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How we understand drug use and gambling
Facts
- Studies consistently indicate that women are less likely to seek treatment than men.
- Women experience greater resistance to seeking treatment as a result of the stigma associated with women’s substance abuse or problem gambling.
- Women who are pregnant or parenting experience particular barriers to treatment such as mistrust of professionals, fear of consequences related to loss of children, and lack of affordable and accessible child care.
- Pregnant and parenting women often experience more harsh judgment and unsympathetic responses to their use than do parenting men.
- Other barriers to treatment for women include familial responsibilities, lack of transportation, and inconvenient hours or program flexibility.
- An important difference between men and women is the way they understand their reasons for using drugs, alcohol or gambling. Women and girls commonly report using drugs, alcohol, and gambling as a way to cope with problems, improve self-confidence, and relieve anxiety and other mood disorders. Treatment approaches therefore must recognize gender specific needs.
- Approximately 67% of women with substance abuse problems also have a concurrent mental health disorders, such as, anxiety, depression, phobias, and panic disorders.
- Studies show that a large number of women with substance abuse or problem gambling issues have experienced physical, emotional, and/or sexual violence.
- It is estimated that approximately 1 in 3 women have experienced violence at some point in their lives.
- It is reported that alcohol abuse is 15 times more likely among women who have experienced violence at the hand of their partner than among the general population.
- The rate of childhood sexual abuse is significantly higher among women with substance abuse problems than in the general population. Research shows that childhood trauma significantly increases risk for PTSD and addiction.
- Women who have been sexually abused are almost four times more likely to use psychoactive medication.
- Women report higher rates of using in all categories of prescription drugs with the most common medications being sleeping pills, anti-depressants, painkillers, tranquilizers.
- Alcohol is the most commonly used substance for women and the number of women who abuse alcohol has been steadily raising over the last ten years.
- Approximately one quarter of intravenous drug users are women.
- Women who use intravenous drugs have higher mortality rates and are more susceptible to HIV.
Substance Use
For many women in the community, substance use is not problematic. However, for others, due to a variety of complex factors, substance use can result in significant harm. Substance use though cannot be understood only in terms of use; many factors contribute to why women develop addictions.
For example, the majority of women who access our services have experienced violence in childhood and/or adulthood. And research consistent demonstrates the strong correlation between addiction, violence, and mental health issues. Further, familial histories of addiction and unhealthy family of origin dynamics also may play a role in women’s substance abuse.
As a result, Amethyst works from the philosophy that we cannot “treat” a woman’s addiction in isolation; we must understand the context in which she has developed her relationship to substance use. Women who use our bilingual services come from diverse backgrounds in terms of culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic status, age, and ability. While many people tend to think of “addicts” in very stereotypical terms, it is critical to recognize that addiction is not discriminatory; it can happen to anyone.
Because of women’s unequal access to power in our society, alongside multiple and intersecting identities that also marginalize women, women often experience harsher judgement and consequence as a result of their use. Issues of unstable finances, housing, and employment, as well as lack of access to affordable childcare and transportation all impact women’s experience of substance use/abuse and recovery.
While women use many substances, the most commonly reported problematic substance among our clients is alcohol.
Other substances that women report as problematic are cigarettes, marijuana, crack, prescription medications including pain medication and tranquilizers, cocaine, heroin and other opiates, and “club drugs” like ecstasy.
For more information about women and substance abuse, or to discuss the possibility of professional workshops, please contact info@amethyst-ottawa.org
Gambling
While many people gamble without consequence, for a small percentage of the population, harms do develop as a result of engagement with gambling behaviours. In Ottawa alone, it is estimated that approximately 9000 women experience serious harm as a result of their gambling. Women who develop problems with gambling come from diverse backgrounds in terms of culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic status, age, ability, and relationship status.
As a community, Ottawa offers several opportunities for gambling and access to this activity must be understood as one risk factor, among many, for developing problems. Aside from casual and informal opportunities, Ontario also offers a number of more explicit venues where people can gamble via the lottery, Bingo, and casino slots and card games. Aside from the Slots at Rideau Carleton, people also have access to casinos in Gatineau, Montreal, Gananoque, and Akwesane.
