Women who are suffering from substance use disorders may feel alone in their struggles. It can be hard to open up about these challenges and reach out for help. But, when drug and alcohol abuse persists, the consequences can be devastating. This is why we offer comprehensive and compassionate substance abuse treatment here at Villa Kali Ma. With our support and guidance, you or a woman you care about can find healing and hope for a healthier and brighter future!

What is Substance Abuse?

Substance abuse is best described as a pattern of using a mind-altering substance in such a way that it results in problems functioning in day-to-day life. Drugs, alcohol, and addictive behaviors can rapidly digress from being enjoyable or helpful experiences and instead become sources of negative effects and life consequences or women’s experiences.

The abuse of substances among women is widespread and continues to be a growing problem, especially in what are known to be especially vulnerable populations, such as those with trauma and people in high-stress environments, and struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Drug and holistic treatment for alcohol withdrawal can have a profound impact on every aspect of your life, including your relationships with family and friends, job performance, physical health, mental health, and general well-being. Generally, women report getting addicted to other drugs than their male counterparts.

That’s why it’s important to receive professional help early on if possible, as with many disease patterns, it’s easier to treat the earlier you are able to address it. Even if you’re approaching recovery from a later stage in the addiction cycle, however, it is important to know it’s never too late to reclaim your life. With a supportive environment and family members and friends, anything is possible in recovery.

Causes of Substance Abuse

The causes of a substance use disorder are complex and will vary from woman to woman. However, there are a few very common reasons that people turn to addiction. Some of the reasons include the following:

  • Peer pressure: When you are surrounded by people who abuse alcohol or drugs, it can be tempting to join them because of what they are doing or what they have experienced. This can have a lasting impact on what you do even after your peers stop using.
  • Family history:  A women’s intensive outpatient program for mental health disorders and substance use problems recognizes that these conditions tend to run in families. This means you’re at a higher risk of what your parents or relatives struggled with if they had the same issues.
  • Self-medication: Substance abuse is frequently used as a form of self-medication for what is going on in your life. This includes everything from stress, depression, low self-esteem, loneliness, grief, anxiety, and a general lack of control.
  • Co-occurring mental health disorders: In some cases, people who take prescription medication for mental health disorders may grow dependent on their medications and begin to abuse them. Or, they may self-medicate with illicit drugs and develop co-occurring addictions in addition to their mental health challenges.

Signs and Symptoms of Substance Misuse and Addiction

No woman is the same, so drug and alcohol misuse patterns can vary from person to person. Nevertheless, there are general ways to identify the presence of an addiction. Following are several common signs and symptoms of substance abuse:

Big changes in your mood and behavior

Drugs, alcohol, and addictive traits temporarily change what is going on in the brain and body, giving you more extreme highs and lows. This is what makes it so enjoyable for people to engage in substances at first, as a person is able to get herself into a very pleasurable state of body and being, hacking into the body’s bank of good feeling hormones and neurotransmitters.

In the long term, however, chemically-induced mood alterations are not healthy for you and can cause serious damage to your body and brain, leaving you very irritable, depressed, and anxious in a more permanent way (until you are able to repair yourself in recovery). Generally speaking, substances break the brain and body systems, and in some cases, you can end up with irreversible brain damage.


Cravings for drugs or alcohol

When you start to crave something, it’s a signal that your body has become physically dependent on what you are abusing. This is the first stage of addiction and a good sign you are developing or already have a chemical dependency.


Using despite negative consequences

Not being able to stop using even when you have good reasons to is what distinguishes casual users from addicts. Good reasons to stop include things like bad grades or problems at work, legal consequences such as a DUI, losing friends, or having relationship troubles that are related to your substance use.

This is a sign that your willpower is being eroded, and you are losing the ability to choose and to have control over your own life. If you suspect you are passing the point of being able to say no to your drug of choice even though you know it’s bad for you, it’s important to get addiction treatment help now.


Withdrawal symptoms when not using drugs or alcohol

If you are chemically dependent on something, then your body will become accustomed to having that substance regularly and will go into pain and discomfort when the substance is no longer available at the dose and regularity the body is used to.

Therefore, when you abstain from the substance after your body is expecting it to be available, withdrawals occur and addiction treatment is needed.

The severity of withdrawals depends on what drug you are addicted to and what the mechanism of that drug in the body is. Being at the point where you are using a substance mainly to fend off withdrawal symptoms – having a drink to stop the shakes, for example – is a clear sign of addiction.


