{"id":977,"date":"2022-09-21T11:57:44","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T11:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hopetrustindia.com\/dev\/?p=977"},"modified":"2022-09-21T11:57:44","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T11:57:44","slug":"women-and-relapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hopetrustindia.com\/dev\/blog\/women-and-relapse\/","title":{"rendered":"Women and Relapse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are circumstances leading to relapse different for men and women? Are their biological factors or differences between relapsing men and women? There are so many questions surrounding a woman\u2019s relapse<\/strong> because female addiction is still a relatively new field in its nascent stages.<\/p>\n

Alcohol affects the bodies of men and the bodies of women differently.\u00a0 This is because of women\u2019s hormonal make up and general metabolism that allows alcohol to wreak more damage on their bodies. Men and women have different amounts of body fat and water; women have a higher proportion of fat and a lower amount of water; alcohol is not fat soluble. Therefore, when a woman and man drink together the same amount of alcohol will have different blood alcohol levels. Hers will be higher. \u00a0A woman\u2019s body takes longer to recover from the effects of drugs and alcohol<\/a><\/strong> and detox itself. Research indicates that women generally need more recovery time to avoid relapse. If they are coming back from a relapse, they need not only more time, but more intensive counseling and physical allowances.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest barriers to treatment in women is the guilt and shame they experience over their \u2018unladylike\u2019 behaviour while using. Despite holding the knowledge (and being told repeatedly by others) that addiction is a disease, <\/em>they continue to hold themselves responsible.<\/p>\n

The second factor is family\u2019s lack of acceptance. They let her continue to hold onto the guilt and keep reminding her of her unacceptable behaviour. This being the case for initial treatment, we can see why a woman being treated for the second or third time would encounter even more difficulty in support.<\/p>\n

A healthy support system is essential for recovery. However, women more often than not, don\u2019t have as solid a support system as men do. This is also one of the major contributing causes for relapse. The escapades of men may be viewed as a part of \u2018growing up\u2019 or male entitlement while it is far more difficult for families to view their daughter\u2019s behaviour and experiences under drugs as an inevitable part of addiction.<\/p>\n

This difference in attitude is also prominent when they begin to recover. A male will find his parents\u2019 full support during treatment while a female will face family members who are angry, unwilling to forgive and let go and who blame her for their hurt feelings. Even children of female addicts refuse to meet them, or find it harder to accept an alcoholic mother than an alcoholic father.\u00a0 People find it harder to accept sexual deviance in women as compared to men. A father having an affair is more acceptable and is forgiven than a mother indulging in the same where family members are unwilling to forgive a woman.<\/p>\n

Most of these harmful attitudes stem from societal expectations of a woman\u2019s role and when she does not fulfill that role she is looked down upon and it is seen as directly a reflection of her faulty character.<\/p>\n

Keeping in mind the above challenges a woman faces in recovery, we can segregate the various problems women face according to their age group.<\/p>\n