What addiction sufferers need the most from rehab is an environment that makes them feel welcome and comfortable. This is a time in their lives when they feel everything is falling apart. What they need is a safe place to go where they can work through their addiction issues.
One of the things some addiction sufferers fear the most is getting treatment in a coed environment. Due to personal issues, they just don’t feel comfortable being vulnerable around people of the opposite sex. For that reason, many of the nation’s top drug rehab facilities offer gender-specific treatment programs. They do so because it’s important for all addiction sufferers to have a safe place to go where they can get what they need out of treatment.
Because this is such an important issue, it’s worth writing about. In the sections below, the conversation will move towards the benefits of gender-specific treatment programs.
Does Gender Have an Impact on Addiction Treatment in Top Alcohol Rehab Centers?
There’s no denying that men and women deal with personal issues very differently. While men tend to become non-communicative, women tend to become emotional. This very different approach to dealing with serious issues like the addiction is what makes coed addiction treatment so difficult for some people.
Does gender affect the way addiction treatment is offered? Clearly, the answer is yes. The addiction treatment community takes very seriously its responsibility to make sure every client has a safe place to go for treatment. A safe place for treatment includes a place where they feel safe to open up and discuss their personal issues.
At this point, it makes sense to discuss why gender-specific treatment programs seem to work so well for the clients who need them. The most basic reasons why these programs succeed include:
- Putting people with much in common together to achieve a common goal
- Creating an environment where people feel free to open up without being judged by the opposite sex
- Eliminating the possibility of sexual tension interfering with the treatment process
- Aligning clients who have the potential of becoming support resources for one another
Putting People With Common Interests Together
It shouldn’t require any explanation to state that men have more in common with other men than they do with women. Of the course, women are in the same boat. By putting people in gender-specific treatment programs, it’s an attempt on the part of the rehab facility to make sure all participants have as much in common as possible.
Commonality creates a certain level of understanding. When someone of one gender talks about the issues they encounter as part of their gender, there’s a lot of recognition that takes place among all other participants. This level of understanding goes a long way towards making someone feel valid and not alone with their thoughts, feelings and troubles.
Creating a Treatment Environment Free From Judgement
Women who suffer from addiction issues are often seen by men as being morally weak. Men tend to think women will resort to the worst kinds of behaviors just to support their habits. In most cases, it’s not true. However, it’s a judgment male addiction sufferers tend to have towards their female counterparts.
One the other side of the coin, women tend to view male addiction sufferers as unreliable and weak. Society tends to expect men to be strong enough to handle their problems without resorting to harmful behaviors. Unfortunately, women tend to have that expectation of their male counterparts as unfair as it is. Gender-specific treatment programs eliminate a lot of this false judgement that can interfere with the treatment process.
Eliminating Sexual Tension
Nothing will interfere with the addiction treatment process faster than fraternization between the sexes. When you put sick men and women in close quarters with one another, there’s going to be sexual tension. For the most part, a gender-specific treatment program will mediate that issue.
Building Support Resources
For many people, it’s much easier to build friendships with people of the same gender. The most successful people in recovery are the ones who have great support resources. A gender-specific treatment program provides a safe environment where people of the same sex can build friendships that can turn into support resources for the future.
If you feel you would get more out of a gender-specific addiction treatment program, we can help you with that. All we ask is you contact us at 833-610-1174 and let us figure out how we can give you what you need.