Addiction,
Substance Abuse and the Gender Gap
by
Ralph Nader
Dissident Voice
February 21, 2003
Despite
some encouraging statistics about recent declines in substance abuse, the use of
drugs, alcohol and tobacco by teenagers and young adults remains one of the
nation's most serious and destructive health problems.
A lot of time, money and
words have been expended on prevention programs. So, why haven't we made more
progress in reaching young people about the dangers of drug abuse and
addiction?
The National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has come up with an
intriguing answer to at least part of the puzzle-It's a Gender Gap. The
prevention efforts have largely been designed with males in mind, ignoring the
unique needs of females and, thereby, failing to influence millions of young
girls and women, according to a three-year study and a 231-page report-The
Formative Years: Pathways to Substance Abuse Among Girls and Young Women, Ages
8-22--issued by the Center earlier this month.
"The findings from this
study cry out for a fundamental overhaul of public health prevention
programs," says Joe Califano, president of the Center and former Secretary
of the U. S. Health, Education and Welfare Department. "The women of
America have paid a fearful price in premature death and destroyed lives for
our failure to craft programs aimed at their unique needs."
The numbers bear out
Califano's alarms. More than 4.4 million women are alcoholics or abuse alcohol.
More than two million use illegal drugs. Thirty-one million women smoke. At the
high school level, 45 percent of girls currently drink alcohol and 26.4 percent
binge drink. One in five smoke marijuana. More than quarter of female high
school students smoke cigarettes and nearly four percent are users of cocaine
while another 4.2 percent use inhalants.
The study cites a long list
of risks and consequences of smoking, drinking and drug use that are unique to
women. Among these: *Girls typically experience puberty at an earlier age than
boys. Girls who experience early puberty are at greater risk than boys of
smoking, drinking and using drugs.
*Girls are likelier than
boys to have been physically or sexually abused, Such girls are at increased
risk for substance abuse. *Substance use can sink into substance abuse more
quickly for girls and young women than for boys and young men.
*Girls are likelier than
boys to diet and to have eating disorders. Such girls are at increased risk for
substance abuse.
*Key transitions such as
frequent moves from one home or neighborhood to another pose greater risks of
substance abuse for girls than boys. Similarly, the transition from high school
to college creates greater risks of substance use for young women.
*Girls using alcohol or
drugs are more likely to be depressed or suicidal increasing the risk for
substance abuse. .
*Girls and women are more
likely than boys and men to experience adverse health consequences from smoking,
drinking or using drugs.
Females have greater
smoking-related lung damage than males and are more susceptible to
alcohol-induced brain damage, cardiac problems and liver disease.
Tobacco and alcohol
manufacturers come in for heavy criticism for their practice of spending
billions of dollars each year on advertising and promotions, sponsorships of
events and product placements in movies and television shows in an effort to
promote use of their products by women.
"The tobacco industry
has a long history of targeting its marketing efforts to young women,
exploiting women's desire for independence and sophistication, and appealing to
perennial female concerns about weight and appearance," the report says.
"Alcohol industry advertising makes drinking, and by association women who
drink, appear fun and sexy." What can be done to reduce the risks for
women, particularly young women in their formative years? Not unexpectedly, the
report cites parents as the "first line of prevention."
In a survey of 1,220 girls,
nearly 62 percent who had conversations with their parents about substance use
said the conversation made them less likely to smoke, drink or use drugs. The
report urged that health care professionals be alert to signs of substance
abuse in routine screening of young female patients and encourage those in need
of help to seek treatment.
The report also recommended
that prevention programs target girls at times of highest risk and be sensitive
to the reasons they use drugs, how they get them and the very neglected
conditions such as depression that increase their risk. The report calls for
more government investment in research, prevention and treatment that focuses
on the special needs of girls and women.
Despite the deplorable
findings of the study, the Center's President Joe Califano is optimistic that a
properly crafted prevention program that recognizes the unique needs of women
can bring about major change in the outlook for a reduction of substance abuse.
Califano projects that a reduction of only 25 percent in the number of women
abusing and addicted to substances could mean saving 8 million women from
smoking, one million from alcoholism and abuse, and a half million from drug
abuse and addiction.
Under Califano's leadership,
the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, has produced an extremely
valuable document that should alert the nation to the need for a major change
in the way we approach women's health, particularly in the critical arena of
substance abuse.
For More Information on The
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse: www.casacolumbia.org
Ralph Nader is America’s leading consumer advocate. He is the founder of
numerous public interest groups including Public Citizen, and has twice run for President as a Green
Party candidate.
His latest book is Crashing the Party: How to Tell the Truth and Still Run
for President (St. Martin’s Press, 2002)