Women's Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs and Methods of Treatment
Women's Residential drug treatment centers provide a multidisciplinary approach to facilitate recovery from addiction and alcoholism specifically for women. Comprehensive gender specific chemical dependency treatment services provide a structured therapeutic environment that begins with the detoxification and withdrawal process and extends through aftercare planning following residential drug and alcohol treatment. Gender specific recovery programs are especially important in the treatment of women with drug addiction, alcoholism, eating disorders, sex addiction and co-occurring disorders, as women have gender specific issues that often need to be dealt with in a therapeutic women's drug and alcohol rehabilitation setting without their male counterparts.
Women's treatment programs are specifically geared toward the individual needs of women afflicted with the devastating diseases of drug addiction and alcoholism. Substance abuse in women has a distinctive etiology, disease progression and specific treatment needs. A growing body of research shows that substance abuse among women and the issues surrounding their abuse differs from that of men, requiring a specialized set of treatment services. A recent Institute of Medicine report has highlighted gender as an important variable that should be considered when designing a treatment plan.
Women in Recovery Drug Treatment Program Methods
The latest empirical studies on female substance abusers identify certain addiction consequences that correlate much more highly to women drug addicts and alcoholics than their male counterparts. Among these are low self-esteem, lack of traditional job skills, depression and, by far the most important, lack of a social support network and a strong value system. Women's drug and alcohol treatment centers take into account all of these characteristics when analyzing the appropriate treatment modalities and therapies for a female drug addict or alcoholic in gender specific drug rehabilitation program setting.
Therapeutic interventions include individual or group counseling and psychotherapy, and treatment services are usually provided by trained, certified professional therapists. Most therapeutic intervention programs rely on cognitive-based therapy which addresses irrational thinking and attempts to restructure thought processes.
Support groups are usually conducted by a member of a recovery group with the assistance of prepared materials by a national organization. The most well known support groups are Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Most support groups are modeled on the Twelve Steps of AA and rely on faith in a "higher power" to assist in achieving goals.
Drug and Alcohol Detoxification - Detox programs are treatment programs of planned withdrawal which may or may not include medication to assist in withdrawal. Length of detoxification depends on the substance ingested and the methods used for detoxification. Detoxification without other treatment has not been found to be effective in maintaining sobriety.
Treatment and Detoxification Protocols
OxyContin® is a powerful drug that contains a much larger amount of the active ingredient, oxycodone, than other prescription opiate pain relievers. While most people who take OxyContin as prescribed do not become addicted, those who abuse their pain medication or obtain it illegally may find themselves becoming rapidly dependent on, if not addicted to, the drug. Two types of treatment have been documented as effective for opioid addiction. One is a long-term, residential, therapeutic community type of treatment and the other is long-term, medication-assisted outpatient treatment. Clinical trials using medications to treat opioid addiction have generally included subjects addicted to diverted pharmaceutical opioids as well as to illicit heroin. Therefore, there is no medical reason to suppose that the patient
addicted to diverted pharmaceutical opioids will be any less likely to benefit from medication-assisted treatment than the patient addicted to heroin. Some opioid-addicted patients with very good social supports may occasionally be able to benefit from antagonist maintenance with naltrexone. This treatment works best if the patient is highly motivated to participate in treatment and has been adequately detoxed from the opioid of abuse. Most opioid-addicted patients in outpatient therapy, however, will do best with medication that is either an agonist or a partial agonist. Methadone and levo alpha acetyl methadol (LAAM) are the two agonist medications currently approved for addiction treatment in this country. Presently there is no partial agonist approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in narcotic treatment , although buprenorphine holds great promise. The guidelines for treating OxyContin addiction or dependency are basically no different than the guidelines the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) uses for treating addiction or dependency to ANY opioid .
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
For further information or to request information about the CSAT Advisory, please
contact Edwin M. Craft, Editor, at ecraft@samhsa.gov.
Equine-assisted therapy combines the use of horses and experiential therapy. Horses, with their intuitive and sensitive nature, mirror what they receive from people, providing powerful insights and learning experiences in a therapeutic setting. Through one's relationship with the horse and the use of metaphors, equine therapists will facilitate the process of awareness and change for each individual.
Acupuncture is gaining in popularity as a treatment for addiction. In addition to its use in community-based treatment programs, more than 500 inmates are taking acupuncture treatments around the country each day. For substance abusers, the process involves inserting three to five needles into precise points of the outer ear just beneath the skin for about 45 minutes while the patient sits in a chair. The needles signal neurotransmitters that release natural pain relieving endorphines which reduce cravings for drugs or alcohol and help calm the patient. Some programs use acupuncture in combination with other traditional forms of addiction treatment.
Anger Management Treatment - A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps counselors teach anger management techniques in a group setting through a 12-week cognitive behavioral intervention. The treatment addresses the anger cycle, conflict resolution, assertiveness skills, and anger control plans.
Treatment Programs and Treatment Plans - Individualized
The best treatment program for one client may differ from the treatment intervention for another. The type of drug, the client's background, length of abuse, motivation for treatment, environment and social support play a part in determining the most appropriate treatment intervention. It’s important to receive one on one treatment with a trained certified counselor or therapist as well as group and education treatment when receiving alcohol or drug treatment.
Effectiveness of Treatment
Studies conducted in the last fifteen years show that drug treatment is effective in reducing drug abuse, increasing employment, improving psychological adjustment, and decreasing crime. The most persuasive evidence of the effectiveness of treatment is found in the results of the Treatment Outcome Prospective Study (TOPS). See Robert L. Hubbard, et. al., Drug Abuse Treatment: A National Study of Effectiveness (Chapel Hill, NC: U of North Carolina Press, 1989).
TOPS studied 10,000 individuals admitted to 37 programs in 10 cities. They found that "drug abuse treatment has been notably effective in reducing drug abuse up to five years after a single treatment episode." The study also reported, "By serving as an alternative to incarceration, treatment can be particularly beneficial for drug abusers identified in jails or prisons, and it can play a central role in combating the spread of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) by reducing the intravenous use of heroin and other drugs." The TOPS study also found that legal pressure tended to keep people in treatment for longer periods and that this coercion did not interfere with treatment goals.
The potential for reducing criminal behavior is one of the most compelling reasons in favor of drug treatment. The TOPS study found that "three to five years after leaving treatment, the proportion of clients who were involved in predatory crimes was one-third to one-half of the pretreatment proportion."
Yoga
Yoga is a way of life, an integrated system of education for the body, mind, and inner spirit. This art of right living was perfected and practiced in India thousands of years ago but, since yoga deals with universal truths; its teachings are as valid today as they were in ancient times. Therefore the practice of yoga in women's drug and alcohol treatment and recovery has become invaluable in the recovery process for many women throughout the world.
Art Therapy
Art Therapy offers women a creative way to express trauma and life experiences associated with drug addiction and alcoholism. Whether it is lifestyle, past pain and trauma, current bi-polar or codependency issues, relationship issues, or any other specific issue that women might be challenged to share in a mixed gender group, women's drug and alcohol treatment centers answer the call. Please call us at Drug and Alcohol Rehab Services at 1-800-515-DARS to learn more about women's specific drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. |
