Woman of Substances: A Journey into Addiction and Treatment

Product Information

But what does so often define a woman of substance is that she is smart, and usually in varied ways. Engages readers with storytelling while presenting scientific findings and theories in a way that is accessible to a broad audience.’ —Elizabeth Flux, Broadsheet Treatment policy continues to be one-size-fits-all in many services," Valentish says, "despite the fact that the pathways that lead women into addiction, and the traumas that they will likely endure, are very gendered".

So how does Saima Mir think the Pakistani community is going to react to her debut novel The Khan’s depiction of a criminal syndicate run by Pakhtuns, who also happen to be pious Muslims? Emma's life goes on. Her children marry and have children of their own – Edwina, Kit and Robin have one child each, Elizabeth marries repeatedly and has four and Daisy marries and has two, one of whom is Paula. But the more she spoke to researchers, social workers, addicts and specialists, the clearer the paucity of data became. Although the drinking rate among men and women are actually about equal, and the pathways that lead women into drug abuse are heavily gendered, drug and alcohol research remains biased towards men.

4. You have an inquiring mind

A strong woman understands that the gifts such as logic, decisiveness, and strength are just as feminine as intuition and emotional connection. She values and uses all of her gifts.” Nancy Rathburn That’s why the first sign on our list is that you know your core values and you govern your life by them.

The amount of research in this book contributed to strengthening the message that all individuals have their own unique way of dealing with substance abuse, but that there are indicators throughout (early) life that can indicate addictive behavior. The fact that Valentish took a gendered stance in her research is the perfect example to demonstrate that the personal differences mentioned above are more often than not accounted for in the ways we deal/treat cases of substance abuse. Listen the podcast 2. Know your Strengths and weakness “Perfection itself is imperfection.”- Vladimir HorowitzNobody is that perfect or possesses every great virtue. People have to have faults. Also how is Emma supposed to be a role model for girls and woman if she is unrealistic and born with every single good quality? It is such a cop out to give the advice of "be born a genius and be attractive". Addiction results from a complex set of reasons including trauma as a child. Genetics plays a big role, as does learned behavior (drinking gave me solace before, so I’ll try it again). My main concern with this book is that is does portray the addiction of someone who can have access to a range of healthcare solutions. Like the author, many addicts start their journey with self-medicating mental health care concerns. Unfortunately, the stigma of these mental health problems and the challenges of accessing healthcare solutions, result in a very different journey than the (on the surface) cool music journalist lifestyle shown here, especially for those in low socioeconomic communities. I strongly recommend this book to anyone working with women who have a history of trauma, and/or substance misuse issues, or anyone who loves/loved someone going through that, or if you are that person yourself.

They use their voice, their skills, their time, and material wealth to try to make the world a better place. Woman of Substanceswill resonate with women readers who have never really questioned the role that patriarchy has played in their drinking habits.’ —Katherine Gillespie, Vice In the brooding moors above a humble Yorkshire village stood Fairley Hall. There, Emma Harte, its oppressed but resourceful servant girl, acquired a shrewd determination. There, she honed her skills, discovered the meaning of treachery, learned to survive, to become a woman, and vowed to make her mark on the world. It releases serotonin and it becomes like a little relationship. An abusive relationship." Treatment needs to be better tailored to women's experienceWoman of Substances also examines the influence of cultural messaging, peer pressure, temperament, genetics, and other factors that may shape an individual's relationship with drugs and alcohol. However, Emma has never forgiven the Fairley family for the way in which she and her own family were treated by them. Now rich and powerful, she buys up all of the Fairley's holdings, including Fairley Hall, which she intends to have demolished and the grounds used as a public park. Many of the addiction memoirs I’ve read don’t reference childhood trauma… But to flip that into reverse, it’s rare for a trauma story not to involve addiction. What I’m surprised to learn is that there’s a physiological component to trauma. Biologically, a girl who experiences it in early life will undergo significant changes in her body and brain. There’s a massive rise in the stress hormone cortisol, which triggers a whole chain of reactions. …Her biological systems are set at a sensitive threshold and she doesn’t have the usual biochemistry that lets her be resilient in the face of the next trauma and the next trauma.

For a child that has a home life that is sometimes nurturing and sometimes neglectful, she may become teenager/adult that learns to self sooth by overeating and/or binging on alcohol. Both of those things cause a rush of dopamine. In the short term, it works. So she does it again. If she’s an addict, she’ll do it again and again to disastrous results. It was completely unnecessary and annoying to have the author blab on and on about how great Emma is. How she is a genius, and how she suddenly went from being described as slightly attractive to so beautiful everybody who met her just had to have her!! It was completely unrealistic and Emma grew into more and more of a fake character.Woman of Substances will resonate with women readers who have never really questioned the role that patriarchy has played in their drinking habits.” Vice The story begins in the twilight of Emma’s life as she sits on top of the world basking in the daily operations of her empire and all the accoutrements of her vast wealth. But, when she is informed that forces are working to overthrow her, taking her decision -making authority away- she sets a plan in action… A woman of real substance doesn’t shy away from the word sorry. She can hold her hands up and say “My bad”. Barbara Taylor-Bradford's sequel, Hold the Dream, was produced as an eponymous serial in 1986, again starring Deborah Kerr and Jenny Seagrove, though Seagrove now played the role of Paula. It was again directed by Don Sharp, who spent most of the decade directing in this genre. [6]