Addiction can affect men differently than women, so treatment should take those differences into account.
The men’s program at All In Solutions offers gender-specific groups to support men dealing with issues related to their addiction, their mental health, and the life experiences that shaped their relationship to both, in a setting where they can be honest and speak openly with other men who understand.
What Is Men’s Addiction Treatment?
A men’s addiction treatment program is one that tailors care to the needs men often face in recovery. At All In Solutions, that means gender-specific groups alongside co-ed treatment.
This type of program provides evidence-based therapies designed to help men recover from substance abuse disorders. It provides clinicians who specifically understand men’s unique experiences with drugs and alcohol, and offers a full range of clinical therapies, including individual guidance, group therapy for men, dual diagnosis, and medication-assisted treatment when clinically necessary.
How Addiction Affects Men Differently
Men and women can experience substance use in different ways, from which substances they use to the risks they face and the barriers that keep them from getting help.[1]
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, men are more likely than women to use almost all types of illicit drugs, and men generally have higher rates of alcohol use, including binge drinking.[1] Illicit drug use is also more likely to lead to emergency room visits or overdose deaths for men than for women.[1] Men die of drug overdoses at two to three times the rate of women in the U.S.[2] Women are just as likely as men to develop a substance use disorder, but the patterns often look different.[1]
Many men are also slow to ask for help. SAMHSA notes that men are often ambivalent about seeking help for behavioral health problems.[3] Pressure to be self-reliant, to “handle it alone,” or to avoid looking weak can keep men from reaching out until their substance use has already hurt their health, relationships, or work.
Trauma plays a role too. Men are more likely than women to experience accidents, physical assault, combat, or witnessing death or injury.[7] For some men, alcohol or drugs become a way to cope with those experiences.
Gender-responsive treatment takes these differences into account. It doesn’t replace evidence-based care. It shapes how that care is delivered, so men can work on the issues that matter most to their recovery.
Men’s Treatment at All In Solutions
At All In Solutions, the men’s program gives men a focused space to work through the challenges connected to addiction, mental health, and identity alongside other men navigating similar issues. We don’t offer a fully gender-separated experience. Instead, in our partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs in Simi Valley, CA; Cherry Hill, NJ; and Boynton Beach, FL, men can join gender-specific groups in addition to the co-ed sessions all clients attend.
Living arrangements are also structured to support privacy and comfort. Men and women are housed separately, either in different buildings or in separate living quarters within the same building, depending on the facility. Outside of these gender-separated elements, our programs are co-ed, and men and women take part in treatment together in a shared clinical community.
This approach gives clients the benefits of both gender-specific support and the broader co-ed community, which more closely reflects the real-world environments they will encounter after their time with us.
What Our Men’s Groups Cover
Men’s groups at All In Solutions are based on SAMHSA’s guidance on the treatment needs of men[3] and may include:
- Masculinity and expectations: pressure to be tough, self-reliant, or “handle it alone,” and how that can fuel substance use
- Shame and guilt: working through the shame that often keeps men from asking for help or staying in treatment
- Anger and emotional expression: recognizing the feelings behind anger and building healthier ways to express them
- Trauma: addressing past experiences such as violence, accidents, combat, or loss that may drive substance use
- Relationships: rebuilding trust with partners, family, and friends, and learning healthier communication
- Fatherhood: reconnecting with children and becoming the parent you want to be in recovery
- Work and provider roles: handling stress about jobs, finances, and supporting a family without turning to substances
- Asking for help: breaking down the barriers that make it hard for men to reach out, both in treatment and after
Benefits of Gender-Responsive Treatment for Men
Gender-responsive care lets treatment directly address issues that can be especially relevant for some men.[3] Gender-specific groups give men space to:
- Disclose experiences they may be hesitant to share in a mixed-gender setting.
- Actively engage with the emotional and relational components of their addiction.
- Recognize behavioral patterns such as aggression and emotional avoidance that have been shaped through socialization.
- Build supportive relationships with other men in recovery.
- Receive treatment that directly addresses the most common mental health issues and life stressors faced by men with substance use disorders.
Men’s groups run alongside co-ed therapy, so clients get gender-specific support and the benefits of the broader treatment community.
