{"id":2595,"date":"2021-10-19T13:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-19T17:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.therecoveryvillage.com\/?page_id=2595"},"modified":"2022-04-29T11:56:51","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T15:56:51","slug":"women-stigmatized","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.therecoveryvillage.com\/drug-addiction\/women-stigmatized\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Women More Stigmatized for Substance Abuse?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Women face many challenges, and a drug or alcohol addiction is an added struggle that\u2019s surrounded in societal stigma \u2014 especially for females.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Women are frequently viewed as the gentler sex throughout many cultures around the world. In society\u2019s eyes, women are expected to be dainty, fragile and made of sugar and spice and everything nice. From birth, swaddled in pink blankets, women are expected to adhere to their strictly outlined gender role, and when they don\u2019t, they are judged harshly for breaking the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women face societal stigmas in every area of life: at work, home, school, in the community and even regarding drug and alcohol use<\/a>. Having a drug addiction<\/a> or living with a mental health disorder<\/a> is highly stigmatizing, but a woman who struggles with these conditions may face more societal backlash than a man would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Double Standard of Substance Abuse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Substance abuse isn\u2019t necessarily praised among either gender, but women are ridiculed more harshly than men for the same drug and alcohol use behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, although smoking cigarettes<\/a> is legal, women may be labeled as trashy and lacking morals if they smoke in public while men may be viewed as attractive and more masculine<\/a>. The same comparison can be made with alcohol use. Before World War II, women who had an alcohol addiction<\/a> were perceived as closet drinkers, homeless or living with severe mental illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women who break societal norms and defy gender roles \u2014 especially by doing something illegal \u2014 risk being labeled as bad or immoral. While substance use disorders are still considered moral failings, a woman with addiction faces additional discrimination because of her gender. Mothers may frequently receive ridicule for resorting to substance use and may be seen as failures<\/a> while fathers may be excused for having a few beers after a hard day\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women and Opioid Addiction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Opioid addiction<\/a> is one of this country\u2019s most pressing health crises, and it does not discriminate based on gender. While more men than women die of drug overdoses related to opioids, the rates of opioid drug overdose deaths among women are skyrocketing. The CDC reports that more than 71,800 women<\/a> in this country have died from prescription opioid overdoses since 1999. Between 1999 and 2010, the overdose fatality rate among women grew 400 percent compared to 237 percent for men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Growing Impact on Families<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Young and expectant mothers also struggle with opioid addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse<\/a> reports that every 15 minutes, a baby is born with opioid withdrawal. In 2014, an estimated 32,000 infants were born with neonatal abstinence syndrome<\/a>. Opioid addiction among women has also led to an increased strain on the foster care resources<\/a> in many states, with more children being removed from homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Women Are More at Risk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not only are women more likely than men to experience chronic pain, which can facilitate a prescription for opioids, but they also tend to use opioids differently than men. Women are more likely to take opioids for longer periods and at higher doses, which can cause dependence quickly. Women also have higher risk factors for addiction that include such things as depression and other psychological issues. Now that opioid prescriptions are being limited by various state and local programs, many women who have become addicted to prescription pain medications have turned to heroin<\/a> as a substitute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barriers to Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the 1970s and 1980s, medical practitioners and researchers began to recognize how little was known about providing adequate treatment to women with substance use disorders. Research<\/a> suggests that women are less likely to develop a substance use disorder compared to men. However, women often develop drug and alcohol addictions faster than men do, and they frequently face more barriers to treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men and women may use substances for similar reasons, like to self-medicate or to cope with social pressures, but according to the book \u201cWomen Under the Influence<\/a>,\u201d men and women have significantly different experiences in treatment for substance use. Some reasons why women may be more reluctant to seek addiction treatment include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n