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A woman’s struggle with addiction can be vastly different from a man’s. Although symptoms may be the same, women and men’s paths to addiction are often quite different, and so are their journeys to recovery. If you are searching for a drug or alcohol rehab center whose staff understands the unique challenges faced by women, you have come to the right place.
Cumberland Heights’ Women’s Rehab Program is tailored to the sensitive issues women face when coping with addiction and recovery. In addition to the stigma and shame affecting both genders, women face additional burdens, including marriage and family relationship problems, traumas caused by abuse and violence, parenting concerns, body image concerns and identity crises.
Staff at Cumberland Heights provide a safe and loving environment in a program separate from the men’s program that emphasizes women helping women. Rehab and recovery is not only possible but enhanced through gender-responsive treatment. We offer both drug rehab for women and alcohol treatment for women.
Women frequently juggle responsibilities both in and outside the home. Traditional gender roles may teach women to neglect themselves in favor of caring for others. At Cumberland Heights, we provide an environment where women can focus on one thing — themselves. Free from their day-to-day responsibilities, women are given the chance to focus solely on their problems, their health and their recovery. For women struggling with addiction, this is a much-deserved opportunity to turn their caregiving inward.
Cumberland Heights’ women-only approach to addiction treatment is appealing to our patients because it is a safe and non-judgmental environment. Women struggling with alcohol or chemical dependency often have a history of abuse and difficulty trusting others. At Cumberland Heights, they can find comfort in talking with other women who have also survived physical or emotional abuse. The Women’s Rehab Program also gives women temporary respite from running a household, caring for children and maintaining a job. They are safe to express their emotions while they work toward understanding and treating their addiction.
Women have a unique ability to “read” the ambiance of their surroundings, more so than men. The look and feel of a drug and alcohol rehab center are the most important factors in whether a woman chooses a particular rehab center and stays in treatment once there.
This story illustrates: A distraught woman paced around Cumberland Heights’ nursing station, telling staff she could not stay in “this place.” She was invited down the hall to the women’s lounge. As she stood in the doorway, looking around at the bright colors of the artwork and conversational groupings of sofas and chairs, she sighed and said, “Now I can stay.”
During times of crisis, a feeling of safety and home are critical to a woman’s comfort and willingness to face her addiction. The Women’s Center at Cumberland Heights has incorporated comfort, color, lighting and other aesthetics into the design of areas designated just for women patients.
Women learn and grow best in a supportive community of other women. Many of the female patients who seek alcohol dependency treatment at Cumberland Heights have experienced childhood abuse, rape and domestic violence. Gender-specific communities provide a safe space for healing to begin.
A woman then can begin to divest herself of the “false self” that addiction creates and finds the courage to speak in her true voice. She admits to her innermost self the true nature of her addiction and how it has hurt her. This process is critical as she begins to explore a spiritual connection upon which to base her ongoing recovery journey. Alcohol treatment for women addresses the underlying causes of substance abuse within a safe, nurturing environment.
Cumberland Heights’ Women’s Program is a 30-day inpatient program. Treatment begins with a medically supervised withdrawal/detoxification process that prepares patients to participate in our comprehensive addiction recovery program.
During detox, each woman meets with our medical staff for a full medical and psychiatric assessment, which helps determine the most appropriate course of treatment for her. Medication may be prescribed to ensure a safe detoxification with minimal discomfort. Patients are also introduced to the 12-step treatment model as an orientation to the recovery process.
After the detox process, patients move to our residential setting, where they meet and begin to interact with other women in recovery. Each patient is assigned a counselor to guide and assist her in creating a personal plan of recovery.
Throughout the program, patients participate in individual and group counseling and begin to sort out the issues that led to their need to self-medicate. All counseling sessions are led or facilitated by a professionally trained counselor with specialized training in addiction recovery.
The Women’s Center at Cumberland Heights creates community within the treatment environment. Each day begins and ends with a community circle. A number of experiential group therapies further bond the community and reinforce the 12-step concepts, which are the basis for a woman’s recovery. These include experiences with art, music and adventure-based counseling, all designed to help a woman deepen her understanding of such concepts as community, faith, honesty and intimacy.
The community becomes not just a safe place but a sacred space. Patients are encouraged to imagine a life not just free of alcohol and drugs but a happy and joyous one. Extending this philosophy to the 12-step community, women are encouraged to interact with other female Cumberland Heights alumni — and other women in the general 12-step community — through onsite and offsite 12-step meetings.
Choosing a drug or alcohol rehab center that understands and addresses the special needs of women is a vital step toward lifelong recovery. Explore Cumberland Heights and the hope offered by our drug rehab for women and alcohol treatment for women programs. |