Time to Honor the Ladies
The signature graffiti wall inside the Paramount Recovery House for women.
It’s time to honor the ladies!
We spoke with Alex Delgatto, who serves as our Women’s Recovery Coordinator, about the unique challenges women face as they pursue addiction recovery. The Paramount women’s house, near central Chester, serves as a safe haven for women to unlock a new way of life living sober while gaining stability.
What is life really like for women in recovery in Chester?
A WOMAN’S NATURE IN ADDICTION
Women tend to be caretakers and nurturing, even when using drugs. Addiction behaviors for women are typically patterned around meeting needs of others and compromising boundaries for the sake of pleasing others.
It can be hard for women to make the switch to focus on themselves, but a supportive group environment like Paramount House can help encourage a change in mindset that improves individual outcomes. When women show up for each other as a group they tend to do better in recovery on their own.
HIGH RISK STRUGGLES FOR WOMEN
Alex points out that the majority of female clients she’s served have been victims of trauma and/or abuse. There is a very high rate of abuse and trauma among women caught in heavy drug and alcohol use, especially during active addiction.
The unspoken “code” among addicts on the streets is you don’t leave a woman alone high because she can be taken advantage of. Homelessness, while traumatic in and of itself, can increase risk for abuse, and women of color tend to be super high risk. It’s uncomfortable to think about, but it doesn’t take much to imagine the various types of trauma female addicts need healing from.
And what about the mothers?
By the time moms are placed in a safe environment like Paramount House, most don’t have custody of their kids. Children are placed with relatives or in the foster care system. A major goal for mothers in recovery is rebuilding relationships with their children in order to regain custody, but the process can’t be rushed as trust and core responsibilities are repaired. The journey is difficult and long, starting with short visitations that grow into longer visits and legal processes.
A long term support team for recovering mothers—and recovering women in general—is a game changer.
WINS FOR WOMEN IN SOBRIETY
Women in recovery face many obstacles as they heal. Connections to resources that position them for autonomy and stability can mean the difference between lasting sobriety or relapse.
A Women’s Recovery Coordinator like Alex acts as an essential bridge for women to establish goals, pursue mental healthcare, get practical resources like food stamps, insurance, and health providers, find employment and housing, connect with recovery groups, and access local libraries, museums and creative arts.
When autonomy is supported and a woman in recovery demonstrates healthy choices on her own, the outcomes are strong. Invite her into a safe, long-term community with others in her corner cheering her on, and she becomes a life transformed! That’s where Greenhouse Project comes in.
We’ve become a support system for women in recovery in a hard place like Chester because women are made to flourish.