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Girls transition to young women between the ages of 8 and 22. During this period, they mature mentally and physically as they form their identity. This creates a sense of self-worth. The adolescence period is crucial in a girl’s growth and development. Unfortunately, during this phase of life, girls are very vulnerable. As girls transition to young adults, they experience physical changes, social pressures, and strong desires to fit a particular lifestyle. The following are some of the causes of drug abuse in women.
Depression and Mental Illnesses
Depression is ubiquitous among young women. Many high school girls report frequent feelings of hopelessness and sadness. These girls are more likely to consider or attempt suicide. Drug abuse and mental health problems are connected. Girls struggling with depression usually self-medicate with drug abuse. This increases their risk of facing substance or alcohol addiction.
History of Trauma
Among adolescents undergoing drug addiction treatment, most girls report physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. Girls who have encountered such traumatic experiences are likelier to abuse drugs or become alcoholics.
Stress and Incapability to Cope
Although males handle their stress with delinquency and aggression, females tend to internalize their stress response. In instances whereby women encounter severe stress levels, they become withdrawn and depressed. Many women report their inability to handle stress as their main reason for abusing drugs or drinking alcohol. Stressful life occasions may include illness or death of a friend or family member, school changes, parental divorce, and relocation from home.
Low Self-Esteem
During their teenage years, many people experience low self-esteem. This is particularly common among girls, since social and body images are usually top priorities for adolescents. Girls link weight loss with popularity and beauty. Additionally, girls also associate drug abuse and drinking alcohol as being cool and trendy.
Adolescent girls tend to believe that drugs or alcohol can resolve all their problems. Teenagers, especially women with low self-esteem, are likelier to report drug abuse. Despite engaging in unhealthy weight-related habits, girls are more likely to abuse drugs or consume alcohol to control their weight.
Social Pressures
Many teenagers abuse drugs and alcohol due to peer or social pressures. Therefore, if a girl has many friends who drink, smoke, or abuse drugs, she is likelier to develop the habit.
Academic Pressures
Girls experience a lot of academic pressures when they are in high school. This is a crucial time whereby students encounter a new and mature learning level. When a person experiences a lot of academic pressures, they are more likely to engage in substance abuse. Therefore, teens who perform poorly in school can easily engage in drug abuse.
Lack of Parent-Child Communication
Communication is a perfect way of preventing your daughter from abusing drugs or drinking alcohol. If your daughter seems vulnerable to using drugs or drinking alcohol, you should talk to her about the impacts of addiction. It would help if you encouraged her to resist this temptation and educate her on the risks of drug abuse.
Communication plays an essential role in teaching a girl how to become a responsible and respectable lady in the future. A poor relationship between a parent and guardian with their daughter increases the likelihood of abusing drugs or alcohol. Therefore, as a parent, you should invest time in talking to your kids. Besides, it would help if you also acted as a role model, since kids can also copy bad habits from their parents.
Drug and substance abuse is a major problem affecting many young people. There are many causes of drug abuse in young women. However, seeking the right can help a person to resist these harmful habits. Besides, it is never too late to seek addiction treatment.