Drug and alcohol use affects men and women differently, on both a physical and psychological level.
Scientists have discovered female-specific issues that can impact women’s struggles with drug use, such as hormones, menstrual cycle, fertility, and menopause. Sex hormones can make women more sensitive than men to the effects of some drugs. In addition, women often have different reasons for using drugs, including controlling weight, dealing with lack of energy, coping with pain, and self-treating mental health problems. They also are more likely to have chronic and inflammatory pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, that might lead to opioid use.
Women are more likely to abuse alcohol than drugs because they are more vulnerable to its effects. Women have lower levels of two enzymes – alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase — that break alcohol down in the stomach and liver. This results in faster alcohol absorption into the bloodstream. Also, women tend to weigh less than men and their bodies contain less water and more fatty tissue. Because fat retains alcohol while water dilutes it, a woman’s organs sustain greater exposure.
Women can use smaller amounts of certain drugs for less time than men before they become addicted. They may also have more drug cravings. Women who use drugs may also experience more physical effects, including on their heart and blood vessels. In some cases, women respond differently physically than men to certain treatments. For example, stop-smoking aids like nicotine patches and gum do not work as well for women as for men. Most urgently, deaths from prescription painkiller overdoses have risen quickly compared to men. According to one study, since 1999 the percentage of increase in deaths was more than 400% for women compared to 265% in men. There is at least one bit of good news for women – they relapse less often than men.
Some mental health issues may also play a role in the number of female substance abusers. Women who use certain substances may be more likely to have panic attacks, anxiety, or depression, and women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety and depression as men in the first place.
Women also tend to be exposed more often to certain types of trauma that can lead to drug abuse. For example, women are more likely than men to be the victims of sexual assault. Women who are victims of domestic violence are also at increased risk of substance use.
Women may be more afraid to seek help for addiction than men, particularly if there is a child involved. They might fear losing custody the child to the state if they admit to having a substance abuse disorder. Also, even though more and more women are a part of the workforce today, they still suffer a disparity in income and may be concerned about the loss of employment.
If you or a loved one need help to quit drugs or alcohol, call Asana Recovery at (949) 438-4504 to learn about our medical detox and residential and outpatient therapy programs.
