A study by University of Staffordshire, Expert Citizens CIC and the Centre for Justice Innovation highlights gender inequities in drug and alcohol services, with its authors calling for improved treatment and support for women with substance-use issues.
The research explored women's experiences of accessing services, through interviews and focus groups with female service users and professionals from the sector.
Nearly all women interviewed reported experiencing adverse childhood experiences, trauma, domestic abuse, or removal of children by the state – all factors linked to substance use.
Sarah Page, Associate Professor Social Justice and Social Learning, said: "Very often women use drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism for past abuse and to navigate their current challenges, and it can be difficult for women to get mental health support to process childhood and adulthood trauma.
“We are particularly concerned about girls being groomed into addictive drug usage and sexually exploited and trafficked, and the ongoing issues experienced as these girls grow into adults.”
Services often have barriers such as long wait times, counselling only after abstinence, and limited multi-agency support such as housing, childcare, and food security, which all impact women’s ability to engage and recover.
Another concerning finding is that many women reported feeling unsafe or vulnerable in mixed-gender treatment settings, citing exposure to domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, and inappropriate behaviour by male peers.
The researchers believe that women are overlooked in the current drugs strategy, From Harm to Hope, which was introduced by the previous government.
They are pushing for policy reform to better address women’s health with improved referral pathways to domestic violence and mental health support.
The study recommends women-only spaces and a holistic, multi-agency approach which brings services under one roof – including counselling, childcare, housing support – to support complex and overlapping needs.
Co-author Fiona McCormack, a Research Fellow with the University’s Centre for Health and Development (CHAD), said: “Based on our findings, we are advocating for the government to revise and improve upon the previous government's national drugs strategy to include more specific guidance for addressing women's treatment needs with gender-sensitive and trauma-informed care.
“We would like to see better strategic alignment between the women's health strategy, which promotes reducing violence against women and girls and improving women's mental health, in relation to the national drugs strategy’s ambitions for people to become drug and alcohol free."
The research was funded by The JABBS Foundation and the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioners Office. Read the full paper Women Overlooked in UK Drug Policy and Disadvantaged in Mixed-Gender Community Services.