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More than 20 million women and girls are addicted to drugs and alcohol, with another 30 million addicted to nicotine. Traditionally thought of as a male dominated problem, new research from Columbia University says that women, in fact, are more vulnerable to substance abuse.

Renee Potter is one of them. She started smoking when she was eight years old.

“For a while I kind of smoked cigarettes to run away from my problems,” she says.

But her dependency quickly led to other addictions – alcohol, pot, methamphetamine, cocaine. “There’s some people that can actually do that – just experiment once in their whole life and never do drugs again,” she says, “but it wasn’t like that for me. I started and couldn’t stop.”

According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Renee is not alone. She’s among the millions of girls who suffer from what used to be thought of as a male problem – drug abuse and addiction.

“We used to believe that boys were more likely to use than girls – and that there were more boys out there using than girls,” explains licensed professional counselor Heather Hayes. “And what this study has shown is that the numbers are the same now.”

In fact, according to the new study, women are more affected by addictive substances than men. “Some of the findings have found that every time a man has a drink and a women has the same amount, it’s almost double [the] impact for her – because of body fat, because she doesn’t hold as much water,” explains Hayes.

Experts say physical, along with hormonal and emotional stress – especially during adolescence – can lead girls into a cycle of drug addiction.

“Take a teenage girl who’s going through puberty and is feeling awkward, their bodies are changing,” says Hayes. “They don’t really know how to interact with boys, but boys are becoming more important – and you pour drugs on top of that; you may get immediate relief, but then what happens afterwards makes it worse.”

Which is why, she says, it’s crucial to have a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol and drugs. And – more importantly – to teach your daughters to love themselves: “Teach them self-respect, teach them self-care, teach them how to nurture their self-esteem.”

All the things that Renee is now learning, in therapy. “I’m taking care of myself,” she says, “and I’m doing something for myself that I know I deserve.”

What We Need To Know

• Parents should not feel comfortable with any drug experimentation by their child. Once you start to “normalize” drugs, you’ll never know exactly how much your child is using. (Armando Corpus, Thunder Road Adolescent Treatment Center)




• If kids are exposed to drugs during adolescence, it can change their brain completely – and actually weaken the development of the pre-frontal cortex, the decision-making part of the brain. (Frances Leslie, PhD., professor of pharmacology)




• Remember you’re a role model to your kids. From the their infancy, they’re processing everything you do. They also observe how you cope with stress. If you’re showing your kids that it’s much easier to cope with life with a little alcohol, you’re sending them a message. (Randy Koch, alcohol counselor)




• By the time you find drugs in your child’s pocket, it’s probably too late. Chances are they’ve been doing drugs for quite some time. (Robert Margolis, PhD, clinical psychologist)




• Treatment centers for women and girls can help them to recover from their addiction, and also gain self-respect and self-esteem, as well as handle other issues – like depression, eating disorders, and traumas. (Heather Hayes, M.Ed, licensed professional counselor)

Resources

• Columbia University, National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
• Orchid Recovery Center for Women
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

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