Substance Abuse & How It Is Affecting Women’s Health

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Introduction

Substance abuse, no matter what the substance is, is dangerous!

It could be something as small as nicotine addiction, but it will definitely affect your body and mind, which could be lethal for your future.

There are so many diseases and ailments that originate from these substances.

Ailments which are deadly!

Ailments that have no cure on their own!

But, at the same time, it will affect your psyche, and although you will know they are dangerous, you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from consuming these substances.

Your body is dependent!

&

Soon your life is upside down!

Thus, why indulge in these activities when you can very easily prevent yourself from getting addicted.

As a woman, your body will go through a lot of turmoil when you subject it to such substances.

If you are yet not convinced, then keep reading as in this excerpt below, we will be talking about the different ways substance abuse can affect women’s health and how relapse prevention is slightly difficult.

Why Addiction & Woman’s Body Don’t Go Hand In Hand

There is a specific reason why we need to keep growing women, teens, and adult women to stay away from such substances.

According to a study, addiction affects a male and a female body differently. This could be because of their physiological differences.

1. The Cause

When it comes to the cause, women are less driven or influenced by external factors. This means males are more likely to get influenced by peer pressure or their environment to test their substances.

However, when it comes to women, their causes for addiction are more internal. It could be their curiosity, mental health problems, pop culture influence, and many other factors.

That’s why they shouldn’t even be in the same vicinity of drugs or alcohol if you do not wish them to experiment.

2. Doses

Women also have the tendency to get addicted at a very fast rate. In the beginning, they might try to control their doses and be in denial.

However, when it comes to males, they take time to get addicted. So, although it is not exactly a stable consumption, they consume it in lesser doses than that of a woman.

This is why women are more susceptible to addiction even if they taste it just once.

3. Withdrawal

Although the withdrawal pain is almost the same for both genders, studies have shown that women are more susceptible to suffer from internal ailments like overdose or liver and heart issues.

Although, alcohol withdrawal is more painful for men than it is for women.

4. Relapses

Yes, women are known for more intense cravings than men, and this makes them more prone to relapses than the other gender.

This is one of the reasons why women need more supervision when it comes to withdrawal. Not only can they acquire a disease, but they will have more chances to fall back to their old habits.

5. Recovery

Recovery is easier for both sex, but it definitely depends on how determinant the people are.

But, for any gender, prevention is always better than cure.

Substances Which Women Are More Likely To Addicted To

These are some of the substances which can affect teens and adults of womankind. This is because of the intensity of the chemical reaction and how they affect their body.

1. Alcohol

Not that alcohol is more likely to affect women than men. We have heard and read about societal norms for years, making alcohol a beverage only for men. However, women have higher alcohol tolerance.

This means they are more susceptible to drinking in more doses and get addicted. Alcohol addiction among adult women is a big issue in the US and its neighboring countries.

Plus, recent studies have estimated that women are more likely to explore alcohol once they are in the vicinity or have a male counterpart do it.

2. Opioids

There have been many studies that show that women can explore, experiment, and get opioids more than their male counterparts. In addition, women deal with more chronic pain throughout their life than males.

Thus, they are more prone to get addicted to prescribed drugs than any other gender. In addition, there have been cases of women with postpartum depression getting addicted to opioids prescribed post-pregnancy.

If a woman suffers from mental health issues like PTSD and depression, then the doctor should prescribe medicines with caution.

3. Ecstasy

Studies have shown that ecstasy affects a woman differently, which means that this sex will feel the ecstasy euphoria more than that of its opposite sex.

This sudden ‘high’ of these intravenous drugs can be quite dangerous since they have a way of grasping the nervous system quite easily.

Women can develop more body dependency than men.

4. Meth Or Cocaine

Meth or Cocaine will have the same addictive effects on the people who are abusing these substances.

However, the amount of estrogen in the body can determine the effects of dopamine. That’s why women can get more addicted to these stimulants than men.

All in all, the complex hormonal functioning of a female body can make them prone to hallucinogens and stimulants. This is only because they can feel the high more than anything.

Prevention Is Better Than Cure!

This is the reason why you will find people advocating anti-drug and alcohol substance abuse motivation.

This is because when you feel a high that engulfs you, you will want to go back to that kind of ‘escapism.’

In order for women to prevent going down that road, they should immediately talk to a therapist in terms of any mental health.

If you have a teen at home, attend to them.

Try to understand their issues, and by any chance, keep them away from substance.

It is not the peer group you should be scared of, but their twisted mind.

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