The general consensus is that men and women need a different approach when it comes to addiction recovery. Years of research have shown that there is a significant difference between men and women and the origins of drug abuse as well as the consequences and the factors that influence drug abuse relapse and recovery.

Research has also proven that when it comes to addiction, women may be much more sensitive than men to the reward factors that are indicative of the effects of drugs. It is for this reason that gender specific men's and women's rehab programs are becoming increasingly more the norm.

Because men and women differ greatly emotionally, physically, and mentally, it is difficult to approach recovery from a perspective that hits home with both genders. There are issues that are unique to both sexes and need to be addressed differently to truly be effective.

A popular study by Judith Grant about women and alcohol addiction reveals that low self-esteem is one of the driving factors behind why women become addicted to alcohol. Even when women wean themselves from drugs and alcohol physically, if they do not learn to develop a health self esteem, the drug and alcohol relapse is incredibly high.

The most effective women's rehab programs start by helping women fill this deficit of self esteem in order to solve the issue of addiction at its deepest core. Women's rehab programs are gender exclusive, they are able to better meet the individual needs of women and help them to create a path of recovery and prevention in a way that makes sense to women.

Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a form of self-inflicted abuse. When a woman develops a healthy sense of self worth, she refuses to accept abuse any longer. Addiction recovery at this deep level far surpasses the physical recovery from drugs and alcohol and can lead to long lasting recovery and a joyful life in sobriety.

However, developing a healthy self-esteem is only one aspect of the recovery process. It is essential to also evaluate a women's rehab programs based on the presence of a comprehensive, overall addition discovery and recovery education. In order to be successful in recovery, women must discover the causes and the symptoms of what brought about the addiction in the first place.

Once recovering addicts go through the long process of understanding their addiction, there must also be significant education about how abusers can be taught how to live a new life, one that is clean and sober. This also includes activities centered on education, group support, and ongoing reflection.