Statistics
Men are more likely than women to abuse drugs and alcohol. This has been a stable finding throughout many decades of research. A study by the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) in 1997 showed that 8.5 percent of male participants admitted to using illicit substances, while only 4.5 percent of female participants responded similarly.
In that same survey, a higher number of men than women admitted to using cocaine and alcohol during a twelve-month period. Twenty-three percent of men surveyed said they regularly participated in binge drinking, while only 8 percent of women said the same. Finally, 8.7 percent of male and 2.1 percent of female participants admitted to frequent heavy drinking.
In 2010 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) surveyed 67,500 people and discovered that previous findings received further support: 11.6 of male participants age twelve years and older said they had abused drugs or alcohol in the past year while only 5.9 percent of female participants said the same. The same survey found that in participants age twelve to seventeen years, a slightly higher percentage of females than males said they had become dependent on drugs or alcohol in the past year (7.7 percent to 6.9 percent). Analyzing responses from participants age eighteen years and older, however, produced findings that matched the history of all other surveys: 12.2 percent of men had identified themselves as dependent either on drugs or alcohol while only 5.8 percent of women had done the same.
Additionally, studies have shown that gay, bisexual, and transgender (GBT) men abuse drugs and alcohol more often than do heterosexual men and women. Also, GBT men are more likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol and are also more likely to continue using drugs and alcohol throughout their lives. Research has shown that this is often how GBT men respond to or cope with instances of homophobia, discrimination, or violence experienced because of their sexual orientation or gender expression.
Surveys also have found that men are more likely than women to start using drugs and alcohol earlier in their lives. Men also are more likely to continue using drugs and alcohol throughout their lives, often in larger doses than most women. The duration and frequency of use typically leads to the body’s ability to tolerate small dosages. This means that most men will increase the amount of drugs or alcohol they consume so they can experience a better high. This behavior often leads to substance abuse and addiction. Men are more likely than women to overdose from illicit drug use but women are more likely to die from an overdose of prescription medications, such as antidepressants.
Risk Factors
People abuse drugs and alcohol for a variety of reasons. Many of these reasons—stress at work, social pressures, and escape from traumatic memories of the past—are shared between genders.
Women who abuse drugs and alcohol have been found to do so if they are in a mentally, physically, or sexually abusive relationship. Women also are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol to calm anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and eating disorders. Women tend to develop addictions to drugs or alcohol after having sought comfort in their drug of choice; that is, they wish to numb their feelings and avoid the effects of these situations.
Men, however, appear to turn to drugs and alcohol after they have experienced an unfortunate event, typically one that has occurred at their own hands. Men may drink alcohol or use drugs to avoid the consequences of their own aggressive or violent behaviors, for example.
Men who drink frequently and in large amounts are at a higher risk of developing heart disease, various types of cancers, and other health problems, such as human immunodeficiency virus infection. The additional risks of abusing drugs or alcohol include developing depression or anxiety, contemplating or committing suicide, and forming an addiction to the drug of choice. Men with substance abuse problems also are more likely to participate in risky sexual behaviors, such as having unprotected sex with multiple partners. In this case, men may unintentionally impregnate women they do not know or they may become infected with a sexually transmitted disease.
Men and women both risk developing problems at work if they form an addiction to drugs or alcohol; their need to use the substance may become so strong that they arrive at work drunk or high or may simply not show up for shifts to become drunk or high instead. This lack of dependability also may affect their relationships with friends and family members, as the substance abuser may forget plans or neglect responsibilities to acquire or take drugs.
Men also risk becoming aggressive and violent when they abuse drugs and alcohol. Though medical professionals have not proven a direct causal relationship between the use of drugs and alcohol and domestic violence, studies have consistently shown that the two factors are directly related. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has reported that 61 percent of domestic violence offenders have drug and alcohol abuse problems. The DOJ also found that 50 percent of all spousal murders were committed while the offender was intoxicated.
Scientists, criminologists, and medical professionals cannot say, however, whether becoming intoxicated leads men to physically, verbally, or sexually abuse their spouses or children—or if the relationship works the other way. For example, is it possible that most men who abuse drugs and alcohol do so to deal with the guilt they feel after they acted violently or abusively toward their family? One thing all medical professionals agree on, though, is that substance abuse is never an excuse for violence. Men who are violent, and those who witness such violence, should not attempt to blame their behavior on the substance in question.
Treatment
Treating drug and alcohol abuse is difficult, regardless of the patient’s gender. One of the most important tasks to complete while diagnosing a patient with a substance abuse problem or addiction is determining whether the abuse or addiction exists with another disease or disorder.
Many men who abuse drugs and alcohol may also have a conduct disorder or antisocial personality disorder. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is common in men who abuse cocaine. Although women have higher rates of anxiety and depressive disorders than men, both men and women are commonly diagnosed with depressive disorders when they also abuse drugs or alcohol.
In addition to diagnosing any personality disorders or mental illnesses that may be underlying causes or results of substance abuse, medical professionals also must determine whether the patient also needs treatment for aggressive behavior, domestic violence, or past cases of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. When all underlying conditions are documented, medical professionals then decide how to best treat their patients. In an ideal world, one therapist or group would be able to address all the patient’s issues. However, this is often not the case. A man who is both a drug addict and a domestic violence offender most likely needs to attend one session to talk about his violent behavior with domestic violence counselors and another session to discuss his substance use with drug and alcohol counselors. He may also need to visit another location to be treated for withdrawal symptoms.
In 2010, the NSDUH reported that of the 23.1 million people in the United States who needed treatment for illicit drug or alcohol use, 20.5 million of those persons did not get help. A mere 1.7 percent of people who needed assistance were able to get it. Another 3.3 percent felt they needed help dealing with their substance abuse issues but did not take any action, citing reasons such as a lack of health insurance, transportation, time, and finances. The remaining 95 percent did not feel they had a problem that needed to be treated.
The majority of the 1.7 percent surveyed who received treatment in 2010 were men. Women are often uncomfortable seeking treatment or admitting they have a substance abuse problem. When seeking treatment, they often do not wish to share their most intimate details in a group of both men and women. For this reason, women often seek women-only support groups or female therapists if they wish to receive help for their condition.
Another reason that keeps women from seeking treatment is child care. Most men do not have this problem, as they are typically not the primary child-care providers in their household. If women cannot find a caretaker, they may have to skip meetings and appointments. Men, in general, do not have the same childcare responsibilities and thus have fewer barriers to attending therapy and doctors’ visits.
Bibliography
Brady, Kathleen T., and Carrie L. Randoll. “Gender Differences in Substance Use Disorders.” Addictive Disorders 22.2 (1999): 241–52. Print.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Substance Abuse Treatment and Domestic Violence. Rockville, MD: SAMHSA, 1997. Print.
McCabe, Sean, James Cranford, and Brady West. “Trends in Prescription Drug Abuse and Dependence, Co-Occurrence with Other Substance Use Disorders, and Treatment Utilization: Results from Two National Surveys.” Addictive Behaviors 33 (2008): 1297–1305. Print.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Assessing Alcohol Problems: A Guide for Clinicians and Researchers. 2nd ed. Washington: DHHS, 2003. Print.
Shelton, Michael. Gay Men and Substance Abuse: A Basic Guide for Addicts and Those Who Care for Them. Center City: Hazelden, 2011. Print.
US Department of Health and Human Services. Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k10Results/Web/HTML/2k10Results.htm#7.1.
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