Premium Essay

Substance Abuse Among Women Essay

Submitted By
Words 2062
Pages 9
Drug dependence is a complex, chronic, relapsing condition that is often accompanied by severe health, psychological, economic, legal, and social consequences. Until recently substance abuse among women was hidden therefore women got less attention by the researchers and treatment providers and general public. However, it does not mean that women are not using or abusing substances or substance abuse among women were not exist in older days. Addiction cannot stay hidden because women are also equally vulnerable for substance addiction. This was evident when the national survey of the United States evidenced that drug use among women was increasing at a rate higher than for men, though men were still more likely to become addicted to drugs and alcohol than women (Westermeyer, & Boedicker, 2000; & Stein and Cyr, 1997). Recent literatures proved that though both men and women are equally vulnerable for substance addiction there is a clear difference among men and women substance users. A large number of researches suggest that women differ from men in a number of areas relating to alcohol and drug use the gender differences are reflected not only biologically but also in psychosocial dimensions too. The gender difference manifest from etiology of substance abuse to biopsychosocial consequences of substance abuse and also the treatment of substance abuse.
Epidemiological …show more content…
Substance use disorder can obstruct their ability to work. If the women with substance use disorders are not able to obtain appropriate treatment on appropriate time which will become a barrier for them to find and maintain employment. Studies also supports that compare to male counter partners women with substance use disorders have lower educational achievement, lower rates of employment and young age. (Wong et al., 2002), (Wechsberg et al.,

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Crime Against Women

...Violence and abuse against women is a global injustice of alarming proportions. Not only is this problem widely spread geographically, but it is also common among many people making it a typical accepted behavior. Only in recent years has the issue been brought to the open for concern and study. Incidents such as domestic violence are not isolated individual events, but rather a way for the abuser to command control over the woman. Unlike assaulting a complete stranger, domestic violence occurs in situations when the abuse is a reoccurring formality between abuser and victim. Up until recently abuse of this degree was common, and found in most societies. In this essay I will discuss the seriousness of domestic violence and it affect on women. Domestic violence or in this case abuse against women is caused specifically by the choice to engage in violent or abusive behavior. A number of factors can lead to that choice and the most common causes for that choice are chemical dependency problems with alcohol or drugs. Its shown that more then half of the incidents that occur are the cause of substance abuse. The affects of such substances can often make a person easily irritated or mentally imbalanced leading them to do things they wouldn't normally do while sober. Many people have seen abuse between parents and as adults may have issues distinguishing there actions from that of there parents making it hard for them to realize that what there doing is wrong. ...

Words: 333 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Crime Against Women

...Violence Agianst Women Violence and abuse against women is a global injustice of alarming proportions. Not only is this problem widely spread geographically, but it is also common among many people making it a typical accepted behavior. Only in recent years has the issue been brought to the open for concern and study. Incidents such as domestic violence are not isolated individual events, but rather a way for the abuser to command control over the woman. Unlike assaulting a complete stranger, domestic violence occurs in situations when the abuse is a reoccurring formality between abuser and victim. Up until recently abuse of this degree was common, and found in most societies. In this essay I will discuss the seriousness of domestic violence and it affect on women. Domestic violence or in this case abuse against women is caused specifically by the choice to engage in violent or abusive behavior. A number of factors can lead to that choice and the most common causes for that choice are chemical dependency problems with alcohol or drugs. Its shown that more then half of the incidents that occur are the cause of substance abuse. The affects of such substances can often make a person easily irritated or mentally imbalanced leading them to do things they wouldn't normally do while sober. Many people have seen abuse between parents and as adults may have issues distinguishing there actions from that of there parents making it hard for them to realize that what...

