WOMEN AND DRUG ABUSE
Posted by adminApproximately 3.8 million U.S. women of all ages, races, and cultures use drugs. It is estimated that 31 percent of U.S. women (over 17 years of age) have used an illicit drug at least once in their lives. Today, approximately 28,000 (66 percent) of AIDS cases among women are related either to injecting drugs or to having sex with a man who injects drugs; consequently, AIDS is now the fourth leading cause of death among women of child-bearing age.
Findings indicate that many women who use drugs have had troubled lives. Studies show that at least 70 percent of women drug users have been sexually abused by the age of 16. Most of these women had at least one parent who abused alcohol or drugs. Furthermore, these women often have low self-esteem, little self-confidence, and a sense of powerlessness. They often feel lonely and are isolated from support networks.
Unfortunately, many female drug users are unable to seek help. Whereas some may not be able to find or afford child care during a course of treatment, others fear that the courts may take away their children once the drug problem is known. Others may fear violence from their husbands, boyfriends, or partners.
Research has shown that female drug abusers have a better chance of recovery when treatment takes care of their basic needs. Some women need the basic services of food, shelter, and clothing. Other women also need transportation, child care, and training in parenting. The most successful treatment also teaches reading, basic education, and the skills needed to find a job. As a woman’s self-esteem increases, her chances of remaining drug-free increase.
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