Life Skills and Identity in Men’s Recovery
At All In Solutions, our men’s rehab program is structured to address life skills and identity, which are frequently intertwined with a man’s addiction and his return to a productive life. Many men in treatment have formed some portion of their identity around their role as a father, provider, partner, and professional, all of which their addictive behavior has disrupted. It is essential for men to reconstruct an identity that is not based solely upon their ability to perform or their use of substances.
Therapeutic interventions throughout the men’s rehabilitation process are designed to help men understand their identity, establish purpose, and model healthy masculinity – defining what it means to be a man in recovery, how to heal the relationships damaged by addiction, and how to establish a sustainable sense of self-worth that doesn’t depend on substance use.
Who Is the Men’s Program Right For?
The men’s treatment program is designed for adult men at any stage of substance use disorder who want gender-specific support as part of their treatment. It may be a good fit for:
- Men who have had difficulty communicating honestly in mixed-gender treatment settings.
- Men with co-occurring mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and anger-related problems, who also have a substance use disorder.
- Men with trauma histories, including childhood trauma, combat trauma, and adverse experiences that have contributed to the development of a substance use disorder.
- Men whose substance use is connected to male-specific stressors, including work stress, relationship problems, identity issues, and social isolation.
- Men looking for partial hospitalization (PHP) or intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment that includes gender-specific groups alongside co-ed therapy.
Find Out If Our Men’s Program Is Right for You
Addressing Male Trauma in Substance Abuse Treatment
Trauma is an important but sometimes overlooked part of addiction treatment for men. Men are more likely than women to experience accidents, physical assault, combat, or witnessing death or injury.[7] Many men also carry the effects of childhood abuse or neglect and the buildup of other traumatic experiences. These symptoms often go unrecognized or unaddressed. Rather than asking for help, many men cope with trauma through substance use, aggression, or emotional withdrawal.
By the time a man enters substance use treatment for the first time, the trauma associated with his addiction has often been suppressed and ignored for years, and cannot be resolved without specifically addressing it during treatment.
At All In Solutions, the men’s program incorporates trauma-informed care into every aspect of the recovery process. The clinical staff has been trained to recognize and treat male trauma in a manner that accommodates the way men process and communicate about trauma, creating the necessary conditions for men to process that trauma without being forced into vulnerability or defensive shutdown.
What the Research Says About Gender-Responsive Care for Men
Gender-responsive programming lets treatment directly address issues that can matter more for some men: masculinity and pressure to “handle it alone,” shame, anger, trauma, relationships, fatherhood, work and provider roles, emotional expression, and barriers to asking for help.[3]
Research on treating these issues is promising. In a randomized trial with male veterans, trauma-focused Seeking Safety therapy led to better drug-use outcomes and higher treatment attendance than standard care.[4] Therapy that targets shame has been linked to better attendance and fewer days of substance use after treatment.[5] In a trial with fathers in residential treatment, a fatherhood-focused program reduced anger and difficulty managing emotions.[6]
Research comparing men-only programs with co-ed programs is still limited, so we don’t claim one is better for everyone. That’s why All In Solutions offers gender-specific men’s groups alongside co-ed treatment, so each client gets the support that fits him.
How Men’s Programming Fits Into Your Care
Our men’s programming takes place in our outpatient programs, where many men do the deeper work of recovery while living at home or in sober living. Depending on your needs, you may start with detox or residential care first.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
PHP offers full days of structured therapy, including gender-specific groups, while you live at home or in sober living. Available in Simi Valley, CA; Cherry Hill, NJ; and Boynton Beach, FL.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
IOP provides several sessions a week, including gender-specific groups, so you can keep working or caring for your family while staying in treatment. Available at the same three locations.
If You Need Detox or Residential Care First
Some men need medical detox or residential treatment before outpatient care. We provide both at our West Palm Beach, FL; Simi Valley, CA; and Reseda, CA facilities, and Cherry Hill clients can start at our sister facility, Endeavor House North in Kearny, NJ. These programs are co-ed and don’t include gender-specific groups, but when you’re ready to step down, we’ll help you move into PHP or IOP with our men’s programming.
Support Across Every Level of Care
- Dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) when clinically appropriate
- Family programming to help rebuild relationships at home
- Alumni support after treatment
Not sure which level is right? Verify your insurance or call our admissions team for a free assessment.
