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The latest research shows that women get hooked on legal and illegal drugs faster than men do - and they pay a higher price.

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Its official: women get addicted to nicotine, alcohol, illicit drugs and prescription medicines quicker than men do and on smaller doses, and are more severely affected. That s the finding of researchers at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (Casa) at Columbia University in New York in the biggest ever overview of female addiction, Women Under The Influence (Johns Hopkins University Press). Local addiction experts aren t surprised. Alcohol and substance abuse is an increasing problem among young women. Biological differences in body size, fat-to-muscle ratio and hormones cause substances to affect women differently from men, and emotional differences draw women to substances down different pathways. Heart disease, strokes and cancer kill and cripple millions of women every year, and substance abuse is the leading preventable factor in all three. The Price On average, the life expectancy of a woman who smokes will be shortened by 15 years, while a man will lose 13, according to Casa. Lung cancer now kills more women than breast, uterine and ovarian cancers combined, and cigarettes cause 80% of lung cancer in women. Smoking also raises the risk of pulmonary diseases (emphysema, chronic bronchitis), cervical and stomach cancers, ovarian cysts and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Smoking while on oral contraceptives increases the risk of heart attack by a staggering 1 000%. Alcohol is also dangerous: women get drunk faster than men and more easily develop related diseases such as brain damage, liver disease and depression. Young women who have more than one drink a day are also five times more likely to have sex and a third less likely to use protection than those who don t drink. Slightly fewer women use illicit drugs than men, but women are nearly 50% more likely to be prescribed a narcotic, anti-anxiety or other potentially harmful medical drug - and nearly twice as likely to become addicted to them. Genes In women, genes account for about 66% of the risk for alcohol dependence, reports Casa. But the family link may be less genetic than behavioral. Patterns of substance abuse may be learnt or copied. Mind According to Casa, low self-esteem doubles the risk for using these substances, and women may be particularly prone. Many also smoke and use drugs to help them maintain an unhealthy low weight , reports Casa. Women are also more likely than men to respond to stress with substance use and because women are likelier to experience depression they are also more likely to turn to drugs. Family The poorer your relationship with your parents while growing up and the more difficult it is for you to communicate openly, the greater your likelihood of trying drugs. A family that smokes or abuses alcohol or drugs also makes you more prone. Peers Young women are more inclined to drink and smoke to look cool and to rebel than young men are, reports Casa. And they re also generally more susceptible to peer pressure, as they spend more time with friends. The Media Marketers continue to use images of attractive models and celebrities enjoying cigarettes and alcohol and exploit a desire for independence and sophistication by appealing to perennial female concerns about weight and appearance.

About the Author: For more articles on sexual health subscribe to Sandra Prior s online newsletter at http://intercell.shacknet.nu.
 
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