From the January 10th 2009 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, research has found that women find it harder than men to recover from addiction.Women, research shows, tend to progress more quickly from use to dependency and addiction, more quickly develop medical or social consequences from their addiction, and are more susceptible to relapse after a period of sobriety.
The reasons for the gender difference, on the other hand, are not yet clear.
However, researchers have found that a woman’s menstrual cycle appears to affect the craving and use of some illicit drugs. Studies have shown that during the luteal phase, quitting cocaine appears more difficult and less successful, whereas it is easier during the follicular phase. Hormonal fluctuations may, researchers have concluded, increase cravings for cocaine, as well as nicotine, affecting the initial phase of recovering from a
cocaine addiction.
Conversely, men are more likely to be afflicted by addiction than women. For example, in the 2008 US National Survey on Drug Use and Health, it was found that 11.5% of males 12 years and older had a substance abuse or addiction problem, compared to 6.4% of females.
Women and Addiction Treatment Programs Researchers concluded that women are less likely to enter an addiction treatment program, but once there, are just as likely as men to recover.
Gender differences can and should, on the other hand, affect
addiction treatment. Traditional addiction treatment programs were developed based on research on men. According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter, until the early 1990s, addiction research focused primarily on men. Now, however, agencies require federally funded studies to enroll more women.
Now there is a growing body of evidence that female addicts face challenges that male addicts simply don’t, especially in terms of familial responsibilities. The Harvard Mental Health Letter’s authors recommend a better appreciation of these gender differences in order to help women avoid the pitfalls of addiction, including relapse.
Source: The Harvard Mental Health Letter Photo credit: Nevit Dilmen courtesy of Wikipedia
