Many women struggling with drug dependency also have a past that includes domestic abuse or sexual abuse. In order to deal with the long-term fallout of trauma and its hold on women for years, and even decades, the trauma will need to be dealt with in a caring, safe way. Trauma and addiction in women is a far more common occurrence than many people realize. It is understood that while women are much more likely to have lingering issues following a traumatic events, few reach out and get the mental help they need to begin truly healing. When a women lives through highly charged, emotionally and physically traumatic events, the cries for help are often hidden.
Trauma and addiction in women has become one of the focus areas of Coastline’s drug treatment program in Huntington Beach, CA. We understand that a high number of our female clients have come from backgrounds that include trauma and violence, and that these women need specialized women’s inpatient rehab services. Quite often, women have been dealing with their unresolved trauma by self-medicating with alcohol and prescription drug addiction. Since many of the physical symptoms of trauma in women include headaches, sexual dysfunction, and digestive issues, women can be misdiagnosed with illnesses not at the root of their issues. Trauma and addiction in women can be properly diagnosed and treated with great success at Coastline Behavior Health’s rehab center.
When clients enter our women’s drug rehab center for alcoholism treatment or opiate detox we believe that it is our primary goal to help them understand that their drug addiction might have roots deep stemming from their past. Our women’s inpatient rehab is designed to help women feel safe to share with others about their past, sometimes for the first time in their lives.
Women often feel guilt about their past trauma, especially if it was sexual abuse. This shame often prevents women needing treatment for addiction from telling others what they have lived through. It is Coastline’s goal to provide a secure, loving rehab center where sharing is not only encouraged, but comes without any judging or unsolicited advice.
When providing inpatient rehab for trauma and addiction in women it is important to design drug treatment plans that offer women time to work through their issues at their own pace. One of the most stressful things women attempting opiate recovery can experience is pressure to disclose hidden events and upsetting trauma.
Unlike men, women in treatment for trauma and addiction will need to feel free from judgement before allowing themselves to share about their meth addiction or suboxone abuse histories. The pressure to disclose events, some of which may be deeply repressed from conscious thinking, can be a stumbling block for women trying to maintain sobriety. Our counselors are trained in trauma and addiction in women and offer Coastline rehab center clients access to cognitive-behavioral therapy, experiential therapy for addiction and group therapy for alcoholism.