Women have a problem seeking help

Experts say that many women are wary of seeking professional help for their addiction.

In the last 30 years, Chennai has had only two women as regular members of the Alcoholic Anonymous (AA), a support group for those addicted to the bottle. According to a senior AA member, currently there is only one woman – a sixty year-old, sober for the last the three years-- who is attending the meetings.

“This does not mean that women in Chennai are not suffering from alcohol addiction. We get many queries and women come forward to attend a few sessions, but they discontinue abruptly. There is a social stigma attached to alcohol addiction. It takes a lot of convincing for a male addict to attend any session. The situation is far worse for women,” says a senior member of AA. “Compared to cities like Bengaluru, the response in Chennai is extremely poor,” adds the AA member.

In fact, most of the de-addiction centres in the city do not treat women.

Psychologist Bhanu Suresh Babu, founder, Concern Rehab located in Tambaram, says that she has treated thousands of patients, out of which around 20 were women. “We are the only rehab facility in the city with a separate ward for women. There is no doubt that the number of male addicts is much higher, but the lack of awareness among women could be one of the reasons,” she says, adding most of the women she has dealt with are in the 30-50 age group.

Many young, working women have access to alcohol and drugs but most are hesitant to come out and seek help. “There are addicts who go to private clinics to deal with alcohol or drugs addiction. It is combined with their psychological treatment,” says Babu.

Many women who are dealing with the addiction say that they are uncomfortable about going to a public forum because they are scared of getting exposed. “I don’t want to run into a familiar face, as I have been living in the city for almost all my life. My family will be embarrassed if they come to know about my addictions,” says Saumya (name changed), who visits a private psychologist.