A Study Of Drug Addiction Between Men And Women

Men start using drugs at earlier ages than women.

Men take more drugs than women. Men also take larger quantities of drugs than women.

Men start using drugs at earlier ages, use more drugs, and take larger quantities of drugs than woman.

Men are more likely than women to abuse alcohol and tobacco.

Women are more at risk of sleep disorders than men than men of the same race, ethnic background and socio-economic status. .

Women are more at risk of than men for having anxiety disorders and more likely than men to seek out formal treatment for such disorders than men of the same race, ethnic background and socio-economic status.

Teens under 16 are equally likely to use and abuse drugs no matter their gender.

Men are twice as likely as women of the same age, ethnic background and socio-economic status to abuse more than one illicit substance.

50% of all people of all ethnic backgrounds, biological sexes and races have reported trying at least illicit substance over the course of their lifetime in the United States.

Drug Abuse Vs. Addiction

Drug abuse is not the same thing as drug addiction even though the terms may be used interchangeably.

Drug abuse is using drugs in a way not intended such as taking too many pills to help with feelings of physical pain.

Drug addiction is a chronic condition.

Drug abuse symptoms include moodiness, failing to fulfill social and work obligations, isolation from family and friends.

Drug addiction symptoms include developing a tolerance to a specific drug, changes in appetite, sleeping too much or not getting enough sleep, borrowing money or stealing it in order to pay for the drugs.

American men are more likely than American women to abuse all major drugs.

Men are more likely to have a substance abuse disorder than women of comparable ages, backgrounds and socioeconomic status.

Men are 3 times as likely to drink to excess than women of the same background, race and socio-economic class.

45.6% of all men and women who have an addiction or substance abuse disorder of some kind also have at least one mental illness.

Overview of Gender Differences in Addiction

Men are less likely than women to look for addiction treatment facilities close to their homes.

Men are 5 times as likely as women to have paid time off to enter rehab and complete treatment for substance abuse disorder as women of a similar age and ethnic background.

Depression as a result of drug use is twice as common in women.

52.3% of American men who were over 12 admitted they had used at least some form of illicit substances at some point in their lives.

34% 52.3% of American men who were over 12 admitted they had used at least some form of illicit substances at some point in their lives.

Female biology with issues such as problems with eating disorders may be the reason why many women turn to addictive substances.

Women who have anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa are 5 times as likely to abuse drugs as women who do not engage in these behaviors.

Women are twice as likely to receive treatment for addiction in an emergency room setting than men.

33% of admissions to all rehab facilities for the treatment of substance abuse disorders in the United States in 2019 were for women.

Women over 65 were 3 times as likely to abuse prescription pain relievers than men of a similar age, background and ethnic group.

11.5% of boys and men who are over 12 have at least one substance abuse disorder.

6.4% of women and girls who are over 12 have at least one substance abuse disorder.

Neurobiology of Gender Differences in Addiction

Women are 50 to 75% more likely than men with similar backgrounds, races and ages to experience adverse reactions to drugs.

Torsade de pointes is a fast and dangerous heartbeat that is considered a medical emergency. It is a more common reaction to drugs in women than in men.

Women have lower body weights than men. This means that it will take a woman 33% more time to clear out an illicit substance than men of a similar age and background.

How Gender Influences Susceptibility to Addiction

Men are more susceptible than women to addiction.

Women are more likely to have been abusing substances for a shorter period of time than men of similar ages and backgrounds.

Women who are pregnant are 50% more likely to abuse alcohol when pregnant if they have done so before becoming pregnant.

How Gender Influences the Abuse of Specific Substances

American men are twice as likely as American women to engage in binge drinking.

American men are twice as likely as women to drink when on the job or with friends and family.

Women are more suspectable to feelings of cravings for an illicit substance than men.

5.7 percent of American women have a drug use issue.

3% of American women have a drug use issue.

48,000 American women died directly because they were overdoing on prescription painkillers that were legally prescribed by their doctors between 1999 and 2010.

50,000 American women died directly as a result of accidental drug overdose between 1999 and 2010.

Depressants

American men are more likely to become alcoholics than American women.

American women are more likely to have a prescription for pain pills and abuse this substance than American men.

Women are twice as likely as men to start abusing painkillers before they turn 18.

Alcohol

Women who drink are more likely to suffer from all forms of health problems than men do. This is true even if the woman drinks less than the man or drinks for a shorter period of time over the course of her life than a man.

