The 4 benefits of therapeutic communities for women

Although addictions are diseases, that does not mean that the way to overcome these health problems fits completely to what is usually understood by "medical intervention", which is usually patient-centered individual.

In fact, addictive disorders are characterized by having a very important psychosocial facet. Thus, it is not about alterations that go unidirectionally from the inside of the body outwards, towards the person's behaviors; On the contrary, its appearance and maintenance can be partially explained by the influence of society and the people who surround the addicted person. For this reason, social and cultural dynamics are a fundamental element to take into account in the treatment of addictions, and in their case, this is something that is addressed very well from therapeutic communities for women. Let's see why.

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What do we understand by therapeutic community?

Therapeutic communities are social contexts deliberately created to help people undergoing addiction treatment, in which establish group dynamics that offer support so that the people who participate in them can recover as soon as possible thanks to the group synergies that are produce.

In other words, they are communities designed to intervene in patients who are going through a similar process of addiction therapy, drug-free and designed to minimize the risk of relapse, in which people are helped to get out of the vicious circle of withdrawal syndrome and reinforcement of addiction through the joint influence of professionals and patients who support each other each.

The objective of therapeutic communities is that the influence of several people at the same time allows each patient to internalize a series of routines and healthy lifestyle habits that, together with constant exposure to situations of social interaction and communication, allow you to "connect" with another way of living day to day capable of providing sources of motivation and interests that have nothing to do with the transitory well-being produced by the act of satiating The addiction.

This type of group-based treatment is based on the idea that in the same way that social contexts facilitate the appearance of addictions and the maintenance of this type of pathology (through constant exposure to drugs in leisure situations with friends, for example), it is also possible to reverse addictions from the social context, making the person "unlearn" the psychological patterns from which they have emerged The addiction.

There are several types of therapeutic communities, and one of them is the therapeutic community for women; As its name suggests, it is a social support system for women who are struggling to beat addiction and that it is energized by health professionals who work from a gender perspective, taking into account the experiences and particularities that affect them above all.

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What do therapeutic communities for women provide?

These are the main benefits and advantages provided by therapeutic communities for women.

1. They offer a safe environment for women with trauma and/or anxiety problems

Many of the women who have developed an addictive disorder suffer emotional stability problems as a cause and/or consequence of the addiction, for which they feel very vulnerable.

In this sense, the therapeutic community allows them to feel safer being surrounded by other women who are going through a similar experience and that, due to their biological characteristics, they are not perceived as a danger to their own physical integrity (something important in a context of coexistence with people prone to feeling fear or reliving traumatic experiences).

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2. They are better adapted to the type of addictions most common among women

Although the drugs most consumed by women are the same as those consumed by men, there are certain relatively common addictions that are not so common in the case of men. Specifically, inhalants and tranquilizers are used more by women. In this sense, therapeutic communities for women make it possible for them to come into contact with a larger number of people facing the same addiction, which affects the efficacy of treatment and motivation and self-motivation strategies based on group dynamics.

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3. Adapt to gender-related relapse risks

Gender roles cause women to deal with stress triggers specifically linked to femininity, and as we know, addiction is closely linked to stress and anxiety. For example, drug use is often a dysfunctional strategy to avoid problems and mask the discomfort through a more intense experience that “covers” it.

In this sense, therapeutic communities for women allow us to talk about this whole set of daily experiences and expectations associated with the condition of being a woman, and seek solutions together from empathy in order to avoid the relapses.

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4. They offer a support system in rehabilitation and reintegration taking into account gender roles

We must not forget that the ultimate goal is to enable patients to leave the therapeutic community and lead a normal life as part of the rest of society. For this reason, this type of community prepares women when it comes to facing social situations of relationship with family, management of friendships and coping with responsibilities daily, taking gender roles into account to avoid a “clash” with the rest of the world by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and staying away from drugs, gambling, etc.

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Are you looking for professional help to overcome an addiction?

If you have developed an addictive disorder and want to start addiction treatment, get in touch with us.

In Seville Addiction Center We specialize in the therapeutic approach to this type of pathology, both from outpatient care and from the treatment through income in our two centers equipped with fully equipped residential modules for short, medium and long stays. long term. We offer comprehensive health coverage in all phases of dealing with addiction, from detoxification and addiction to rehabilitation and reintegration of patients.

In addition, we make our therapeutic center for women available to anyone who may need it, designed with the usual needs and problems experienced by them, in order to offer duly adapted professional support.