Mothers Struggling with Addiction

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on May 9, 2015 under Addiction Trends | Comments are off for this article

Oftentimes the media and law enforcement focus on the dangers and threats of drug abuse as it pertains to teens and young adults. This may be because those under 18 are exposed to more drugs than ever before, however there are plenty of other groups of people that are struggling with substance abuse as well. One of the most difficult includes mothers who are addicted to drugs while pregnant.

Many mothers are unable to quit their addictions after finding out they are pregnant, thus jeopardizing their health as well as their unborn baby’s. As more incidents of drug-abuse during pregnancy occur, treatment centers and public outreach programs are focusing on this group and the children born to these mothers. Some mothers find the inspiration of being pregnant enough to quit on their own, while many need help to do so.

“I was waiting for it to take away every craving that I had, every want to go and get high. And it didn’t do that. It’s just so shameful,” explained Linsey Vanover, a recovering addict who abused drugs while pregnant with her son. The assumption and hope that the pregnancy and love for the unborn child will trump the addict’s need to get high is not uncommon. Unfortunately, the addiction is oftentimes so intense that these women continue to abuse the drugs anyway. This leads to babies being born with serious health complications and a physical addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Babies whose mothers abused heroin during their pregnancy are born addicted to heroin (or dependent on methadone or buprenorphine from treatment) and have to undergo the painful withdrawal symptoms.

As a way to answer the growing need for treatment and education for potential mothers and women who are already addicted to drugs as well as pregnant, some treatment centers are welcoming these women and helping them overcome their addictions so they can be involved in their children’s lives. Some treatment centers are even specifically geared to pregnant and single mothers. Focusing on rehabilitating mothers is necessary in stopping the addiction from continuing on to the children. Studies show that children who grow up in households where family members abuse drugs are more likely to abuse drugs and/or alcohol themselves, and helping mothers to become free of addiction so they have a better ability to raise their children is something that benefits all of society.