Women, Drugs & Alcohol

Treatment is different for women...

as is why they enter treatment...

and how they process the experience...

Women:

• who consume one or more drinks daily are at increased risk for breast cancer
• are more likely than men to attribute their drinking to a traumatic event
• who are addicts/alcoholics are more likely to have a psychiatric disorder &/or an eating disorder
• experience greater social stigma than men about addiction
• are more likely to be left/divorced by their partner upon entry into drug treatment than men
• are more likely to be cross-addicted to sedatives or prescription pain medications

with drug/alcohol problems are at increased risk for infertility, menstrual abnormalities & adverse pregnancy outcomes