A woman’s body is the most obvious expression of being female.  Whether she bears children or not, she is built to give birth and nurture children.  This biological potential gives a woman’s body a different shape and dimension than a man’s body.  And the hormonal cycles create a whole set of significant bodily changes throughout a woman’s life span.  Regardless of lifestyle or personal taste in clothing, the woman’s body is the core of being female.  Drug and alcohol addiction can radically alter a woman’s body.  It’s important to understand these changes in order to help her heal.

How Addiction Affects Women

Yoga and Holistic Drug Rehab

Not only does the woman’s body show femininity, it allows women to literally live their lives every day.  When a woman’s body is nourished by healthy foods, stretched and exercised, and well rested, she has energy to use all day long.  She can care for herself, challenge herself, play and have fun, and give her time to others.

A woman often begins an addiction because of the way a drug or alcohol makes her body feel.  Her jittery nerves may calm down, her muscles may feel loose and free, or she may feel energized and powerful.  Whatever she is trying to feel, her body is the first part of her to show a reaction to the drug.

Women’s Health and Addiction

At first, the drug may give her body pleasure and satisfaction.  But in time, it begins to turn on her.  If an addiction takes hold, she will need more and more amounts of drugs just to get close to the same original feeling.  Drug withdrawal causes a nightmare of physical reactions including tremors, vomiting, and severe headaches.

When a woman’s body is ravaged by addiction, many other changes occur that put her entire state of health at risk.  In fact, it takes a lower amount of drugs to make women addicted and do damage to her body than for men.  The chances of developing breast cancer go up significantly.  High blood pressure becomes a problem.  When menstruation stops, a woman’s body is under serious stress from addiction. (more…)