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Physically and, arguably, psychologically, men and women are different. That partly explains why falling victim to and overcoming addiction is a much different experience between them. And this is not a baseless conjectural statement. Many studies, including one from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), show a glaring disparity between the number of men struggling with addiction versus women. Of course, it does not end there.
Most of those same studies note that the triggers that lead to experimentation and the eventual development of a drug or alcohol addiction differ between men and women. The ones that men have to contend with are not only tougher but also more challenging to ignore. Because of that, they are more likely than women to experiment with drugs, alcohol, or both and develop an addiction in the process. And when the time comes to get clean, most will need to undergo addiction recovery treatment programs that are different from the ones offered to women.
Table of Contents
- 1 The State of Substance Abuse in America
- 2 Additional Consequences That Can Stem From Abusing Drugs or Alcohol
- 3 The Social Impact of Drug Abuse on Communities
- 4 What We Can Learn From Statistics About Men and the Disease of Addiction
- 5 Co-Occurring Disorders Among Men
- 6 The Unique Health Risk Men Struggling With Addiction Face
- 7 Why an All-Male Rehab Makes Sense for Some Men Trying To Overcome Addiction
- 8 What To Expect While in an All-Male Rehab Facility
- 9 Addiction Counseling in an All-Male Rehab Facility
The State of Substance Abuse in America
Before delving further into the differences relative to addiction between men and women, we should probably better understand the substance abuse crisis in this country in general. To do that, it would help to look at an article published by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). It revealed that a whopping 21.2 million Americans have a substance abuse problem and that only 11% or so ever receive the help they need to get their lives back on track, which is unfortunate. When someone doesn’t get the help they desperately need to quit drugs or alcohol, their life can spiral out of control quickly. Studies show individuals who take heroin, methamphetamine, and other drugs intravenously, for example, can develop hepatitis C, HIV, AIDS, and even sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection that can cause tissue damage, organ failure, and, worse yet, death.
Additional Consequences That Can Stem From Abusing Drugs or Alcohol
Along with a heightened risk of contracting multiple diseases, individuals with an addiction problem, also known as a substance use disorder (SUD), are at a heightened risk of overdosing on their preferred drug. They are also more likely to develop hypertension and suffer a heart attack or stroke because of their relationship with drugs or alcohol. Those without mental health issues often encounter one after spiraling down the path of addiction, usually depression or anxiety. Frayed relationships, mounting debt, and legal troubles are also part and parcel of an addiction problem. The consequences of addiction can also take a toll on the communities where people with a substance use disorder call home.
The Social Impact of Drug Abuse on Communities
Much like individual users, substance use disorders can negatively affect entire communities. That’s the conclusion reached in a study published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which revealed substance abuse costs the U.S. some $740 billion annually in terms of healthcare, crime, and time loss from work. To appreciate why this is, it helps to know more about what happens when communities become overrun with a substance abuse crisis. When large swaths of a community are doing drugs, the number of substance abuse-related crimes increases significantly. As a byproduct of that, those communities wind up saddled with crippling debt incurred from the following:
- More funding for law enforcement
- Increased personnel staffing for jails due to an uptick in inmates
- Increased personnel staffing to accommodate courts overburdened with drug-related cases
- Increased hospital emergency room visits
- A decline in property values and sales tax revenue as people move out or avoid moving into crime-ridden areas
While we are on the topic, it is worth noting that roughly 70% of children neglected or abused live in a home with a parent who has a substance abuse problem. Removing children from such dangerous home environments means child welfare programs must receive more funding to cover higher payroll costs associated with hiring more personnel to take on these child welfare cases.
What We Can Learn From Statistics About Men and the Disease of Addiction
Having broadly explained how addiction collectively affects individuals and the communities in which they live, let’s delve deeper into how it affects men specifically. In 2017, an estimated 9% of men, compared to a little over 5% of women, had a substance use disorder, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The organization also revealed that men who abuse drugs or alcohol are more likely to be admitted to a hospital emergency room due to an overdose than women. It further noted that men are more likely than women to die from an overdose.
