Are you concerned about women and drug use?
Do you know someone who is struggling?
As I read about International Women’s’ Day last week, I became curious about what drives young female teens and women to addiction.
Recently I watched Miss Representation, a documentary by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, spouse of the former San Francisco Mayor. The idea behind the film is that we are all influenced by the media message that is sent out concerning the value of girls and women in our society starting at birth.
The film brings together some of America’s most influential women in politics, news, and entertainment. They give the audience an inside look at the media’s message and depiction of women.
Exposed is how American youth are being sold the idea that women and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty, and sexuality.
“Every woman has her own story of overcoming oppression and misrepresentation; yet throughout history, the media has suppressed, twisted, and often ignored the words of women.”
So what do this film and the media’s portrayal of women for their youth, beauty, and sexuality have to do with addiction?
Alcohol, drug, food, sex, and media addictions have all increased in the past decades since media has begun to take over our lives. Young women more than ever, feel the effect of this media output. Their feelings are expressed through depression, feelings of shame, promiscuity as well as food disorders such as bulimia, substance abuse that can lead to addiction and more.
To start, in one week American teenagers spend 31 hours watching TV, 17 hours listening to music, 3 hours watching movies, 4 hours reading magazines, 10 hours online. That’s 10 hours and 45 minutes of media consumption a day.
Media addiction is one place to begin where teens are given the same message about women over and over. Teen girls feel the pain of the media stereotype that they are valued for how they look. Often their ideas and brain power are ignored. They may turn to alcohol and drugs as well as other negative habits to ease their pain.
Watch this short clip from Miss Representation.
Women and Drug Abuse
Women are the fastest-growing segment of substance users in the United States. In 2010, there were about 2.7 million American women that abused alcohol or drugs.
Physical, emotional and sexual abuse play a strong role in women turning to drugs or alcohol to cope.
Indeed, when researchers compared cocaine using men and women, they found much greater neural activation in the drug-seeking brain regions of women during social stress (things like exclusion, being put down, and such) than were found for men or for women who didn’t use drugs. ~Dr. Adi Jaffe
For more than 100 years, women and girls have been encouraged to self-medicate. According to NIDA, doctors currently prescribe twice as many psychotropic medications for women as for men, and many are refilled for decades.
Many girls report that they were introduced to alcohol and drug use by their boyfriends. Drinking is usually part of their first sexual experience.
Women feel the effects of alcohol sooner than men and from lesser amounts. Like men, some may go on to become addicted.
Cindy McAlpin from the Hanley Center writes:
Women with midlevel and higher management positions have said they felt the need to hold their own on many fronts, including macho drinking behaviors when out with colleagues. Although this issue is seldom discussed, it seems part of a women’s struggle to be seen as equals and be admitted to the higher levels of power.
Do you find it interesting that women of power feel the need to equal men in their drinking in order to maintain their status as a leader?
Stephanie Covington, the author of A Women’s Way Through the Twelve Steps, says that women are less empowered in society in general because traditional views of women cast them as more feminine, attractive, and lovable if they do not have–or behave as if they do not have–power.
Because of this traditional lack of power, women have found their own devices, one example being manipulation. Women flatter, flirt, please and play helpless to get what they want.
With addiction, a woman has lost all power over her disease and lack a sense of herself. But addiction has a benefit – it is a way of coping, of masking a woman’s feelings about herself and her emotional pain.
The denial is often supported by family, work, doctors who may not ask the right questions. Parents of a female teen can miss the signs or be in denial about how much their daughter drinks or uses drugs.
Women who multi-task a career as well as manage their homes have an extremely difficult time admitting that she has lost control of her life. A woman may try to micromanage everything to keep her sense of control and handle her anxiety. In reality, she has little control over what is happening around her.
Like most addicts I always thought I was in control and never intended or imagined that it would be the alcohol in control of me. ~ Carolyn Hughes
Recovery
Many women give up their own needs so that they can take care of others. They may have even changed their personality to accommodate someone else. Recovery for women means that they need to acknowledge the power of addiction. They need to find their own sense of self and personal power.
It may feel frightening for a woman to look at her own feelings, thoughts, wants and needs.
Women’s friendships are extremely important, as women live a longer life than men in general. They have better health because of their strong connections with their friends. In recovery, women need other women as they begin to reconnect with themselves and with others.
Most women find that their need to recover is a slow process. The process hinged on finding their real selves. They find their old identity and are relieved that they can stop hiding their destructive habit.
Judith Grant, Ohio University Sociologist did a study of 300 female addicts, many of whom were over 35 and held a college degree. Half of the women recovered using Alcoholic Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, and the other half succeeded on their own.
The women replaced the addiction with their passions, such as exercise, expressing their creativity, work, or school. Some mentor other women who are recovering from addiction.
What can you do for yourself or your daughter to make sure they have all possibilities available to them and are not sidetracked by drug use or even feel that they are not worthy of reaching their goals?
- Empower yourself and your family to challenge limiting media labels so that women and girls can realize their full potential.
- Tell your story and stand up to sexism, hyper-masculinity and champion women as leaders. Encourage your teen to set and work towards her goals without limitations.
- Spread awareness and education about the effects of alcohol and drug addiction on women.
- Find time during the day, week or month to have your family put away their media tools such as computers, cell phones, pads, and TV. You can then enjoy each others company. You can discover yourself, rather than what the media wants you to believe.
- Find a showing of Miss Representation. Take your family, including your sons with you.
Let’s reach out to our girls and young women. We can help be the change that lets their voices be heard. They can then feel whole, connect with themselves and appreciate their abilities. We are losing a whole segment of our population to misguided beliefs and stigmas promoted by our media.
