Alcohol Rehab for Women: Healing Together
Women face a host of unique challenges when it comes to overcoming alcohol abuse, from different withdrawal symptoms and long-term effects to societal pressures that can minimize women’s experiences and keep them from seeking help. Genesis House is dedicated to empowering women, helping them achieve lasting sobriety and rise above the obstacles that can hold them back from healing. Our gender-specific residential rehab program provides a safe space that enables clients to connect with other women and focus on recovery without distraction or added stress.
Inpatient rehab offers a chance to leave behind the stress and toxic surroundings that can lead to addiction and work towards lifelong healing with a variety of evidence-based treatment programs, such as behavioral therapy and dual diagnosis programs as well as medication-assisted treatments. If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, there is hope, and Genesis House is here to help you take the first step.
Why Gender Matters When It Comes to Alcohol
Alcohol use disorder can have very different effects on men and women, and treating it can require specialized strategies. Addiction itself can take hold more quickly for women due to biology and can leave women with different long-term effects and health considerations during the recovery process. Women also face distinctive pressures, expectations, and double standards from society, without a program that understands and addresses the needs of women, can push them deeper into alcohol use.
A large prospective medical study that included 88,084 women and 47,881 men over a thirty-year period found that women’s bodies are more vulnerable to the long-term effects of alcohol and, in some cases, suffer from health concerns that the same amount of drinking doesn’t cause in men. Some of these effects include:
Cancer: Just one drink a day was found to increase the risk of cancer for women, particularly breast cancer. No corresponding risk was found for men.
Alcoholic liver disease: Women are also more likely than men to develop alcoholic hepatitis (liver inflammation) and to die from cirrhosis.
Neurological Impairment: Many people struggling with alcohol use disorder can suffer from some loss of mental function. Research suggests that women are more vulnerable than men to such alcohol-induced brain damage.
Heart disease: Heavy drinking typically leads to cardiovascular disease, and, among drinkers, women are more susceptible to alcohol-related heart disease, even though women drink less alcohol over their lives than men.
For more information about the physical impact of drinking on women, check out this booklet by the National Institute of Health and the University of Alabama
The Biology of Drinking: How Alcohol Affects Women
Women’s bodies experience the effects of alcohol more intensely due to differences in body mass, fat distribution, and water retention as well as in the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. Each drink for a woman roughly equals two drinks for a man, and those drinks can have a very different impact when it comes to women’s health.
The Impact of Alcohol on Women’s Bodies
Gender-specific alcohol rehabs such as Genesis House work to address and treat the specific effects that alcohol addiction can have on women, and the unique impact that alcohol use disorder can have on the female body. Studies have found that women who have suffered from an addiction disorder can also show such symptoms as:
- Menstrual cycle irregularity.
- Elevated testosterone and lower estrogen levels.
- Infertility or difficulty conceiving.
- More difficult menopause or early-onset menopause.
- Congenital disabilities or miscarriage.
- Increased cortisol levels and chronic stress.
- Heightened cancer risk, particularly breast cancer.
The long-term risks for women also include the alcohol risks shared by men, such as liver damage, heart disease, and brain damage, but at a higher rate. Although women tend to drink less than men, their bodies are more susceptible to alcohol, and a women’s recovery center provides a separate space from the pressures of everyday life for patients to work towards a happier, healthier, and sustainable sobriety.
You Don’t Have to Fight Addiction Alone
Overcoming a substance misuse disorder is hard, but you don’t have to struggle alone. Find supportive, evidence-based treatment at Genesis House.
855-936-4435The Double Standards That Can Drive Addiction
Women can face enormous pressures that lead to feeling as if they have nowhere else to turn except alcohol and no way to ask for help. Gender-specific treatment programs provide a warm and nurturing environment with personalized therapeutic approaches that focus on the most effective healing strategies for women.
If you’d like to learn more about the dangers of alcohol use for young women, this SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration) fact sheet offers valuable information and starting points for a family conversation.
Staying Sober: How Alcohol Rehab Can Help Women
Overcoming alcohol use disorder can be a long and difficult journey, and it’s one that’s different for each and every person. Women in particular can be more susceptible to not only certain physical symptoms and effects of alcohol but to psychological forces that can lead to a relapse and make recovery all the more difficult. Genesis House offers a variety of treatment options that take into account these crucial differences.
Gender-Specific Care: Hearing Women’s Voices
Although coed rehab can be invaluable for some patients, social expectations and ingrained gender habits can lead to male voices and perspectives dominating groups. Gender-specific care allows women to have their own space for healing, with a staff and treatment plan based on their unique needs, concerns, and perspectives.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment: Healing the Whole Person
Addiction rarely forms in a vacuum. It’s often the result of another mental health condition that sparked the alcohol use disorder in the first place, and this can be particularly true for women. Such conditions as depression and anxiety can drive an individual to self-medicate with alcohol, which only worsens the problem. Dual-diagnosis treatments address both sides of the addiction to help ensure a lasting recovery.
Trauma Informed Care: Overcoming the Past
For too many women, alcohol use disorder can be an effort to relieve the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. From childhood abuse to domestic violence, from near-death experiences to medical events, trauma can take many forms and form a vicious circle alongside addiction. Trauma-informed care is the foundation of Genesis House’s addiction treatment program, helping survivors rise above their trauma.
Genesis House’s Commitment to Healing
Even though it’s legal, alcohol is one of the most dangerous and physically addictive substances available, and breaking free of its grip is something that should never be tried alone. Genesis House is here for you with an experienced, compassionate medical team to see through the first stages of detox through a variety of gender-specific treatments to overcome the obstacles to sobriety and develop the coping strategies, healthy mindset, and support network necessary for recovery. If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol, give us a call or reach out to us online today.
The Time For Treatment is Now
Don’t let your substance misuse continue to wreak havoc on your life. Start your recovery today.
855-936-4435Frequently Asked Questions About Women’s Alcohol Rehab
What factors should women consider when choosing an alcohol rehab facility?
While you can confirm much of the information about a rehab facility through their website and by checking their accreditations, speaking with a representative can offer valuable insight into whether a treatment center is right for you.
Here are a few questions to ask:
- Are you licensed and accredited?
Every reputable rehab center should be licensed by its home state and accredited by an outside organization to ensure quality service.
- What evidence-based treatments do you use?
Evidence-based treatments are treatments backed by science, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical therapy, and medications.
- Do you have specialty programming for me?
Each person’s recovery journey is different, and the facility should have experience treating people in similar situations as yours.
How do family dynamics impact women's alcohol rehab journeys?
Family can play a pivotal role in healing, but it can also be one of the dynamics that need to change for a successful recovery; residential rehabs offer clients a place to focus on healing while also reexamining the dysfunctional relationships and family dynamics that may have first led to the addiction. Genesis House offers a family therapy program for rebuilding healthy relationship dynamics and recovering from the aftereffects of alcohol addiction, in which case participating family members can meet with clients each Sunday between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Loved ones may also be able to stay in touch through weekly supervised phone calls and emails.
What aftercare programs are available for women in alcohol rehab?
Genesis House’s aftercare program helps ensure that the recovery process doesn’t end once you leave treatment. Sobriety is a lifelong journey and one that you and your therapist will plan together during your stay by examining your triggers and finding ways to recognize and avoid a relapse. Once you’re discharged from residential rehab, our program offers sober living homes, 12-step support groups, ongoing therapy, regular social events, and online sobriety networks, as well as an alumni program with additional support services, gatherings, and an open-door policy to ensure that you can return at any time for treatment if you find yourself in danger of a relapse.
