More Utah women enter drug treatment for methamphetamine than alcohol, and female meth addicts outnumber males in public treatment programs, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Jan. 18.

In response, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. wants to spend $2.5 million on a pair of residential treatment programs that can treat up to 600 women, as well as investing an additional $2 million in the state's drug-court system. That could be a big boost for a treatment system that was not designed to treat women, especially those with children. Research shows that Utah men are 10 percent more likely to complete treatment than women, and that family drug courts -- which mainly serve women with children -- have lower success rates than other drug courts.

"Substance abuse treatment has been historically geared for white, middle-aged male alcoholics," said Salt Lake County substance abuse Director Patrick Fleming. "We're a hell of a lot better at treating women than 10 years ago, but there's room for improvement."

Treatment programs for women tend to focus on redefining roles and relationships, building up self-esteem rather than taking a confrontational approach. But women still face more challenges in treatment than men, especially when children are involved. "It's just not as simple as saying they should be more motivated," said Kevin Koopmans, the family drug-court coordinator for Davis County. "If you're a single mom with no job skills, no license, and if to get your kids back, you need transportation and need a $7 an hour job that works around drug court and meetings and drug tests, I'm not so sure that in some cases we don't create more problems for people."