Women account for approximately 20% of military personnel. Women, like men, often struggle with mental health and substance use disorders (SUDs) when they return to civilian life. The perception of veterans as impervious and able to withstand anything that comes their way creates a public misunderstanding of the severity of issues like PTSD and addiction. Combined with an already existing societal stigma against mental illness and SUDs, these misconceptions get in the way of veterans seeking the help they need. At a veterans’ rehab center that has a women’s addiction treatment center, women veterans can receive individualized care in a setting that feels safe around others with similar military and addiction experiences.
To learn more about UpArmor Recovery’s women’s rehab program in Mississippi, contact one of our staff today. We can answer your questions about substance abuse treatment, how women’s rehab works, and the first steps toward recovery. Call 855.211.5537 today or complete this online form.
Women Veterans and Substance Use Disorders
Veterans deal with many challenges regardless of gender—PTSD, depression, anxiety, homelessness, poverty, suicide, addiction, and more. Because women in the military operate within a predominantly male culture, they face additional challenges and obstacles. As a result, their vulnerability to mental health and substance use disorders is even greater than their male counterparts.
Women veterans are more likely to die by suicide than men and are particularly susceptible to becoming dependent on prescription sedatives, opioids, and meth. Male veterans abuse alcohol at higher rates than women, but alcohol addiction is still a significant risk for female veterans.
Why Choose a Women’s Rehab Program for Veterans?
In addition to the profound stressors faced while serving, women in the military face a higher incidence of sexual or physical abuse than non-military women or their male counterparts. About 25% of women in the US experience and report sexual assault. In the military, it is around 33%. Many more assaults go unreported. Numerous women in the military who report their assaults claim to be ostracized or faced with professional reprisals, leading to even greater feelings of fear and lack of safety.
Additionally, an extraordinarily high percentage of women veterans have experienced sexual or physical trauma during their lifetimes. These are some of the reasons that women’s addiction treatment is popular and effective with female veterans.
The Benefits of a Women’s Addiction Treatment Center
Because some of the underlying triggers of SUDs among men and women are different, combined with the different approaches men and women have to processing, sharing, and tackling complex emotionally charged issues, single-gender addiction treatment can be very beneficial. Some of the benefits of a women’s rehab center for veterans are below:
- Feeling safe – People will not heal if they do not feel safe. All addiction rehab programs seek to provide safe environments for their clients. Women are more likely to feel secure enough in a women’s rehab program to be open about their past experiences of certain kinds of trauma, such as rape, domestic violence, or physical assault.
- Therapy focused on women’s unique issues – Both men and women deserve an individualized treatment plan considering their circumstances. For women veterans, therapy can address their specific problems and challenges, such as fitting into the male-dominated world of military and veteran culture or conflicting feelings of responsibility about children and family relationships. Women face unique relapse risks, and women’s rehab focuses on skills and strategies to avoid them.
- Mutually caring culture – Women tend to benefit from rehab surrounded by other women who build a culture of nurturing, support, and interpersonal connections. Feeling free from the male gaze, external expectations, and sexual tensions can help pave the way for healing and recovery.
A women’s rehab program for veterans empowers women in recovery to confidently face the road ahead. Long-term outcomes for women veterans dealing with substance abuse are improved when they choose a women’s rehab center for veterans.
UpArmor Recovery: Women’s Rehab Program for Veterans
The women’s rehab program in Mississippi at UpArmor Recovery offers various forms of outpatient care, including a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), 12-step programs, and more. Find out how we can help you.
Learn more about women’s rehab by calling UpArmor Recovery today at 855.211.5537 or filling out this form.