Various other risk factors contribute to the development of gambling problems among women. For example, familial histories of addiction or past experiences with substance use may place women at higher risk of developing problems with gambling. Like women who use substances, there is a high correlation between experiences of violence in childhood and/or adulthood and the development of problem gambling. Further, there is also a strong relationship between problem gambling, violence, and mental health issues. As a result, Amethyst works from the philosophy that we cannot “treat” a woman’s problem gambling in isolation; we must understand the context in which she has developed her relationship to gambling. Because of women’s unequal access to power in our society, alongside multiple and intersecting identities that also marginalize women, women often experience harsher judgement and consequence as a result of their problem gambling.
While women engage in many forms of gambling, the most commonly problematic forms of gambling among women in our community are slots, lottery, and Bingo.
For more information about women and problem gambling, or to discuss the possibility of professional workshops, please contact gundell@amethyst-ottawa.org.
Addiction and violence
At Amethyst Centre Ottawa, it is important for us to make the link between women’s experiences of violence and their addictions to drugs, alcohol, or gambling. Unfortunately, we know that violence is a reality of many women’s lives in our community. For example, according to a national Statistics Canada study on violence against women, 51% of women in Canada have experienced at least one incidence of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.1 Violence can occur at any point in women’s lives from childhood abuse through to elder abuse, and in many different contexts and relationships, whether it be at the hands of parents, partners, acquaintances or strangers. Violence also exists in many different forms such as emotional or psychological abuse, physical abuse, or sexual abuse.
Not all women who experience violence will use drugs, alcohol, or gambling to cope, or become addicted to these things, and not all women who use substances or who gamble have experienced violence. Experiences of violence and trauma, however, create a huge risk or potential for this to happen. Research by Coalescing on Women and Substance Use, a Working Group based out of British Columbia, suggests that 90% of women who seek addiction services have experienced violence in childhood or as adults.2 Violence impacts women’s lives in many ways, some obvious and some more subtle.
For example, women may experience responses that are commonly associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, such as intrusive memories, flashbacks, panic attacks, or feeling numb or empty. Other responses may relate more to the ways that trauma and violence can impact our sense of self and our world view. For example, these experiences can influence whether women see the world as a just place or not, or see people as generally trustworthy or dangerous, and also whether women feel worthy or deserving of love or not.
Women are also often given the messages that they “just need to get over it”, that “nice women don’t get angry”, or that asking for help or crying is a weakness. These messages validate women’s fears that they are inadequate, minimize the impacts of violence, and teach women not to trust their own emotions and reactions.
Women may also be dealing with numerous additional stressors and demands including poverty, being a mother or a single mother, dealing with mental health issues, doing caretaking for other family members, etc. Experiences of oppression such as racism, sexism, heterosexism, transphobia, ablesim and classism are additional forms of trauma that women experience, and add other layers of complexity to their experience. Women with multiple minority statuses are also at greater risk for experiencing violence in their lifetime because of their unequal status in our society.
In the beginning, drugs, alcohol, and gambling (among other things that can become addictive), can provide a solution to many of the issues women who experience violence are dealing with. They can help cope on so many levels, for example: they can stuff down overwhelming feelings that women may not be in a safe position to express or have been told they are not allowed to feel, they can allow women to function in situations where they may normally feel overwhelming anxiety and can increase feelings of confidence, they can help some women to break isolation and connect with peers, they can provide some relief from physical pain, and they can provide a temporary break from intense emotional pain. Addiction is not about personal weakness; on a basic level, it is about survival.
Eventually, when someone relies on substances or gambling for these reasons however, the temporary solution that they offer begins to become a problem of its own. Women may come to rely on these things to cope other issues in their lives, and can eventually rely on them to function in daily life. Struggles with addictions are strongly associated with physical health problems, financial problems, social stigma, and problems in interpersonal relationships among other issues. Women who use substances to cope can additionally be vulnerable to further victimization. This can create a vicious cycle where stress, guilt, shame, regret, and further victimization are added to an already heavy emotional load, which can in turn increase a woman’s reliance on substances or gambling to cope.
The philosophy of Amethyst Centre Ottawa is that addiction cannot be looked at in isolation, and must be situated in the context of women’s lives. Experiences of trauma and how we cope with these experiences are part of the same package. At Amethyst women are supported to heal from past experiences of violence, and to find new healthier ways to cope with stress and to manage their daily lives.
1. Statistics Canada. (1993). The Violence Against Women Survey. (Unfortunately, this study has not been repeated since then.)
