The challenge for women with a drug-abusing family member: the Jamaican perspective

The abuse of alcohol and other drugs presents a multiplicity of problems for the abuser, family members and the wider community. The psychosocial, as well as the economic, problems can produce an environment of chaos and misery. Women in families in which there is an abuser are challenged in a variety of ways and, depending on the severity of the situation and their capacity to cope, they may confront the problem, seek help of withdraw from it. The present article reviews the impact of drug abuse within the family on Jamaican women from the viewpoint of treatment and rehabilitation specialists and the women themselves and on the basis of case histories and the work experience of the author. Although there have been efforts through demand reduction strategies and culturally relevant treatment and rehabilitation programmes to control the epidemic of drug abuse, the specific needs of women have been left largely unattended. Both men and women are however critical in the fight against drug abuse and women have the skills and experience that can contribute to making such programmes achieve their desired objectives. Addressing their needs would not only help them, but also the family and the wider community. In order to address these needs effectively with the limited resources available, however, a credible basis for action has to be established, which can only be done by research and analysis so that the issues can be clearly defined and a plan of action developed.