Women who drink as little as a single drink a day are more likely to develop breast cancer than women who don’t drink at all. Women who have a family history of breast cancer are particularly at risk if they drink a single day each when compared to women who don’t drink at all.

Women have a higher level of blood alcohol even when they have the same amount to drink as a man of a similar age and ethnic background. Women recover less quickly from drinking alcohol than all men.

Women can become intoxicated from drinking less than two drinks.

Women are more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder even when they drink for a shorter period of time than men.

15.1 million American men over age 18 have a formal diagnosis of some form of alcohol use disorder by medical professionals.

5.3 million American women over age 18 have a formal diagnosis of some form of alcohol use disorder by medical professionals.

6.2% of American women over age 18 have a formal diagnosis of some form of alcohol use disorder by medical professionals.

4.2 of American women over age 18 have a formal diagnosis of some form of alcohol use disorder by medical professionals.

58% of all American men report having had at least one alcoholic drink in the past month.

20% of men in the United States are believed to be alcoholics.

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics

12% of women in the United States are believed to be alcoholics.

American men are twice as likely to have been drinking before they commit suicide than American women of a similar age, ethnic background and socio-economic status.

Violence as a result of alcohol abuse is 40% more likely to happen to women than men.

Female drinkers are more likely to engage in unprotected sex than men of a similar age and ethnic background when engaging in any form of alcohol abuse.

Marijuana

Marijuana use for medical reasons is allowed in a majority of American states. American women are 3 less likely than American men to seek out a prescription in order to use medical marijuana.

American men are twice as likely as American women to have smoked marijuana multiple times over multiple days.

20% of all arrests for marijuana use in the United States in 2019 were for female defendants.

9% of American male high school seniors state they use marijuana on a daily basis.

4% of American female high school seniors state they use marijuana on a daily basis.

Men are 3 times as likely to smoke marijuana as women.

American men who smoke marijuana are more likely to have another substance use disorder. They are also more likely to have antisocial personality disorder.

American women who smoke marijuana are more likely to suffer from panic attacks as well as anxiety disorders.

48% of American adult men said they had sampled marijuana at some point in time.

23% of American adult women said they had sampled marijuana at some point in time.

Marijuana has been shown to impair spatial memory in women far more than it does in men of a similar age, background and socio-economic status.

Male high school students In the United States who report smoking marijuana indicate they tend to have poor family relationships as well as varied kinds of problems at school far more often than female students of the same age, race and ethnic background who smoke marijuana.

Teenage girls who use marijuana on a routine basis may possibly have a much higher risk of having any kind of brain structural abnormalities that are known to be associated with regular marijuana exposure than boys in their age group who use marijuana.

Both men and women who use marijuana tend to view their marijuana as a casual issue that does not require treatment. However, men are far less likely to women of a similar age ground and background to get any kind of formal treatment for this issue than women even if the substance is interfering with their work or home life.

Men are more likely than women to have severe problems with marijuana use.

Men who use marijuana are also more likely to develop other forms of substance abuse disorders than women of a similar background, race and socio-economic status.

Women are more likely than men to get addicted to marijuana over a shorter period of time.

Opioids

Women are 50% more likely to report feelings of chronic pain than men of a similar age, background and economic status.

Women are 50% more likely to be prescribed higher doses of pain killers then men of a similar age and ethnic background.

American girls between the ages of 12 and 17 are more likely to abuse opioids than boys of the same age.

American men are more likely to die of an opioid overdose than American women.

Women who use heroin are younger than men of a similar background, age group and race.

Women who use heroin are less likely to use the injected form of the drug than men of a similar background, age group and race.

Women start using cocaine most often because they have a partner or a close friend who uses the drug.

Women who inject heroin typical report they started using the injected form of the drug because they felt pressure from a partner who was using the drug this way.

Women who use heroin are more at risk of an overdose in the early use of the drug than men of the same race, ethnic background and socio-economic status.

Women who use heroin tend to use other illicit substances at the same time when compared to men of the same race, ethnic background and socio-economic status.

Women are known to be more sensitive to pain when compared to men of the same race, ethnic background and socio-economic status.

Women are more likely to misuse prescription opioids in order to treat themselves for other emotional problems they have such as anxiety or tension when compared to men of the same race, ethnic background and socio-economic status.

Women who do not overdose during their first years of use of cocaine are more likely to survive to an older age without any form of impairment than men of the same race, ethnic background and socio-economic status.

