Adolescent girls aged between 12 and 17 years old, as well as young women, are getting involved with drugs at alarming rates. There have been reports conducted that show there are significant cultural and biological differences between girls and boys when it comes to the reasons why they begin to use drugs.
Studies have also shown that adolescent girls are much more likely to become addicted to drugs than adolescent boys when they are exposed to drug use at this sensitive age.
There have been national efforts to help this drug use epidemic and counteract the forces that cause girls to start using drugs. The younger that people start using drugs, the higher risk they have of becoming addicted. One national effort involves delaying the age that young people first become exposed to drugs.
Drug courts for girls
Since it has been recognized that girls and boys tend to have differing reactions to trauma and then entering into the justice system, programs have been created specifically for young girls who have been involved in drugs. While boys often have a higher risk of re-offenses, girls have a higher risk of getting into exploitative or abusive relationships after their involvement with drugs.
Drug courts for girls offer a new level of understanding for the reasons why the girl in question might have started using drugs, and the specific problems that she faces. The consequences that she will face in a drug court program will be specifically tailored to her. Girls’ drug programs have a primary focus on rehabilitation, focusing on the fact that trauma is usually the trigger for why girls start to take and become dependent on drugs initially.
While girls’ drug programs are still a relatively new phenomenon and they are met with some resistance, program managers have seen some promising results, and they hope that these programs will reduce the national opioid crisis, helping girls get back on track with their lives.
If you are a parent of a female drug abuser, you may want to look into the opportunities that girls’ drugs courts might present.