Yeah The Girls 40 Plus Digital Magazine - Magazine - Page 51
51
June 2025
You’re not broken. You’re
responding to a world that told
you to suffer quietly. That ends
now.
BEHIND EVERY COPING MECHANISM
IS A WOMAN WHO DESERVES
COMPASSION, NOT SHAME.
Even if the current day pressures of life and dealing with emotions weren9t so
immense, we grew up in the 609s, 709s, 809s and 909s in Australia and the statistics
show we probably went through a hell-of-a-lot just getting to adult-hood.
Women9s addiction is often entwined with trauma—particularly complex trauma, such
as childhood abuse, toxic relationships, or emotional neglect. And because we9re
masters of masking pain, many women go years, even decades, before anyone notices
there9s a problem.
SHAME AND SECRECY: THE HIDDEN BURDEN
Addiction carries stigma, and for women, that stigma is real. Men seem to shoulder
less of the judgement for their habits, and the expectation on women, especially as
mothers, leads to shame and judgement from self and others.
But the truth is: asking for help is the most courageous act of all. Healing from
addiction isn9t about shame—it9s about self-respect. It9s not about weakness—it9s
about knowing where you9ve been, picking yourself up from the low points, and step
by step building up to recovery..
