When men participate in gender-specific addiction treatment, they tend to stay in treatment longer. It’s a well-documented fact the longer a patient stays in treatment, the less likely they are to relapse. Therefore, gender-specific programs can reduce relapse rates and increase the chance of lifelong, sustained sobriety. But that’s true for both men and women – so what is it about gender-specific treatment that encourages men to stay in treatment longer? When men participate in a men only rehab program, they drop the macho act, admit they need help, own their fears, and start sharing their experience with one another.
More than 11% of adult men in the United States meet the criteria for a substance abuse disorder annually. Overall, one out of every seven Americans ages 12 and older has a substance or alcohol abuse disorder. While addiction afflicts tens of millions of Americans each year, less than half complete treatment. Since addiction is a chronic, incurable disease, treatment is necessary in order to ensure you fully recover.
The risk of experiencing a fatal overdose continues to increase, as overdoses have become the leading cause of accidental death in the country. Addiction can cause personal, career, and relationship problems. When you become addicted to drugs or alcohol, your decision-making process and judgment are impaired, making you more likely to make poor or risky decisions. Therefore, finding the appropriate treatment as early as possible is one of the best ways to prevent substance use disorder or addiction from claiming any more lives.
When you’re ready to begin your road to recovery, turn to our team for the help you need today. Our admissions team is ready to help you determine the type of care you need.
When it comes to substance use disorder, women and men have different experiences. Men experience cultural stressors differently from women. Similarly, there are expectations presented to men about how and when to use drugs or alcohol. In gender-specific rehab, patients are able to focus exclusively on these kinds of issues. By learning how to identify their unique stressors, how they have developed unhealthy coping mechanisms, and how the abuse of substances has negatively impacted not just themselves but those they care about. Coming to terms with how addiction has affected their work life but their personal life as well is vital in making a lasting recovery.
Research indicates significant differences in the rates and types of drugs men use. For instance, statistics show men are more likely to:
Men also seek and/or avoid treatment for different reasons than women. Men are more likely to:
These factors – almost all of which are enmeshed with issues of masculine identity – cause men to seek treatment later in the course of their addiction, which contributes to the progression of the disease and exposes them to increased physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences.
Gender-separate treatment is beneficial for men. Group therapy can focus on specifically male issues, and experts suggest that the absence of women may allow men to be more open about their experiences and feelings. It also frees them from the possible distractions of romantic and physical attraction that can be experienced by men as the drugs and alcohol leave their systems and long-repressed feelings are allowed to surface.
Men come to treatment with histories of trauma and often discover co-occurring mental health disorders once they complete a men’s detox program and experience a sustained period of sobriety. On average, men present fewer incidents of trauma and receive dual-diagnoses less often than women. Trauma common to men in treatment is typically rooted in emotional neglect, physical abuse, violence, and experiencing grief or loss early in life. Co-occurring disorders in men are most often ADHD and depression, but it’s not unusual to uncover other mental health disorders. In these cases, dual diagnosis treatment programs can help heal both issues.
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