Co-Occurring Disorders Among Men
Since we’re already discussing statistics and how bad men have it when it comes to addiction compared to women, let’s turn our attention to co-occurring disorders, the medical term used to denote the co-existence of a substance abuse and mental health problem. Common mental illnesses that are part of a co-occurring disorder include the following:
- Anxiety and mood disorders
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Bipolar disorder
- Major depressive disorder (MDD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Schizophrenia
Available data shows men are less likely than women to seek help for stand-alone mental illnesses, let alone those that are part of a co-occurring disorder. Many cite guilt, shame, sadness, poor self-esteem, and similar emotions as the basis for not seeking that help. Instead, most struggling with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and the like turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate. And the consequences associated with doing so can be severe. The same data shows suicide rates among men with a stand-alone mental illness or co-occurring disorder are almost four times greater than those of women.
The Unique Health Risk Men Struggling With Addiction Face
In the battle of the sexes, as it relates to substance abuse, men struggling with addiction are often met with health consequences that women either don’t encounter or are less likely to encounter. Some of the more notable ones include organ failure, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, erectile dysfunction, and decreased libido. Because drug and alcohol abuse lowers male testosterone, men who abuse such substances are more likely to suffer from infertility than women. Men with low testosterone levels also have lower bone density levels, which puts them at risk of bone fractures. Low levels of this all-important hormone can also lead to a reduction in their overall strength.
Why an All-Male Rehab Makes Sense for Some Men Trying To Overcome Addiction
There is a plurality of reasons why it would behoove men to seek help from an all-male drug rehab center when they’re ready to end their relationship with drugs or alcohol and seek intervention to detox and undergo alcohol and drug treatment. Studies show divorce and failed romantic relationships are among the triggers that drive some men to experiment and ultimately become addicted to drugs or alcohol. Under those circumstances, a mixed-gender addiction recovery treatment facility environment would be less than ideal. Aside from that, working through feelings and behaviors is not something most men are naturally good at doing. These challenges and others are things that physicians, therapists, and addiction experts in all men’s rehab programs in the rehab facilities can help men with so that they can regain control over their lives. And that is why these facilities’ addiction recovery program treatment options are unique; they address those challenges in a way that motivates men to focus more on getting clean and less on worrying about past traumas. Also, for some men, especially younger ones, not being in the presence of the opposite sex makes it easier to concentrate on their recovery.
What To Expect While in an All-Male Rehab Facility
Aside from being surrounded by other men on a similar path toward achieving sobriety and a team of male physicians, therapists, and addiction experts who want nothing more than to help you achieve that goal, all-male rehabs are not too different from their mixed-gender counterparts. The most notable difference is that the approach to addiction treatment programs revolves around what works best for men trying to overcome addiction instead of what works for people in general. In an all-male rehab, men still encounter difficult withdrawal symptoms after abruptly quitting drugs or alcohol. And like mixed-gender rehabs, most all-male rehabs will provide FDA-approved prescription drugs to help ease or alleviate those symptoms, with the most commonly prescribed ones being methadone, disulfiram, acamprosate, naltrexone, buprenorphine, naloxone, and lofexidine. Addiction counseling is where the two facilities start to differ.
Addiction Counseling in an All-Male Rehab Facility
In an all-male rehab, addiction counseling can be in the form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), or motivational Interviewing (MI). While mixed-gender rehab facilities also offer these behavioral therapy sessions, they are applied somewhat differently. Therapists in all men’s drug rehabs will use one or more of these behavioral therapies to address many issues that are a little more specific to men with a problem with drug addiction or alcohol dependency. The most common include anger management issues, domestic violence, and difficulty accessing or expressing emotions. From there, most will offer referrals to support group therapy and sober living homes, which can significantly improve an individual’s chances of achieving long-term recovery.In summary, if you’re a man ready to break the cycle of addiction and lead a more fulfilling life, you might want to consider addiction recovery treatment services at an all-male rehab facility. And this is especially worth doing if you have a co-occurring disorder, anger management problems, or other issues typical of men struggling with addiction. To learn more, contact Miracles Recovery Center, a premier drug and alcohol rehab facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida, which offer treatment options like substance abuse treatment plan and other aftercare drug rehab program for you or your loved one.