In the past, you found that the treatment facilities were working for you. You attended detox as you had planned and continued to attend your meetings on a weekly basis. Lately you have found that these things are not working for you anymore. In fact, you have wanted to drink a lot more lately and you feel that your recovery is at a stand-still. You begin to find that some of your male friends in your recovery group are coping with the recovery strategies. You, however, find it difficult to make it through the day without a drink. You then begin to wonder if there is a difference when it comes to women and addiction recovery.
There is very little known about the gender differences of addiction recovery. However, since men and women think and cope differently in situations it would make sense that they cope differently with recovery. Because of the Gender difference in recovery, man women seek private help. Private addiction treatment helps women deal with issues that would treat in 12-step programs. The reason that private help works is that is deals with the clients particular issues as opposed to a possible issue that may be affecting everyone. Private treatment also allows women to speak one on one with an addictions expert about the difficulties in their recovery.
Intrigued by the thought, but still not sure if private help is for you? The following are reasons why you should consider seeking private help throughout your recovery.
Personal Recovery. When you seek private help, your recovery becomes personal. This means that you begin to learn strategies and steps that suit your personal needs. You are more apt to recover successfully when you are learning rules to eliminate your addiction. You are no longer learning general strategies to deal with addiction, but particular strategies to deal with your own.
Emotional Sobriety. When you receive private help you are more likely to maintain emotional sobriety. Emotional sobriety is when you come to terms with the emotional component of your addiction. It entails understanding why you needed the alcohol to cope and why you have lost the ability to control your emotions. Eventually you will learn to see alcohol for what it is. The need to drink will slowly disappear.
Holistic Recovery. Most private help entails a holistic recovery. This means that you will be able to obtain help for all the components of your addiction. Most programs just treat the physical part. You achieve physical sobriety, but never anything else. With a holistic recovery you will feel like there is no part of your addiction that was left untreated.
Recovery Coaching is very important for women and addiction recovery. It allows women to seek personal and emotional help for their recovery. If you are feeling like generic 12-step programs are not for you, or you need a little something extra besides AA then do seek private help for your recovery. Private addictions specialists can be found in your community as well as on internet social networking websites. Don’t hesitate to make such an important decision for your recovery.
If you are looking for a little hand holding to take you to the next level of sobriety, then I am here. Private recovery coaching saved me from returning to my alcohol addiction, and there are many pieces to the puzzle. I figured it out for me, perhaps what I have will help you too. Go and sign up for a free consultation with me, I’m a recovery coach.
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for defining all these different levels of help for addiction in women. This article is a very helpful resource!
What a great over-view of Recovery Coaching services. I’ve found in my own recovery that private help has been an invaluable resource. One of the drawbacks of only relying on peer-accountability (such as in 12 step groups) is that I can’t grow past my social group. Once my daily cravings were more manageable and I was using the principles of the 12 steps to rebuild my life, I needed specific guidance to continue to grow. I’ll ALWAYS rely on my homegroup for managing my recovery on a daily/weekly basis…but to get all the way to the horizon I can see in front of me, I’ve needed coaching.
What a great post! Although I’ve never dabbled in drugs and alcohol, I have a past with food addiction. I know that a lot of people laugh at this, but it’s a very real thing. It’s still an addiction, and in fact, it’s been proven that the neurological responses that occur immediately after eating too much sugar and other certain foods, is the same neuro response that happens directly after using heroin. Of course one does damage more quickly than the others, but the addiction can be just as hard to get over. What a fantastic site you’ve built that is sure to impact a lot of lives.
Food addiction is very very real….There are many chemicals in the food we eat, one must be diligent. I am just learning about food addiction. Thanks for your input!
Great post! I never thought about men & women needing different help because they are different! Don’t most people just go to the same place for help?
Yes, and generic programs are great, but sometimes, some people need a little more. Addiction recovery requires a rebuilding emotionally, and sometimes groups such as AA are not able to provide the support needed, so coaching like mine can help women over that hurdle and onto the next level….because there is much more to recovery than just being sober
How wonderful that you are helping others through something you have gone through. Thank you for being a resource and providing all this vital information. I have someone who is currently battling an addiction and your posts have helped me gain a new perspective. Thanks for sharing.
Coaching is necessity for people with addiction or recovering from it ~ as it is impossible to fight it alone!!! Thanks Anita for offering such an option to people! Have a wonderful day!