Words: 502 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Nu$ 408 Epidemology

...define and identified, and the different types of epidemiology. The population chosen characteristics such as the influenced population’s vulnerability. This essay will also examine the values and potential cultural biases with cultural considerations that may impact health issues. There are legal and ethical consideration when working with the mentally ill. Describing the relationship of the disease to varies levels of prevention. Relevant population and the disease of this population The mentally ill the population and the disease is AIDS/HIV. Mental disorders are indiscriminate. They occur across the span and affect persons of all races, cultures genders and educational and socioeconomic group. One of the leading cause of disability is mental illness. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and AIDS have had an enormous political and social impact on society. Nearly 75% of new HIV infections occur in persons between 30-49 years may result in disrupted families and lost careers and economic productivity. (Stanhope, 2012, p317) HIV is transmitted through exposure to blood, semen, transplanted organs, vaginal secretions and breast milk (Heymann, 2008). (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2012 p.785) According to World Health Organization, “Mental health and HIV are closely interlinked: mental health problems, including substance use disorders, are associated with increased risk of HIV infection and AID. Some mental disorders occur as a result of HIV infection.”...

Words: 1966 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Domestice Violence in the Lives of Black Women in the U.S.

...Vazaskia V. Crockrell-Caldwell Prof. Margaret Griesse T SOC 455: Sociology of Gender 8 December 2014 Domestic Violence in the Lives of Black Women in the U.S. This essay will explore the cause and impact of domestic violence in the lives of black women in the U.S. It will provide general information, such as the definition of domestic violence, statistics, and resources to help survivors leave domestic violence relationships. Following the review of the literature I identify areas which need further research. Since I can remember black women have been characterized as mean and argumentative, but also strong and self-sacrificing for their families. Black families on TV were always portrayed as single mother households. In my community there was also a reoccurring reality of domestic violence against women. This was is in direct contrast to stereotypes I heard about white women, who were portrayed as weak, frail and needing to be protected. Examples include June Cleaver on Leave it to Beaver and the Brady Bunch. But what justified the brutality of domestic violence against black women then and now? In 2011, black females were murdered at a rate more than two and a half times higher than white females: 2.61 per 100,000 versus 0.99 per 100,000. [1] In the U.S. domestic violence against black women has escalated. In 2010, Marissa Alexander an African American woman shot a warning shot at the wall in order to scare Rico Gray, her estranged, abusive...

Words: 3530 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Binge Drinking and Minors

...Drinking binges are generally occurring among college aged people. Binge drinking also known as episodic drinking is defined as “drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. “Some binge drinkers may also consume a consistent amount of alcohol over a long period of time, also leading to intoxication. Binge drinking can also be described as four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men per sitting. “Binge drinking is a kind of purposeful drinking style, and somewhat overlaps with social drinking since it is often done in groups.” Due to long-term effects of alcohol misuse binge drinking is considered to be a major public health issue. “As college students arrive on campus, it’s a time of new experiences, new friendships, and making memories that will last forever.” Binge drinking is more common in males, during young adulthood. Most binge drinkers do not know any of the risks associated with binge drinking. “Heavy regular binge drinking is associated with negative effects on neurologic, cardiac, gastrointestinal, hematologic, psychiatric, immune and musculoskeletal organ systems.” Up to one third of college aged people binge drink, six percent result in having an alcohol related substance use disorder. Binge drinking in college aged people is commonly associated to unprotected sex, car accidents, unplanned pregnancy, contraction of diseases, suicide and other types of...

Words: 801 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Problems College Student Face

...about Friends/ relationships, partying , health & sickness and some ideas you might gain from this information might be useful in the future for you or a friend that’s in College. (Transition: What I’m going to talk to you about now is about our Friends and Relationships) 2. Did you know friends and personal relationships affect you decisions. A. All our decisions in school are being affected by our relationships, that includes friends, family, boyfriend’s, girlfriend's, all of the people we decide to surround our self's with (yourlife.usatoday.com, 2011). B. According to USATODAY.com "The relationship game among college-age adults today is a muddle of seemingly contradictory trends. Recent studies indicate that traditional dating on campuses has taken a back seat to no-strings relationships in which bonds between young men and women are increasingly brief and sexual” (yourlife.usatoday.com, 2011). C. Also according to USATODAY.com many college students are not interested in serious relationships because they want to study abroad, leave town for internships or go to graduate school, or they consider it to mush of a hassle. In CollegeNET.com 10/14 people agreed that your friends affect the decisions you make in school and out of school....

