It is no surprise that addiction recovery, much like general health research, has been viewed through a “male lens.” NEOVIVA shines light on this dynamic and offers a new recovery model for women through its new Women’s Addiction Programme. The program pushes boundaries, recognizing that addiction mechanisms for women are influenced by biological, social, and hormonal factors. One example is the role of estrogen in the brain. Chairman and founder Oliver Neubert saw years ago that women’s addiction and recovery narratives differed in meaningful ways, and now, scientific evidence confirms it.
Studies show women often experience higher rates of relapse, shorter periods of abstinence, and stronger reactions to drug-related cues compared to men. These differences have been linked to fluctuating hormones like estrogen and progesterone. Research notes that women are more susceptible to relapse, particularly during certain phases of the menstrual cycle, such as the luteal phase, when progesterone levels rise and emotional reactivity increases.
Further, estrogen plays a pivotal role in the brain’s dopamine pathways. Experimental studies demonstrate that estrogen sensitizes neurons in the mesolimbic reward circuit, which can enhance reactivity to drugs or drug-related cues. One review notes that women may escalate more quickly to higher doses and have longer periods of use and greater relapse risk due to estrogen’s modulation of pharmacodynamics.
Against this backdrop, NEOVIVA’s Women’s Addiction Programme becomes not just innovative but essential. Neubert explains that the typical dopamine-reward model in addiction research is drawn largely from male-oriented studies. “But estrogen profoundly influences the dopaminergic system,” he says. “Treating women as if they are physiologically the same as men is not only misleading, it’s ineffective.”
So NEOVIVA has incorporated what could be termed “gyneco-psychiatry,” an integrated approach combining gynecological insight (hormonal assessment and rebalancing) with psychiatric care tailored for women. This means, in practice, hormonal profiling and stabilization as needed, gynecological support, and psychotherapeutic work that reflects these important factors in women’s addiction and recovery journey.
But their work doesn’t stop at physiology. The clinic’s broader four-domain model ensures women also benefit from medical detox, psychiatric care, one-on-one psychotherapy, small-group sessions, and experiential modalities like forest immersion (Shinrin-yoku), art therapy, or equine therapy, creating a program that attends to mind, body, and life context.
Though still new, early outcomes from the Women’s Addiction Programme have been “extremely positive,” according to Neubert. Women report improved emotional stability, fewer relapse triggers, and deeper engagement with therapy and community. It’s an outcome driven not by guesswork but by aligning care with women’s biology and experience, drawing on insights that addiction recovery cannot be one-size-fits-all.
NEOVIVA’s approach reflects its broader mission: to develop evidence-informed, relational models of care that evolve with emerging research. As awareness grows over how hormones influence addiction and how women have been underserved in research, centers like NEOVIVA offer a path forward. Its model is not about novelty; it’s about responding to a real gender gap in care with rigor, compassion, and science.
In a field marked by high relapse, relapse rates within 90 days of treatment completion still approach 65–70%. Women’s heightened vulnerability to relapse, driven by hormonal fluctuations, underscores how critical gender-responsive care is not just as an option, but as best practice.
NEOVIVA’s Women’s Addiction Programme is not just another clinic offering extra comforts. It signals a new era in recovery: one that takes women seriously, not as an afterthought, but as the center of research-led, hormone-informed care. And by doing so, it’s opening the door for women to heal in ways that are personalized, validated, and profoundly human.
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