The Importance of a Men’s Rehab Program
By Space Coast Daily // September 3, 2022
Addiction, although a global problem, can certainly be derived from and pose varying risks for men and women. Since men and women face unique difficulties and challenges in overcoming addiction, it makes sense to provide each with their own specialized form of care.
This kind of care is safer, can optimize their treatment, and above all else, will likely be more successful than a general treatment program.
Men develop addictions for unique reasons, they handle these addictions differently, and they face different issues along their journies too. Luckily, a men’s rehab program can be an incredible opportunity for men to get the best treatment possible and get their lives back on track.
Why Men’s-only Rehab is Essential
Different Needs Between Men and Women
While they are not entirely different, men and women do not experience addiction in all the same ways, and there are various reasons for this.
Firstly, men and women experience different causes of addiction. For instance, men are more likely to be peer-pressured into substance abuse than women are. However, this is typically the case in larger groups of friends or strangers.
This is not to say that women aren’t pressured into substance abuse. Women, on the other hand, are also often pressured into it. However, women typically experience this in one-on-one settings with significant persons such as their partner or close friend. As a result, this can cause women to continue using in order to maintain their relationship with that person. This is not typically an issue for men. These differences all go into the creation of a men’s-only program.
Men are also more likely to use almost all kinds of drugs than women. This requires a rehab center that is able to handle the difficulties associated with many drugs rather than specializing in just a few.
Secondly, men and women have different experiences in handling their addictions. Men typically take longer to open up about addiction which alters their timeline of treatment when compared to most women. Men also face different psychological problems that stem from addiction. For instance, men are more likely than women to experience anger issues due to an addiction.
Furthermore, men typically require more of the same substance than women do in order to develop a dependency on that substance. This means that men and women develop different severity of addiction despite intaking a comparable amount of a certain substance in a similar time period. This, of course, will have implications on how men and women need to detox and will also shift their entire timeline of addiction treatment.
In regards to alcohol addiction, men face a greater intensity of withdrawal symptoms than women. These symptoms can be incredibly dangerous when severe and therefore, need a great deal of attention to be managed.
However, men also have longer periods of abstinence from drugs than women do, which means their risk of relapse is slightly lower. Yet another reason why a one-size-fits-all treatment program is not optimal both for men and women.
Lastly, men and women face different difficulties regarding treatment. Societal pressures, or at least the perception of those pressures, make it hard for men to open up and seek treatment. Men often seek to avoid looking weak around anyone, and this is especially true when they are in an environment with women. A men’s rehab center decreases some of these pressures, therefore, allowing men to kickstart their treatments.
Building Solidarity Between Men
Men’s rehab programs are also essential because they seek to foster and maintain a strong sense of solidarity between their guests.
Men in the same program who can relate to and understand each other’s struggles can build strong, mutually beneficial relationships with one another. These sorts of relationships are a very important source of support and will play a role in helping each person involved in maintaining long-term sobriety.
Additionally, being in an environment with peers who are facing similar problems makes it much easier for everyone involved to open up. One of the biggest difficulties of opening up and being vulnerable is the fear of being the odd one out in a group. Well, in a men’s rehab center, the chances of being the odd one out are greatly reduced.
What a Men’s Rehab Center Can Offer
Addiction Therapy Programs
Men’s rehab provides many scientifically-backed psychiatric treatments in addition to treatments that are more relevant to men.
For instance, anger management is something that is more likely to be useful for men than it is to women, and thus, it is one of the programs offered at a men’s rehab center.
However, treatments that are beneficial for almost anyone are also offered. Therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, have evidence that suggests they can assist individuals to alter how they perceive, think and act in certain cases. As such, these therapies can be very beneficial in treating addictions as well as repairing any damage that addictions have caused.
Benefits of a Men’s Rehab Program
One of the biggest benefits that these programs can offer is the opportunity to be part of a supportive community and build lasting friendships. Men’s rehab centers work to help guests connect with each other through various means. Whether it be through group therapy sessions or an alumni program, guests are bound to find some support.
Addiction is something that is seldom beat alone. So, having this supportive community is incredibly crucial to succeeding in addiction rehab.
Furthermore, men’s rehab centers offer far fewer distractions for men, especially when it comes to entering romantic relationships. Individuals going through addiction treatment are often advised to not enter any romantic relationships during their treatment, especially in the first year of treatment. Therefore, a men’s-only rehab program decreases the likelihood that any patients find themselves in a romantic relationship.
As previously mentioned, another big benefit of men’s rehab programs is the focus on issues that are relevant to men. Not only is this a more efficient usage of treatment time, but it also increases the chances that guests are constantly engaged in the treatment and the discussions around their addictions.
Lastly, as was also previously mentioned, knowing that all of the guests are dealing with similar issues makes it much easier for guests to open up and discuss their addiction. The sooner this can happen, the sooner addiction treatment can really get going.
