Information for Doctors & Employers:
Despite More Access, Barriers to Chemical Dependency Treatment Keep Women From Getting the Help They Need
The numbers are startling. The results—discouraging. In a 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health an estimated 23.5 million Americans (9.8 percent of the total population) need treatment for alcohol or other drug abuse. Only 3.8 million people in the year prior to the survey actually received it.
Why? The answer is as complex as the disease itself. Often it is a person’s unwillingness, or denial, to acknowledge their addiction as a problem. But for many women, more immediate factors like stigma and shame, costs, employment fears, and child care options are also significant barriers to treatment.
The stigma and shame associated with men with chemical dependency is significant, for women, stigma and shame may be the primary reason many avoid seeking help. Drinking at a young age for women and men seems equally socially acceptable, but as a woman ages, public perception quickly changes. A woman may be labeled “weak”, a “loser” or even worse a “loose woman.” And 
because of these labels and perceptions, women tend to hide their addictions more and avoid seeking treatment out of fear they will face public scorn and shame both in their personal and professional lives.
"Stigma is a huge barrier," says Florence Crowther, a well-respected television professional at King 5 in Seattle, Washington and a woman in recovery for more than nineteen years. “In order to eliminate the stigma associated with chemical dependency and recovery, there needs to be more understanding and education about the disease and the people it affects,”
Crowther believes that by being public herself about addiction and recovery, she can help. “I want to put a face on who the alcoholic is,” says Crowther. “Maybe by doing so, a husband will pick up the phone and get help for his wife or a mother will say “Hey, that’s me,” and she will have the courage to step out of the shadows and seek the treatment she needs.”The cost of treatment for chemical dependency is also a significant barrier for women seeking treatment. According to a 2004 federal report, the average cost of outpatient substance abuse treatment was $1,433 in 2002, while inpatient treatment averaged $3,840. But the reality is that most programs cost many times these amounts. For those who meet Federal Assistance funding guidelines, there are an abundance of facilities and beds available. For those who don’t, the options are limited by health insurance coverage or their ability to pay.
“Women who don’t qualify for Federal programs have fewer options for treatment,” says Sharon Chambers, Executive Director of Residence XII, a nonprofit treatment center for women in Kirkland, Washington. “If they are lucky enough to have insurance, there are still stringent guidelines as to what their insurance will cover. For the working woman who is uninsured, the cost of treatment may seem so prohibitive that seeking treatment seems impossible.”
To make treatment more accessible to what Chambers calls “the working poor,” many nonprofits, like Residence XII work with patients to find creative solutions to financing treatment including partial scholarships funded through endowments and fundraising events.
For many women with chemical dependency, safety is also a key barrier to treatment. With many women substance abusers also suffering from a history of trauma, including sexual abuse and/or domestic violence; for these women, the thought of treatment in a co-ed environment is unfathomable. For others, it can be downright confusing. Studies have shown that because of the dynamics of male/female relationships, women in mixed groups will be more attentive to their male counterpart’s issues than their own and will often take on the natural role of caregiver.
Gender-specific facilities and treatment programs, provide a safe environment where women can open up and share their issues and emotions without worrying what the opposite sex is thinking. This provides an opportunity for greater personal awareness and often more significant participation in the treatment experience. Additionally, women’s-only groups allow for opportunities of strong support systems and lasting friendships after treatment.
Another significant barrier for both sexes seeking treatment is the fear of being passed over for advancement or losing a job. But, because many women are single mothers, there is the additional fear that the loss of their job may also mean the loss of their children. Although employment laws are in place to protect confidentiality, employers must openly communicate their support of chemical dependency treatment to eliminate these fears.
Additionally child care and transportation create more challenges for women versus men. For the most part, these responsibilities are fundamentally theirs. Viable remedies can usually be provided by families and friends, but for women without strong support systems, help must be found elsewhere. Many schools, community and religious groups offer after-school programs, children’s support groups and even short-term living facilities where children can stay while their mother is in treatment. There are also publicly funded programs for women with children who qualify. In Washington, a good resource for this type of information is the 24-Hour Crisis Line at (866.427.4747) or TDD Line: 206.461.3219