Inability to fulfill responsibilities

Losing interest in what you do day to day and feeling unable to keep up with what you need to do is a major sign that there’s a problem with your substance use. This may lead to dropping out of school, quitting work or getting suspended, losing custody of children, and legal issues.

substance abuse treatment center for women

Substance Abuse Treatment Programs for Women in California

At Villa Kali Ma, our substance abuse treatment programs for women are built on a “whole person, whole life” philosophy. Meaning, we treat the whole person, not just the addiction or symptoms. From physical, nutritional, and educational, to emotional, cognitive, and spiritual, our personalized treatment plans are designed to best maximize your chances of transforming, healing, and recovering from addiction by providing addiction treatment.

We will fight for you, help you through the transition, coach you on the ways of healing and recovery, and support you to connect to your own powerful inner spiritual forces and allies. We will model the paths of long-term recovery, connect you with the community, and hold you with unconditional, positive regard. We will see you – not just for who you were and who you are right now, but for who you are becoming – your greatest and most heroic probability and potential.

At the same time, we will hold compassion, gentleness, and acceptance for the parts within that are vulnerable, weak, and totally unheroic. We will hold your shadows with the love and regard that honors their true essence and form, what they can eventually become when loved enough. Join Villa Kali Ma’s substance abuse treatment programs for women in California today!

Importance of Holistic Healing and Treatment for Women

There are a variety of approaches to treating substance use disorders used today based on gender differences. Generally, it is recognized that in order to recover, people need psychological help from professional therapists as well as various forms of life skills training and education, to learn how to live life as a sober person.

Villa Kali Ma is a women’s addiction treatment center that offers many beneficial treatment services to women who are suffering from addiction. Women seeking treatment for addiction and co-occurring disorders can receive the help they need through our various specialized treatment programs.

When women seek treatment for drug or alcohol dependence, it can be difficult to find treatment options and treatment centers that cater to their specific needs. Women entering treatment have different needs than men entering a rehab center. Women struggle in different areas than men do. Also, women respond differently to treatment than men do.

We believe these gender differences should be recognized in alcohol and drug treatment approaches. This is why we offer gender-specific treatment for mental health and substance use disorders. Our women’s rehab center is here to provide a safe recovery space for women suffering from alcohol dependence and drug abuse.

Our Treatment Services

Our Carlsbad, California addiction treatment center offers various programs, including the following:

  • Detox
  • Residential treatment
  • Outpatient treatment
  • Partial hospitalization program
  • Intensive outpatient program
  • Relapse prevention

Our programs are accompanied by comprehensive therapeutic approaches, such as:

  • Family therapy
  • Group therapy
  • Individual therapy
  • Dialectical behavior therapy
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
  • Internal family systems therapy (IFS)
  • Somatic experiencing therapy (SE)
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Restorative Yoga
  • Reiki

We offer these and many more therapy models as a part of our full continuum of care. Therapy provides emotional support and the opportunity for recovering women to unite with other women in recovery.


Addictions We Treat

At our alcohol and drug addiction treatment center, we treat the following addictions:

At Villa Kali Ma, we believe that everyone deserves the chance to restore themselves to a life that’s free from the miseries of addiction. If you’re ready to make a change, consider our addiction treatment program!

women on a holistic alcohol treatment program

Receive Substance Use Disorder Treatment at Villa Kali Ma

Are you a woman struggling with substance abuse issues? You’re not alone, and you don’t have to go through it alone. Here at Villa Kali Ma, we have a unique, holistic addiction treatment program designed especially for women.

Our staff is experts as well as first-hand experience in the field of addiction treatment and recovery. Many of us have experienced what it’s like to have a substance use disorder ourselves. Additionally, we specialize professionally in the art and science of what really works for long-term recovery.

Women with children have sought out childcare to ensure treatment approaches were available to them. If you’re ready to reclaim your life and start healing your mind, body, and spirit, we’re here to help. Contact our women’s addiction treatment center to begin your journey back to wellness! We look forward to hearing from you!

I don't believe it to be an exaggeration to say that Villa Kali Ma saved my life.
I couldn't have asked for a better environment to heal and redirect onto a path towards true living.

KRISTEN B.

This place completely changed my life. I needed a drastic change from the typical recovery environment in order to stay sober long-term. I can honestly say that I love who I am today and I am forever grateful for Villa Kali Ma!

CYNTHIA B.

I am so grateful I found Villa Kali Ma, it has truly changed my life. Kay is awesome and the entire team who works there is absolutely amazing. If you need treatment, I highly recommend making this the start to your recovery.

SUZIE H.

Villa Kali Ma is an in-network provider with Anthem BCBS, Multiplan, First Health, Healthnet, and currently accepts most
PPO plans with out-of-network benefits. Call (760) 350-3131 for information on cost and payment options.