuals using the website will likely be seeking information regarding recovery (Hasler and Ruthven). They will be looking for self-help ideas, information about substance use in general, and uplifting, triumphant stories. They are looking for reassurance that recovery is possible for them. Blog posts, information on treatment modalities, forums, and local treatment information should all be readily available. Instagram and Facebook are popular vehicles for disseminating general information and information about upcoming events. Instagram feeds of individuals active in recovery can provide positive reinforcement for those in early sobriety. Recovery memes are popular and often used to create a sense of shared experience or camaraderie among those in recovery. Twitter and LinkedIn are good avenues for disseminating professional research and treatment information.
Writers in the recovery sphere need to be engaging and sensitive. Their writing style should include stories of hope and resilience, and draw the reader in. Readers should be able to relate to the struggles of the writer and leave the story with an understanding that recovery is possible. Women who experience substance use disorders come from all backgrounds and education levels. Writers need to be sensitive to this and use plain language whenever possible. Connect with women using clear and simple narratives. Nothing fancy or overwhelming. Writers should share personal experiences or stories whenever possible (Gallanis). Information should be evidence-based and accurate. Local resources should be provided whenever possible. Forums are often helpful because they allow women to communicate with each other, while still maintaining confidentiality.
Development of a website specific to women in recovery is a substantial undertaking, but a worthwhile task. If even one woman finds the information she needs to save her own life, it will be well worth the work involved.
Works Cited
Baker, Laurence, et al. “Use of the Internet and E-Mail for Health Care Information results from a National Survey.” JAMA 289.18 (2003): 2400-06. Print.
Gallanis, Bess. “Sheryl Sandberg’s Four Communication Lessons for Women.” 2013. Web.
Hasler, Laura, and Ian Ruthven. Escaping Information Poverty through Internet Newsgroups. 20112011. Print.
Smith, Craig R. “Rhetorical Dimensions of Myth and Narrative.” Rhetoric and Human Consciousness: A History 4th Ed. Ed. Smith, Craig R.: Waveland Press, 2013. 17-34. Print.
Yang, H. Lawrence, et al. “Stigma and Substance Use Disorders: An International Phenomenon.” Current Opinion in Psychiatry 30.5 (2017): 378-88. Print.
Women and Recovery 
Hello, Tamera,
I felt like your blog was directed to me. You do a great job bringing your reader into the exigency. As an outsider, unaware of the concerns of gender specific treatment, I felt great sympathy for the women who are substance abusers. The information you provide in your “about” page tie directly into your blog and makes your comments relevant and current.
The only question I had while reading the blog was “what kind of trauma creates a situation to engage in abuse?” I was wondering if the trauma was also gender specific. Does part of the difficulty of finding help stem from the cause and embarrassment associated with that trauma?
I liked how your brought in social media to the post. It seemed really natural. I struggled with that in my own post, I think I would have needed to dig deeper to what sort of resources are available on my topic. You showed me the way.
I think what I liked best of all was the tone of voice. The entire blog felt really encouraging. It wasn’t a “go get ‘em” style, but I felt the great need that women need to recover from substance abuse. I also liked what felt like instructions on how to be a more sensitive writer on the topic, so rather than it just being a blog about women and addiction, it became a blog about how to write for this specific audience. Which also narrowed the blog audience down to writers looking to write about addiction. I look forward to reading more!
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Hi, Tamera
This was a very interesting read for me.
I earned my master’s in Counseling in Student Affairs a few years ago and even though the program dealt with mental health counseling, I was not able to take an addictions class. I can see that it is truly a very important thing to learn in our ever-changing society.
While reading your blog, it had never occurred to me to have a gender specific recovery group. Again, it is not something I gave that much thought to, but your blog really opened my eyes. Reading the fact that women are not necessarily comfortable in a 12-step program dominated by men really opened my eyes to what should have been obvious to me all along. After I read that, everything started to make sense for me and came together.
I currently work with child services and I see a lot of recovery-related issues. I totally understand why some women go down this road when it comes to trauma; I have read about so much trauma in womens’ lives due to past relationships with significant others, family members, and even strangers. These things can be definite triggers for a lot of substance abuse.
I know very little about these sorts of matters, but I have met people who have struggled with these things before, both men and women. I am looking forward to reading more of your blogs to gain a better insight on how issues like this affect women and how they can actually get on that road to recovery. Thank you very much for this.
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Tamera,
I appreciate the perspective you have provided in your blog. It caught my eye as something not often considered I think – with having gender-specific recovery groups. And I think that is a value to expanding a reader’s knowledge. And bravo on your stigma section – I think too often people choose not to seek help because of real or imagined pressures. Also, I felt that your writing style took a much more positive approach in language use when describing very real and often negative situations.
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Hi Tamera,
I really enjoyed reading your blog! Women are just so different from men and how we approach certain challenges. Therefore, it makes sense that women who struggle and suffer with substance abuse will need an approach that is tailored for them. While I read your blog, I felt like I was able to gain a better understanding of women who struggle with substance abuse. As I have shared before, we are a foster care family and are involved in cases where children have been removed from their homes because of a mother’s substance abuse. Your ideas of providing support as they begin to question their habits and need to reach out in a time of vulnerability will be useful, comforting, supportive, and empowering.
Your style of writing was easy to read, flowed naturally, and touched upon your main ideas well. It was nicely organized and kept my attention. My only suggestion would be to add more visuals and perhaps a video or testimonial that would support your mission. I look forward to reading more of your ideas as we continue through this course.
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Hi, Tamera,
I appreciated the awareness that your blog brings, especially to an audience that may not be very familiar with substance abuse. I was really intrigued by your topic, as it specifies an entire gender group as having a specific set of needs. I never thought of how treatment could add secondary stress because of how it’s applied; but especially with the experiences of so many women being harmed by men, it makes sense to draw it out into its own area of specialty, because it warrants that kind of treatment in our cultural context. I’m grateful that some of the most vulnerable population will be able to be helped as a result of this kind of information and action.
Although I myself never struggled with substance abuse, I had several friends in my lifetime who did. The especially heartbreaking cases were those who were single mothers, as they were responsible for two lives and their own was being controlled by such a pernicious forces of addiction. I’ve watched my high school students, some of whom come from substance-abusive families, and some who took on those demons themselves, at such a young age — heartbreaking.
Your writing is easy to follow, and your topic is well covered. As others have suggested, adding a quick introduction with your connection to the social action, along with some relevant pictures, enlarged text of significant quotes, and perhaps some statistical graphs for a quick study would be helpful to emphasize your excellent points. Perhaps some additional resources linked at the bottom would also be helpful, as there is some exigency here.
Thanks for sharing, and I’m looking forward to reading more from you!
— Denice Douglas (ENG 624)
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