Women who are between the ages of 45 and 54 are more likely than women who fall into other age groups to die as a result of a prescription opioid overdose.

Women are more far more likely to seek treatment for misusing of the central nervous system depressants than men of the same race, ethnic background and socio-economic status.

Medications known as antidepressants and benzodiazepines that are used to treat issues like anxiety or problems sleeping are far likely to send women than men to seek care from emergency departments than men of the same race, ethnic background and socio-economic status.

27 American men died of opioid abuse in the United States each day in 2017.

19 American women died of opioid abuse in the United States each day in 2017.

The number of opioid related deaths among women in the United States rose 596% between 1999 and 2016.

The number of opioid related deaths among men in the United States rose 312% between 1999 and 2016.

Women tend to take cocaine more often than men of a similar age, ethnic group, socio-economic status and cultural background.

Women are known top be more susceptible than men to the effects of cocaine on their heart and blood vessels. That is because women have smaller hearts and blood vessels than men of a similar age and background.

Both female and male cocaine users have the same kind of problems when it comes to learning new things as well as issues related to concentration, and their overall academic achievement. These differences have been shown to be true even if women had been using the substance a lot longer.

Females who use cocaine are also far less likely than men who use cocaine to show abnormalities of blood flow that go into the brain’s frontal regions.

Women tend to take cocaine in larger amounts than men of a similar age, ethnic group, socio-economic status and cultural background.

MDMA

Women experience more intense highs as a result of MDMA use than men.

Men have greater blood pressure than women when using MDMA.

Women are more likely to be depressed as a result of MDMA use than men.

Young women who use MDMA are more likely to die than men who use MDMA from a condition that makes it harder for the body to excrete water.

Stimulants

American women use stimulants at earlier age than American men.

Women take larger doses of stimulants then men.

Men are more likely to suffer a reduced blood flow to the frontal regions of the brain then women after stimulant use.

Women use stimulants because they believe such substances will increase their energy and decrease their need for sleep.

Women who use stimulants also believe it will help them with their weight loss goals.

Women who use stimulants believe that using such substances will help them become better at work.

Women who use stimulants are more likely to be prone to depression.

Nicotine

16.7% of adult males in the United States used nicotine products in 2015.

13.6% of adult females in the United States used tobacco products in 2015.

60% of American girls have tired vaping in 2018.

45% of American boys have tried vaping in 2018.

The average women will gain 5 to 8 pounds after she stops using tobacco products.

Gender-Based Differences in Usage: Frequency & Quantity

Adolescent American girls have higher rates of both underage drinking and binge drinking than boys the same age.

Gender-Based Differences in Side Effects

The risk of death as a result of alcoholism is 50 to 100% higher in women then in men.

Gender-Based Differences in Treatment Outcomes

Women are more likely to relapse than men. A woman’s hormone cycle can interfere with her recovery rate.

The Benefits of Single-Gender Addiction Treatment

Women who had access to single gender addiction treatment were 50% less likely to relapse.

Men who had access to single gender addiction treatment were 30% less likely to relapse.

How Gender Affects Recovery

Women are more likely to enter addiction treatment than men.

Women are more likely to complete addiction treatment than men.

Gender-Based Differences in Risk of Relapse

Women tend to relapse in order to cope with negative effects in their lives.

Relapse rates were similar in men and women.

American men who have an alcohol use disorder tend to relapse when they are with others and in a situation where social drinking is going on.

Women with alcoholism are more likely to be married to partners who drink heavily. This can increase their risk of relapse.

There are more men than women being treated for substance abuse disorders.

American women are more likely to seek treatment for their dependence on certain substances such as sedatives and addictions to anti-anxiety or sleep medications.

Women enter treatment for substance abuse disorders than men of similar ages, races and backgrounds.

Women are more than twice as likely to suffer a relapse than men even after completing substance abuse treatment.

Women are believed to receive less effective care for substance abuse disorders than men of similar races, ethnic backgrounds, ages and socio-economic class.

American women are far less likely than American men to obtain care for their addiction at a specialized drug treatment place designed to treat their addiction.

Women are more often treated for addiction by their primary doctor rather than at a drug treatment facility.

Women have more obstacles then men when it comes to getting access to care. This includes lack of access to childcare facilities, lower overall incomes and a lack of access to a support system that can help them choose the right care center.

Women are more prone than men to hiding their addiction from others.