Words: 1018 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Child Abuse - a Lifetime Sentence

...Child Abuse a Lifetime Sentence Jolene Dancliff COM/156 05-6-2010 Dan Price Child Abuse a Lifetime Sentence Once into adulthood, victims of child abuse search for some form of coping mechanisms to forget or mask the trauma and the pain of child abuse. According to Shub & Cabrera (2011) “Every week 60,000 cases of child abuse or neglect are reported in the United States, and 3 million reports of child abuse or neglect are being filed every year” (p.1). Approximately 50% of child victims abuse drugs or alcohol. (Shub & Cabrer, 2011). The abuse often stems from a response to guilt or a negative self-image. Although as serious as child neglect is, physical abuse more often will result in the abuse of drugs or alcohol. Poverty, social inadequacies and lack of academic achievement all lead to the probability of an adult survivor turning to drugs and alcohol as a way to relieve their internal turmoil. Adult survivors that suffered poverty in their childhood struggle financially due to inadequate resources to obtain quality education. They also have a lack of adequate housing or access to nutritional food. These all increase the odds of the survivor turning to substance abuse. People who are abused often are unable to fit comfortably into any social setting. Because of their insecurities and their uneasiness, it is easier for them to cope when they become intoxicated or high. It bolsters confidence and gives them a false sense of confidence. However, for some...

Words: 2077 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Brief History of Nigeria’s Counter-Narcotic Efforts the Drug Problem Is as Old as Man. No Society Is Insulated from the Negative Consequences of Illicit Drugs. Many Analysts Are of the Opinion That Apart from the

...stopping the drug leads to withdrawal symptoms. Drug addiction is the compulsive use of a substance, despite its negative or dangerous effects. A person may have a physical dependence on a substance without having an addiction. For example, certain blood pressure medications do not cause addiction but they can cause physical dependence. Other drugs, such as cocaine, cause addiction without leading to physical dependence. Tolerance to a drug (needing a higher dose to attain the same effect) is usually part of addiction. Causes, incidence, and risk factors: Drug abuse can lead to drug dependence or addiction. People who use drugs for pain relief may become dependent, although this is rare in those who don't have a history of addiction. The exact cause of drug abuse and dependence is not known. However, a person's genes, the action of the drug, peer pressure, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and environmental stress all can be factors. Peer pressure can lead to drug use or abuse, but at least half of those who become addicted have depression, attention deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or another mental health problem. Children who grow up in an environment of illicit drug use may first see their parents using drugs. This may put them at a higher risk for developing an addiction later in life for both environmental and genetic reasons. People who are more likely to abuse or become dependent on drugs include those who: • Have depression, bipolar disorder...

Words: 6596 - Pages: 27

Premium Essay

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Who Has the Rights?

...Final Essay Assignment - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Who has the rights? Sheila Bird COR3100 Critical Thinking and Writing (Section 2) John F. Kennedy University Summer 2014 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Who Has The Rights? Who has the rights when an unborn child is involved, mother or child? Can an unborn child be protected from his/her mother? Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [FAS] raises these questions that so far, have not been addressed. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is considered to be the most serious consequence of a mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy and is considered the #1 cause of mental retardation in the United States, and it is one that is entirely preventable. FAS was first reported in France in 1968 and noticed/discussed in the United States by Jones and Smith in 1973. Jones and Smith would identify distinctive facial features in children who were exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. Some of these facial features are: short eyelid openings, flat midface, thin upper lip and a flat or smooth grove between nose and upper lip. The children can also show growth retardation and significant cognitive and/or behavioral problems/issues. In the United States, FAS/Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder [FASD] occurs in about 10 per 1,000 live births or 40,000 babies per year. FAS is a lifelong condition that is not curable and has serious lifelong consequences. Unfortunately, there is no known limit on the amount of alcohol a mother can safely consume, that will not cause...

Words: 2101 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Custodial Grandparents

...Are Children Raised by Biological Parents Better than Children Raised by Custodial Grandparents? Nowadays more women have jobs and parents are busier with work than ever before. More grandparents become weekend helpers and help to co-parent their grandchildren; however, grandparents as custodial parents are special cases. The young child’s parents may be unable or unfit to perform their roles as parent due to drug abuse, AIDS or mental disorders. Although parents and grandparents all have love for the children in their life, are children raised by biological parents better than those who are raised by custodial grandparents? This is my research question for the essay. Some sociologists argue that because of the lack of existence of parents, children grow up with grandparents cannot have a real understanding what a family is, and these children usually perform not as good as children who grow up in a normal nuclear family. I concluded some main perspectives support that there are disadvantages of children raised by custodial grandparents; these include emotional disturbance, physical weakness, incapability, social barriers and higher chance of getting substance abuse. Emotional Disturbance Fist of all, children who live with their custodial grandparents might often question where did their parents go. When they start to understand and make sense of the world, their first impression is that their parents abandoned them. From Brown-Standridge, “Custodial grandchildren...

