Substance abuse is a worldwide problem that many people are struggling with every single day. Not only does this affect their daily lives, but it also affects who they are as a person. Although there may be people who take drugs just for the “fun” of it, many people take them because it provides them with a sense of escape. It is now beginning to be discussed more in literature that women who are victims of domestic violence in their home tend to lean towards drugs when they feel like they can’t do anything to stop the violence. Women like Barbara, “who turned to drugs and alcohol to escape the reality of the violent world she lived” (Rogers et al p.592). Barbara mentions that using the drugs helped the abuse not seem as bad and at times she would completely forget about it. Sadly like Barbara, there are many other women battling with this same problem.
As mentioned, there are many other women battling with this same problem and a common place these women go to are shelters for battered women. One may think that these shelters are of huge help and that after visiting one of these shelters women will no longer suffer at home, but that is completely the opposite; for most of the shelters anyway. Whenever Barbara decided to finally go to a shelter for battered women the first thing she noticed was that many women (at the shelter) would hide and drink alcohol there as well as leaving to drink alcohol. Now how in the world is that supposed to help them end their substance abuse problem if they just continue on with it? After noticing that the shelter for battered women wasn’t going to do much in helping her end her drug abuse, she later left to a chemical treatment program for 30 days.
Although Barbara knew that the women drinking at the shelter were just trying to hide their pain like her; she wanted something better. At the chemical treatment program she found the resources and support to start a new life (Rogers et al p. 592). After her stay at the chemical treatment program, Barbara returned to African American Family Services were she was hired as an intervention specialist. A brilliant woman, Barbara knew that it takes some time for a woman to come forth about any intimate accounts about their personal life so she found a better way that would help women open up to her. She began to talk about her story, her problems, and what helped her get through that awful part of her life. This helped women relate to Barbara, making it easier for them to open up to her because they knew that she too had gone through what they are going through.
Like Barbara, other women such as Gloria and Antonia Vann made one very clear point which was that women need to feel comfortable before they can share their personal experiences. This is an issue in many shelters because often times it is a challenge for women to open up because they don’t have that sense of comfort which makes it difficult for them to speak openly about their personal life. As mentioned, many women who are battling with substance abuse go to shelters for battered women and in order to help address this problem there must be trust. When a women speaks out about her personal experiences that makes it easier for other women to relate to her as well as facilitating the process for them to speak out as well. This gives them a sense of strength and courage because they know that they are not alone.