Transcript Here is the PowerPoint of her presentation

What a drag it is getting old
“Kids are different today,”
I hear ev’ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm
her down
And though she’s not really ill
There’s a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of her
mother’s little helper
And it helps her on her way
Gets her through her busy day
―“Mother’s Little Helper,” The Rolling Stones
• 1821 Confessions of an English
Opium Eater
• 1860s hypodermic syringe
• Morphine: “hysterical women”
• Cocaine: “women’s problems”
• Mid 1800s, early 1900s:
Prohibition Movements
• Beginning of 20th century: the
average addict was middle-aged,
middle class white women
addicted to prescription opiates
• “It was commonly known that
husbands drank in the saloon;
wives took opium at home.”
(Brecher et al. in Boyd, Witches 42)
• After the Industrial Revolution,
children no longer worked –
someone had to take care of
them.
• Women were assigned the job
because of their “…innate moral
purity, self-sacrificing nature,
and lack of intellect. Child
rearing and the production of
children became a national and
moral duty.” (Boyd, Myths)
• “Women often internalize this
stigma and feel guilt, shame,
despair, and tremendous fear
when they are addicted to
drugs and alcohol.” (Covington)
• “Stigma (severe social disapproval) is the main psychosocial issue
differentiating the substance abuse of females from that of
males.” (Covington)
• Because of this stigma, they tend to withdraw and isolate from
the mainstream of life.
• “This isolation exacerbates the denial of the abuse, not only on
the part of the mother but on the parts of those around her, all
who tend to minimize the impact of the substance abuse.” (WaiteO’Brien)
• Personal: Mother completely denied my alcoholism.
Classifications
Examples
Benzodiazepines
Ativan, Zopiclone, Valium
Stimulants
Cocaine, caffeine, nicotine
Narcotics
Derivatives of opium
(morphine, codeine,
OxyContin, Vicodin,
Demerol)
• 1956: Long Day’s Journey Into Night, by Eugene O’Neil.
• Drew attention to the widespread use of
pharmaceuticals in women.
• Pharmaceutical companies started marketing to
women in the 1950s and 1960s.
• More likely to see doctor
(therefore get
medications)
• Responsible for health of
family members
• Medical needs associated
with reproduction
• Prone to anxiety,
depression, fatigue
(pharmaceuticals can
easily address these
issues)
• Nature vs. Nurture
(combination)
• Genetic predisposition
• Lack of nurturing in
family of origin
-chronic illness or
disability
-alcoholism/drug abuse
-death of a spouse
-emotional disorders
• Trauma
-death of a family
member
-chaotic parenting
-sexual abuse
• Addiction is a
malfunctioning of the
entire family system.
• “Law of homeostasis:
all systems try to
maintain stability and
equilibrium.” (Rotgers
et al.)
• Often compared to a
mobile: when one
part moves,
everything else moves
with it.
• Family behaviours are
chaotic yet
predictable.
Alcoholic
“Baddy”
“Goody”
• Treatment centres should
be more tailored to
women’s needs and should
accommodate children.
• Professional Discourse:
-Family therapy in
treatment centres
-Caregivers more aware of
signs of substance abuse
-Doctors programs
• Public Discourse:
-Increased awareness of
addiction in women
-Websites dedicated to
women and addiction
Conclusions: Art reflecting life?
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Boyd, Susan C. From Witches to Crack Moms: Women, Drug Law, and Policy (Durham,
NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2004).
Boyd, Susan C. Mothers and Illicit Drugs: Transcending the Myths (Toronto: University
of Toronto Press, 1999).
Covington, Stephanie. “Helping Women Recover: Creating Gender-Responsive
Treatment.” Handbook of Addiction Treatment for Women. S. Straussner and S. Brown,
editors (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002).
Maté, Gabor. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction (Toronto:
Vintage Canada, 2009).
Rotgers, Frederick et al. Treating Substance Abuse: Theory and Technique (New York:
The Guilford Press, 2003).
Waite-O’Brien, Nancy. “Addiction and Recovery in Midlife.” Handbook of Addiction
Treatment for Women. S. Straussner and S. Brown, editors (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,
2002).