Finding and Building Community for Women in Recovery

Finding and Building Community for Women in Recovery

Picture of Dr. Norris Von Curl, II, MD

Dr. Norris Von Curl, II, MD

In daily life, it isn’t easy to find community. As a woman, this challenge can feel significantly heightened. Yet, as a woman struggling with addiction, belonging can feel impossible. Especially when women struggling with addiction have been a stigmatized issue, this stigmatization has painted women in an unfair light while aiming to remove the essential part of treatment. This is the opportunity to belong and connect. This article discusses why community is so crucial, how women-led support can be a reality, and how the female community is empowering. We should all be provided with the same options for treatment.

A Need for Community

According to an article from the Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, around 6.5 million adult women are currently dealing with substance abuse. These numbers are aided by the fact that women are more susceptible to early trauma and genetically predisposed to addictions. This mixture makes treatment specifically for women all the more important. One of the crucial aspects of a woman’s treatment is community-based therapy. As a naturally relationship-based, community-based therapy provides women the chance to learn healthy relationship ties and boundary setting.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a woman’s addiction is usually related to family or partner use. This shows that women are also learning dysfunctional relationship patterns in addition to their substance abuse. These toxic patterns affirm the need for addiction. The design will remain until there is a new way to create friendships and rely on others in a healthy form. Community-based therapy is so important in addressing this growing woman-focused problem.

While this is only one of many issues that plague our women, it’s a crucial point of contention that must be addressed. Without healthy relationship functioning, women will continue in depression and anxiety without an escape. The goal is not just to give up the substance but to find healthy routes for long-term sobriety.

Mending Relationships

In light of women struggling with addiction often having abusive relationship patterns, there are resources for women in treatment. As well as community therapy, there is also trauma therapy. Trauma therapy can pinpoint many instances where relationships turned badly in a user’s life. For women, childhood relationships have a significant effect on future relationship choices. If there was violence and abuse in their household, they are more likely to view these instances as the standard. Once they can address these instances, it can take away the power it holds in their life.

There is also family counseling. These allow users to meet with their families in a therapy setting. Discussing issues with family, and resolving past or present problems, can remove a lot of the pain associated with those relationships. All these forms of therapy aim to fix relational ties or create a more robust standard for love. We want to tear down the beliefs that addiction is necessary to continue relationships or hide from the pain.

Consequently, this encourages community outreach. As we fix prior relationships and resolve traumas, we are more likely to reach out to others in the future. This is crucial to addiction treatment.

Empowerment Through Treatment

Women, in particular, have to struggle with this ongoing body image and self-esteem narrative. There is little escape from the ads, commercials, and media that focus on strong females who don’t need to rely on anyone. While we may feel empowered by these images, true empowerment comes from accepting the self. The woman-focused treatment, with resources for the community, brings your mental health to the forefront. Exercising interpersonal communication and being supported by those around opens the door to a stronger self-image. This isn’t just the image found in commercials, but a real emotional peace with your growth.

Given woman’s unique barriers, it is essential to recognize the growth possible through community-based treatment. Addiction treatment can sometimes feel excruciatingly slow, but these small steps build a solid foundation for the future. Women have a unique resilience that carries them through the roughest times. When our strength fails, we have people behind us. Remember the small victories if you are part of a group moving toward sobriety. Encourage the person next to you to keep going and let them know you are there for them.  When we have others, we cannot easily fail.

Treatment Options for Women

The threats of addiction that women face are untenable. We must provide resources to those in need of help beyond immediate safety and for future security. At First Steps Recovery, we place priority on providing specialized treatment. We consider different variables in every patient’s journey, providing the best course of treatment for them. This includes women who are searching for complete recovery from addictive habits. Not only will you be free from addiction, but you will be on your way to mending and creating relationships for the future. Together, we can fight dependency as a community.

Addiction treatment can be a scary decision, but it doesn’t have to be made alone. At First Steps Recovery, we are dedicated to your betterment. From admittance to recovery, you will be guided every step of the way to ensure your comfort and complete treatment. We see the potential in your future, and we are here to provide tools for you to see it too. Our clinics and specialists want you to achieve long-term sobriety. If you or your loved one is struggling with addiction, please consider our facility. We offer community, based, and holistic based therapy approaches that consider all aspects of your journey. For more information about our services, please call First Steps Recovery at (844) 489-0836.

Addiction treatment can be a scary decision, but it doesn’t have to be made alone. At First Steps Recovery, we are dedicated to your betterment. From admittance to recovery, you will be guided every step of the way to ensure your comfort and complete treatment. We see the potential in your future, and we are here to provide tools for you to see it too. Our clinics and specialists want you to achieve long-term sobriety. If you or your loved one is struggling with addiction, please consider our facility. We offer community, based, and holistic based therapy approaches that consider all aspects of your journey. For more information about our services, please call First Steps Recovery at (844) 489-0836.

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