Mind the gender in bid to woo those hooked on drugs and alcohol

If there is one thing that Kenya is not short of – it is drug and alcohol addicts. Often, as we drive by, we think, 'Angalia huyo mlevi' (Look at that drunkard). More often than not, the drunkard is a man. But there are those days that you see a woman, and if you are like me, your first thought is, 'How can a woman let go of herself like that?'

Being judged by others is something that addicts experience regularly. While society anecdotally agrees that judgement should not be passed on anyone unjustifiably, it is rare that we actually practice what we preach. Compared to a few years ago, the stigma of addiction seems to be slowly fading away, especially against women. Not that it is worse for a woman to be trapped in addiction – rather, it just isn't treated as important as male addiction.

Exclusive centres

Unfortunately, society views the loss of productivity and social interaction from a woman fallen into addiction less of a tragedy than if it were male. Matters are further complicated by the nature of the addiction treatment and rehabilitation system in Kenya. This is largely a private sector and NGO affair dating back to 1978.

Treatment and rehabilitation centres are few, operate in a policy vacuum and are expensive for the majority of Kenyans. Although rehabilitation programmes are not a new phenomenon and centres in Kenya focus on both men and women, the specific needs of women have not received due priority. Although this may be because alcoholism and drug abuse are less prevalent among women, it is more likely that cultural norms may have resulted in less inclination to intervene when women are affected because rehabilitation can be costly. In fact, out of the 78 rehabilitation centres registered with NACADA, none are focused specifically on women.

It is high time that NACADA and the Government take active measures to address the desperate need for female-specific addiction management centres. Most rehabilitation centres primarily accommodate men. Furthermore, resident counsellors in these centres are mostly men, making it uncomfortable for the women in the programme to be completely open.

Unique challenges

It must be appreciated that there are many life circumstances that are more common among women, which require a specialised treatment approach. For example, research has shown that physical and sexual trauma followed by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is more common in drug-abusing women than in men who seek treatment.

It must also be appreciated that there are many more conditions affecting women living with addition. For instance, eating disorders, mood disorders, social and emotional dysfunction are all conditions that are more frequent among women. If left untreated, these eventually exacerbate physical, emotional, spiritual, social and mental dysfunction.

Development of national standards by NACADA and stakeholders, training of professionals on treatment and counselling and developing the credentialing system for addiction professionals are key milestones in treatment and rehabilitation. But more still needs to be done. It is not enough for the Government to lump all those suffering in addiction into one pool and claim to be addressing their issues.

Fair enough, some women-specific rehabilitation centres do exist. For example, Teen Challenge Women's Centre, based in Kiambu, provides a 12-month faith-based residential rehabilitation program for women over the age of 18 years struggling with addiction. Although this rehabilitation centre advocates for an abstinence and faith-based approach as opposed to the traditional disease-model of treatment, it appears to be the closest attempt to addressing women-specific addiction concerns. This is a laudable step in closing this wide gap that has been allowed to persist.

The Government needs to prioritise assisting women overcome addiction with as much zeal as it has done for men. Only then will society begin to appreciate that it is not less tragic, less unfortunate or less important when a woman gets caught in the unfortunate cycle that is addiction.

Ms Obwaka is a Public Relations Consultant