Psychological Impact On Substance Abuse Prevention

There is no doubt that there is a prevalence of substance abuse throughout several age groups. To a certain extent, a society is faced with the reality of controlling substance abuse. Or allow it run rampant throughout the community. Often times, we hear and read about the level of substance abuse among teen, young adults and mid-aged

Addiction is a disease that is complex and progressive, which can affect anyone at any time in their lives. No matter your race, sex, and cultural background, substance addiction can destroy lives. While drug and alcohol abuse presents challenges for any demographic group, the LGBT community has experienced substance addiction rates that are higher than any other group of people. It is important to look at the extent of addiction in the LGBT community. It is also important that we look at how those within the LGBT community can find the treatment and supports they need to become clean and sober. The problem is there are very few treatment’s that support the LGBT community.

Lewis, J. A., Dana, R. Q., & Blevins, G. A. (2015). Substance Abuse Counseling (5th ed.). Stamford, CT, United States of America: Cengage

Finlon MSW, C. (2003). Substance abuse in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 14(4), 109-116.

My mother taught me that a key factor to being successful is having the right tools for the job. I learned what that meant to me in my early years at Southern Illinois University. Growing up, I was challenged by Dyslexia. A disability that made school difficult. Until college, I found ways around it.

I discussed with Christine, the impact of trauma on substance use and using a Feminist lens explored how alcohol abuse relates to women. I supported Christine in understanding the reason women use, issues related to shame and stigma for women that are parenting and substance involved and how alcohol use affected parenting. Anti-oppressive social work influenced my decision to arrange a case conference to ensure Christine was involved in her treatment and was able to voice her needs. Christine was able to voice her desire to use alcohol socially and felt understood as her CAS worker advocated for a change in the requirements of her court order. We spent time in our sessions challenging cognitive distortions that maintained her present

While, this issue seems to be increasingly prevalent in this rural area, this health issue also applies to a much wider scale of female patients all across the U. S. These challenges in women’s health bring to light the question of why is alcoholism on the rise in women. In this country, drinking wine means a variety of things to different women. It may make them feel beautiful and more desired, or can help them relax or open up and connect with their peers and friends after a stressful day. Often, women 's emotional connection to wine is viewed as a benign and positive act as well as portrayed as an acceptable way to self-medicate. Women are taking on more and more responsibilities and roles in their lives, and the glamorization of drinking wine advertised on social media, like Girls’ Wine Night, on television as broadcasted on the Today show, and specialty labels on wine bottles that state this is “Mommy juice”, encouraging women under the pressures of their life to drink wine because they are deserving of it. Until recently, there have been several different categories of alcoholism and alcohol dependence that helped to

The chosen article by Lanza & Menendez (2013), stated that the acceptance and commitment therapy for drug abuse in incarcerated women has shown treatment intervention evidence based on assessment prior to treatment and at the end of treatment on substance use disorder. For example, the evidence intervention started by randomly selected thirty-one women with the issue of substance abuse and were three

The other side of this problem is a culture of suppression, the addiction problem among women. Women quickly learn to hide their drug habit as society considers excessive consumption of alcohol or other drugs does not fit in the category of feminists. A woman may think that if she recognizes her problem, her life will go downhill, friends and relatives turn away from her, and so she did not receive any support that is so badly needed.

Hypothesis 2: Was the CREST therapeutic community program successful in reducing rates of recidivism for substance-abusing women?

Drug abuse and alcohol abuse are expected to have worse consequences for women than for men based on biological differences and societal role expectations for men and women. The biological argument is that women metabolize alcohol at a different rate because of their lower ratio of water to body weight. Social role expectations exist because of the strong social disapproval of intoxication and drug

Miller (2015) highlights several differences between men and women who suffer from addiction. For instance, women face more stigma than men. The stereotypical female addict is viewed as pathological (i.e., promiscuous, lazy and/or selfish) and powerless (i.e., weak, scared or trapped). Chemically dependent women are also stigmatized because they are viewed as immoral and are blamed for their addiction. They are also measured against higher moral standards than men and also experience sexual stigma in relation to their addiction which may put them at a higher risk for sexual assault.

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to never suffer from a drug addiction probably hasn't thought about just how important gender-specific rehab is. This is especially true in regards to drug rehab for women.

Alcohol dependence has a much more pronounced medical effect on women than on men. Medical problems

This goes back to the theory that most women turn to substances for self-medicating purposes due to unresolved traumas or events in their lives. Women’s addiction is also different because women not only self-medicate because of traumatic events, but also to function as a working mother/woman in a fast paced world. According to, “The DASIS Report (May 2005)” women were less likely than men to detoxify. One reason is because they are in denial and try to rationalize their substance abuse. So they are less likely to seek help unless it is court ordered because children were involved. SAMSHA, stated that as of 2008, 1/3 of the population being treated for substance abuse were women. According to SAMSHA’s November/December 2008 Newsletter, 6.9 million women are not receiving treatment. Approximately, 94% feel they do not need treatment. This has been a drastic increase over the past 10years. SAMSHA also revealed that women have more barriers when seeking treatment such as, young children, poverty, low-income, stigmatization and have the inability to pay for treatment. This goes back to pay in-equality and the Equal Rights Amendment.