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Lit Review of Drug Abuse Among Women

Drug abuse has long been a social problem in the United States. The social issue of rising drug abuse in women, reasons for this increase, and how abuse in women compares to that in men is an issue of increasing concern. By virtually all economic and social welfare resources available, the most exploited ethnic groups and groups suffering from discrimination are the part of the population with the heaviest hard drug abuse problems (Bourgois, 2003). Statistics of drug abuse among racial groups are as follows: Asians, three percent; Caucasians, seven percent; Hispanics, seven percent; African Americans, eight percent; American Indians/Alaskan Natives, eleven percent; and mixed racial groups, eleven percent. Illicit drug use is most common in the Western United States at about eight percent and the Northeast at about seven percent. These statistics are relative to the South which is six percent and the Midwest which is about seven percent (Anthony, 2001). A vast majority of other drug abusers come from homes where neglect, child abuse and/or domestic violence were present (Bourgois, 2003). Most drug users are from urban areas. Rates of illicit drug use are about four percent in completely rural areas, about five

In a recent study of 104 heroin addicts who were in treatment (68 men, 36 women), 13 percent of the men and 25 percent of the women terminated treatment. Many women terminate treatment because of the social stigma that accompanies women and drug abuse (Haseltine, 2000). Women are also more likely to be the primary caretaker, so a lack of services such as childcare would also cause women to drop out of treatment (Nelson-Zlupko & Kauffman, 1995).

Drug-dependent men are more likely to use drugs to socialize, and are also more likely to externalize problems. Drug-dependent women are more likely to use drugs to cope with negative mood, more likely to need help for emotional problems at a younger age than men (17 vs. 20 years), more likely to have attempted suicide, and are more likely to have internalized problems. In general, men take drugs more for the adventure and women take them to self-medicate (Haseltine, 2000). Women are also more likely than men to use drugs in isolation, and in private rather than in public places. Studies show that women drug abusers frequently come from families where one or more family members abused drugs as well (Nelson-Zlupko & Kauffman, 1995). In addition, women abuse drugs in a self medicating way because of psychological problems spanning from childhood, such as sexual abuse. Between 50 and 75 percent of addicts were abused as children. Drug abuse is also associated with posttraumatic stress disorder, since women may have put these memories out of their minds and flashbacks then trigger the drug abuse. Since women abuse drugs for different reasons than men, they need different treatment. Traditionally, women have fared poorly in drug treatment programs compared to men. In the past women have been seen as unresponsive to treatment or difficult patients, and sexism and sex role stereotyping have been commonplace (Nelson-Zlupko & Kauffman, 1995).

Epidemiologic surveys

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