Drug Abuse and Treatment

Research indicates that women can become addicted quickly to certain drugs, such as crack cocaine, even after casual or experimental use. Therefore, by the time a woman enters treatment, she may be severely addicted, making treatment more difficult. This is also true when a woman becomes dependent on prescription painkillers.

Many drug-using women do not seek treatment because they are afraid, they worry they won’t be able to keep or care for their children, they fear reprisal from their spouses or boyfriends, and they fear punishment from authorities in the community. Many women report that their drug-using male sex partners initiated them into drug abuse and then sabotaged their efforts to quit using drugs.