Substance Use and Abuse Among Women

Substance use and related problems are growing rapidly in both the world and our country. This situation creates serious problems due to the social, economic and health-related effects. The level and type of substance use may differ according to gender, age, race, family income, and role, etc. Gender is one of the most determining factors with respect to the start and progression of substance use. Although many studies on substance use related to gender may not offer accurate data, all these researches indicate that significantly more men are substance users than women. The implications of gender-based differences for prevention and treatment are largely unexplored. Recently, more studies in other countries have shown a need for women-focused approaches in the prevention and treatment of substance use in order to reduce the related effects. In Turkey, there is at present no prevention and treatment specifically focused on women regarding substance use because there are few data specifically concerning women. Because of differences in methods, these studies do not provide efficient information. This study reviews the frequency of substance use among women based on the current studies.