Wonderful, Anita! I work with many people, mostly teens and young adults, and their families with addiction recovery. I like the gender specific information, I’m sure this will be helpful information for me in the future!
Food addiction is very real! Glad you are addressing it as many people don’t view it as an addiction or they don’t address it. Great article!
Kim, yes and a lot of the women who come to me for help with alcohol addiction recovery are also addicted to food, cigarettes, the internet and so on. I am not addressing it personally though, I will have an expert come in to do that. I have a nutrition coach that I call on to help
I raise my hat to you Anita for embracing this challenge of leading women through recovery! I would dare to say, it would be hard to find another as dedicated, knowledgable, passionate and intent to help women find freedom and healing as they will find in you!!
Carl, I appreciate your kind words:) Thanks very much!
Great resource, Will keep you in mind if I encounter someone who needs your services.
Food addiction is very real. I believe it can relate to emotional issues. Similarly, I think once you’ve overcome one addiction, you may possibly have another addiction to something else to compensate for it. What do you think about this?
I agree Ingrid and a lot of people are dual addicted. My are of expertise is women and alcohol addiction recovery, but I do have some general knowledge.
Is it possible that for many women there is more a feeling of safety and being able to share more freely in private treatment that you don’t get when you’re in a group?
Absolutely. Also privacy is important for a lot of women. They don’t want the world to know they are attending meeting, programs etc…Another experience we see often too is women who are lesbian or who have been sexually assaulted or raped….they finsd it very uncomfortable to sit in a room full of men in a church basement (example of an AA meeting). So yes, personal TLC is very important in recovery
What great work you do, Anita. Will definately keep you in mind!
Norma Doiron @ The LEARNED Preneur╰☆╮
More power to you and your site. Lorii at http://www.manifestingmydestiny.com
I am so grate for sites like yours to help our families.
Thanks so much for sharing this post and sharing the distinction. How do you help someone who doesn’t want to be helped..or is merely running from all that do want to help?
Intervention is one way. My work centers around women who have had some time sober. I am not involved in the early detox process, I leave that to the doctors
Honestly, people have to be ready and willing to get help. Its a long road and one has to “unlearn” a lot of what got them addicted int the first place. But SO SO worth it…taking it to the next level for me has been quite honestly some of the hallmark moments of my life 
Great article Anita,
The support of a group in any dynamic is important but I think it’s wonderful that you are encouraging people to seek out one on one help as well.
Lovely, thoughtful, and touching blog. Thank you!
Thanks for a better understand on this topic of recovery!
Very informative article, when the terms alcohol or drug addiction come to mind it usually makes people think of AA meetings or like you mention above generic 12 step rehab programs. In this article you go much deeper into the subject and give people knowledge about there being other options out there, just awesome!
There are so many types of addictions and problems in this world. Thank you for standing up to help and addressing this in detail! I will give your site a virtual dog ear for future reference should anyone I know require your help.
Food addiction is a very real thing, I can vouch for it quite well, thanks for the article.
I appreciate the reference to “food addiction” but that’s not what this article is about…
I don’t know much about addiction recovery but it really does make sense that men and women would cope with their addictions in a much different manner and therefore, they should be treated differently. As I understand it, treating addiction means you need to address all of the underlying emotions and beliefs that would lead to the addiction. Men and women certainly handle their emotions in a much different manner.
Great article Anita! I’m thankful for people like you because our world is in desperate need of people who not only know what they are talking about, but someone that they can trust in! Wonderful article! Thanks for sharing!
Great post, Anita! I love your passion and mission to help women who are in Addiction Recovery. I would think one on one help would be something that is a ‘Must’ to be able to grow and move forward. I think from a couple of the people that I have known who have gone through addiction recovery that the missing piece of the puzzle was the one on one help. Thank you, for sharing this
GREAT article! Love your easy-to-understand presentation of the information and offer of help. If I were in need of a recovery coach, I would hire YOU
Blessings to you and yours!
Excellent article. It’s so true that when we recover we are looked up to for that wisdom. Glad you are able to help women with your expertise that need “private” recovery coaching sessions. The best to you in impacting those ready to step forward.
We certainly believe that there may be a difference between men and women when it comes to addition recovery. But it is also true that everyone copes in different ways, even within a gender group. Spiritual recovery is different for everyone.