The Benefits of a Female Only Treatment Facility for Addiction

Benefits-of-a-Female-Only-Treatment-Facility-for-Addiction

Finding the right addiction treatment for you can be overwhelming. A simple google search can present you with what feels like an endless amount of treatment options. Treatment should be a safe place where you can get honest with yourself and others, be vulnerable, and develop relationships with other sober people.

Addiction manifests in many forms and affects people differently. Addiction can also impact men and women differently. If you’re a woman and looking to get sober, a female-only treatment facility could be a great option for you. At Anchored Tides Recovery, located in Orange County, CA, we’re a female ran and female-only treatment center. It’s safe to say we totally understand women and recovery. 

What is a Women-Only Addiction Treatment Facility?

A women’s only addiction treatment facility is exactly what it sounds like. This is a facility that has been designed specifically to help women who suffer from addiction. During the 1970s and 80s, it came to light that addiction research was historically done on men, therefore the foundation of treatment was ill-equipped for women. As a response to this, research began on the differences between men and women when it comes to addiction. Studies show that:

  • Addiction progresses faster and can be more severe in women
  • Problems related to addiction interfere with functioning in more areas of life than men’s do
  • Are more likely to encounter health-related issues from addiction

After information on how addiction affects genders differently became available, women-only treatment started to form and flourish.

Benefits of a Women-Only Facility

There are numerous benefits to attending a women-only treatment center for addiction.

It’s Easier to Open Up

One of the most important aspects of addiction treatment is opening up to others. People need to be able to share their experiences regarding how addiction has impacted them while also learning from the experiences of others. Women might feel hesitant to open up regarding how addiction has impacted them with other men in the room. In many cases, drug abuse and addiction are going to impact other aspects of someone’s life, including their sexual health. It’s not uncommon for women to have negative sexual experiences during their addiction. It’s important for women to share these experiences in order to cope. 

Find Common Ground

When women enter a treatment facility that is designed for both genders, they might feel like they don’t have a lot in common with the other people in the facility. This can make it hard for someone to come to terms with addiction and rehab. If the treatment center focuses on women, the clients are going to be able to learn from the similarities of others. They are going to feel like they aren’t alone during treatment. Women’s only treatment also sets the foundation for creating a strong sober network. As a woman, it’s important to have support from other women, during and after treatment. 

All Women Staff

At Anchored Tides Recovery, we have an all-female staff. We feel the best way to run a female treatment center is to have females running it. We pride ourselves on creating a welcoming, safe space for women to start their recovery journey. Our female staff understands what you’ve been through while battling addiction and is dedicated to giving you all the tools you need to overcome this horrible disease. We will help you with your addiction and any comorbid conditions such as anxiety, depression, trauma caused by negative sexual experiences or domestic violence, PTSD, and more. 

We Support Women

At Anchored Tides Recovery, we are a comprehensive, dual-diagnosis enhanced program designed specifically for women, by women. Our program offers numerous levels of outpatient services including a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), a traditional Outpatient Program (OP), and long-term recovery monitoring. We are here to help women overcome addiction and mental health disorders. If you would like to learn more about how our program can help you and your family members recover from addiction, please contact us today!

Tips to Help Your Loved One During the Recovery Process

Tips-to-Help-Your-Loved-One-During-the-Recovery-Process

Addiction is a terrible disease and it can take a tremendous toll on not only the addict but the rest of the family as well. When someone first agrees to get help for drug abuse and addiction, they often think that detox is the only step during the recovery process. People who are addicted to alcohol might even come out of the detox process and think they can drink socially. This is not the case. Sobriety represents a lifelong commitment and people need to embrace this commitment every day. Having support from friends or family is one of the main factors that keep a recovering addict determined and disciplined. It’s a great idea for friends and family members to familiarize themselves with ways they can help an addict through the recovery process.

How to Tell if Addiction is Taking Hold of a Loved One?

In order to be able to support someone throughout the recovery process, you’ll need to be able to spot the signs of addiction. There are a few key signs that someone is suffering from addiction: 

  • Defensive behavior: Addicts tend to become defensive during their addiction. If you start to ask them why they don’t have money or why they’re losing weight, they’ll get angry and most likely try to turn the conversation around on you. Although this can be hurtful, remember that they aren’t doing this maliciously. 
  • Hiding their use: People drug and alcohol abuse are generally not socially acceptable, addicts hide their use. An addict may stash alcohol or drugs in their car so no one can find them. They’ll often lie about what they’re doing as well to hide their use. If you ask an addict to come over for dinner, it’s common for them to make up an excuse because they want to get high. 
  • Mood swings: Drug and alcohol use can cause unstable moods. Someone using a stimulant will be down one minute, then up the next. Someone who is addicted to alcohol may start their day out feeling happy and normal, but the more they drink, the more depressed they can become.
  • Financial problems: Sustaining an addiction can become very expensive. If you suspect someone is struggling with substance abuse, and they ask to borrow money, they might have a problem. If you find someone going through your personal belongings to steal money, they most likely have a problem. 

When is it Time for Help?

