The research aimed to explore the lived experiences of women who are dealing with multiple issues which contributed to their substance use and how these relate to factors such as motherhood, poverty, social exclusion, trauma, domestic violence, transactional sex, homelessness and involvement in the criminal justice system.

Amongst the report’s key findings were: 

• Most women used a range of substances, depending on their effect, availability, process of initiation into use, and reaction to other challenges and life events. Use of prescription medication was a common experience, often in response to traumatic experiences.
• For many of the women, there was parental substance use, and experiences of neglect or abuse within their own childhood, although this was not universal and for some, immediate family members were a source of support.
• It was very common for women to be initiated or groomed into substance use and an intimate relationship by an older male when they were in their teens or early adulthood. The resulting intimate relationship was often abusive or involved sexual or other forms of exploitation.
• Domestic and gender-based violence was experienced by all the participants and this impacted negatively on their experiences of pregnancy, motherhood, access to support and substance use trajectories.
• Two main factors influenced positive change processes for women; the needs of children for those who were mothers; and involvement with any aspect of the criminal justice system. This was despite the fact these were often negative life events.
• Where women had experienced positive change, supportive practitioners that prioritised women’s safety and sought to build trust regardless of the challenging nature of the situation were highlighted repeatedly as key to starting a recovery process.
• The need for female-only services, for treatment options that supported motherhood and interventions that recognised the wide range of women’s experiences of exploitation, trauma and abuse were strongly highlighted.