It’s never too soon to get help. Once you recognize that someone you love is suffering from substance abuse, it’s time for help. Addiction is a progressive disease, the longer it manifests, the worse it gets.  It is critical to stop addiction in its tracks as early as possible to limit the collateral damage that might result.

How To Help Someone with Addiction

It may feel hard at first to try to help someone who is suffering from addiction. It’s normal to feel angry, or sad, or confused, especially if someone’s addiction has impacted you directly. The most important thing to remember is your loved one is sick. If they did something to hurt you, it wasn’t purposefully. It’s important to approach someone who is suffering from addiction with care and compassion. If they feel like they’re being attacked or misunderstood, they may resist getting help. 

There are different ways to approach someone about their addiction. Because everyone is different and every addiction is different, it can be hard to determine what is the right thing to do. If your loved one is struggling and is an introvert, try having a private conversation with them. They may get overwhelmed if too many people confront them at once. If your loved one gets agitated easily, you may want to confront them with someone else present. 

After you confront the addict, the most important thing to do is let them know you’re here to help them. You can offer to help them with researching different treatment options and even help by calling different facilities to learn more about their program. 

The best thing to do when helping someone during the recovery process is to not judge them and lend a shoulder to cry on. You’d be surprised at how much it can mean to someone by just saying “I’m here for you if you ever need to talk”. 

Let Us Help You With Your Addiction Treatment

At Anchored Tides Recovery, we are a complete, dual-diagnosis enhanced addiction treatment program, designed specifically for women, by women. This program provides a variety of levels of outpatient services, which include a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), a traditional Outpatient Program (OP), and long-term recovery monitoring. Our goal is to help women overcome addiction and mental health disorders. If you are interested in learning more about how our professionals can help you overcome the bonds of addiction, please contact us today!

How Are Women Impacted Differently by Addiction?

How-Are-Women-Impacted-Differently-by-Addiction?

Addiction is a disease. It does not discriminate against anyone based on gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or occupation. It has the potential to impact anyone at any time. For the longest time, the vast majority of research was focused solely on drug abuse and alcohol addiction in men. This was because the trend was to use only men in medical studies. This exclusionary bias that women faced started to emerge in the 1990s. Many organizations in the United States noticed that women were also impacted by addiction, yet they were not receiving the same level of attention and treatment as their male counterparts. This led to a push to study addiction in women to a greater degree with the hope that medical professionals would be able to reach them more effectively during treatment sessions.

The Impact of Addiction in Women

As a whole, men are more likely than women to suffer from drug abuse and addiction. Between 11 and 12 percent of men over the age of 12 suffer from some form of substance abuse disorder. Just over 6 percent of women over the age of 12 suffer from a substance abuse disorder. Although the number of women suffering from addiction is lower than men, women are more likely to suffer fatal consequences from a substance abuse disorder. Women are more likely to end up in the emergency room or overdose due to substance abuse. For this reason, we want to raise awareness and spread information on the importance of getting the correct treatment. 

How are Women More Susceptible to the Dangers of Addiction?

Two ways in which men and women are impacted differently by addiction are biological and sociological.  Society expects different things from men and women and these sociological pressures impact how both genders respond to addiction. Differences in body size, composition, and hormone levels also impact how men and women respond to addiction.

Women are far more likely to transition from substance to substance when they suffer from addiction than their male counterparts. This means that women may use alcohol, then opioids, then stimulants. Even though men are more likely to become addicts as a whole, women are more likely to engage in self-medication with certain substances. 

Women are more likely to suffer end-organ damage from the effects of substance abuse and overdoses. This includes damage to the liver and kidneys depending on the type of drug. 

Finally, women are also more likely to experience cravings during the recovery process. This means that women are also more likely to relapse while they are in addiction treatment programs. 

How to Find Treatment for Addiction

When seeking treatment, people have the option to choose from an array of programs. There are mixed gender treatment centers, gender-specific, adolescent focused treatment, etc. While it’s great to have options, it’s important to seek the right kind of treatment. For instance, some women will feel particularly vulnerable when going to treatment and feel safe around other women. If this sounds like you, then an all women’s treatment center is the right choice. 

All treatment centers have the same end goal in mind, the only difference between mixed gender and gender-specific is the gender aspect. Often, people start the treatment process by trying to break free from addiction on their own. Sadly, this is not effective. People are bound to relapse. Therefore, it is important for everyone to reach out to professionals for assistance.

There are plenty of programs out there for individuals who are looking to treat addiction effectively. For example, many people start in an inpatient program so they can get through withdrawal and detox under the supervision of trained professionals. From there, individuals often transition to an outpatient program. This might include a partial hospitalization program (PHP) or an intensive outpatient program (IOP). There are programs out there for everyone. People simply need to know where to turn for help.

Let Us Help You!

At Anchored Tides Recovery, we are a comprehensive dual-diagnosis enhanced program that has been created by women to help other women recover addiction. We offer various levels of outpatient services including Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), Outpatient Program (OP), and long-term rehab and recovery monitoring. If you would like to learn more about our addiction treatment options, then please contact us today! We would be honored to help you and your family with the recovery process.