Words: 1965 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The Glass Castle

...After reading Jeannette Walls’ memoir, “The Glass Castle”, it became clear that there were many repetitive factors that shaped the Walls family’s lives. There are numerous accounts of sexual abuse, parental alcoholism, evidence of mental illness and finally poverty in the form of homelessness. For even when the children prospered the parents choose to be homeless. The question is, are these factors relative? Can it be that childhood sexual abuse can inflict mental illness or alcoholism in adulthood? Does mental illness and alcoholism affect the chances of being homeless? The focus of this essay is to provide evidence that the events in Walls own life, documented in her memoir, have a butterfly effect in the outcome of their parent’s lives. In Her memoir Walls documents several cases of sexual abuse during her and her sibling’s childhood. She writes of her own experiences with Billy Deel, although he is only a minor as well, he sexually assaults her during a game of hide and seek. PAGE 85-87 Afterward Jeanette was reluctant to tell her father, “I had a feeling it would cause problems” (Walls 87) The second assault Walls documents, was when she was nine years old. “I was awakened by someone running his hands over my private parts.” “‘I just want to play a game with you’ a man’s voice said.” The next day when they told their father, “he said he was going to kill that low life…” Although, no serious action was taken to find him or prevent it from happening again. (Walls...

Words: 2307 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Carl Hart War On Drugs Summary

...In 1909, the federal government followed suit by passing the Anti-Opium Act. The federal ban however, only served to make the laws racial motives all the more obvious by solely outlawing opium use in its smoked form, which was the customary Chinese method. It made exceptions for injecting opium and mixing opium with drinks, both of which were popular methods of use among whites (Gray, 2000). In 1914, The New York Times ran a headline that read “Negro Cocaine ‘Fiends’ are a New Southern Menace: Murder and Insanity Increasing Among Lower Class Blacks…” (Williams, 1914, p. 1). Blatantly racist articles such as this were common at the time, and even worse of this one, was that it was written by Dr. Edward H. Williams, a prominent medical doctor in the United States. Dr. Williams went on to make ridiculous claims such as southern police officers having to switch to larger caliber guns because when black people used cocaine, “bullets fired into vital parts that would drop a sane man in his tracks, fail to check the “fiend” (1914, p. 1). The idea of the “cocaine crazed negro” was engrained in the public mind, and because professionals like Dr. Williams helped peddle the hysteria,...

Words: 2010 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suffer Higher Rates of Mental Illness and Suicide Rate Than the Above National Average.

...effect on their mental and health well-being. This essay will elaborate the reasons including social and cultural factors contributing significantly higher rate of mental illness and suicidal behaviour and mental health plans that the government has adopted to prevent self-harm and increase mental awareness. There have been a few researches conducted about Aboriginal people’s suicidal behaviour and self-harm. The definition of mental illness has been updated and a few times for the last 50 years on a regular basis (Parker &Milroy, 2014). Mental illness is also known as mental health disorder and it is very common in Australia. Mental disorders as defined by WHO (2016) is “comprise a broad range of problems, with different symptoms. However they are generally characterized by some combination of abnormal thoughts, emotions, behaviour and relationship with others. Examples are schizophrenia, depression, intellectual disabilities and disorders due to drug abuse.” Almost relatively half of the population in Australia suffered affective or substance use disorder and anxiety between the age from 16 to 85 in some stage of their life (The Department of Health, 2014). According to Australian government (2013), 7% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people hospitalised due to mental health condition. The leading cause of hospitalisation was schizophrenia, alcohol addiction and severe stress reaction (Holland et al., 2013). Among them the most affected age group was 25-44, who...

Words: 2189 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Social Issue Divorce Essay Example

...Social Issue Divorce Essay Example One of the major social and economic issues in our society is increase in divorce rate. Divorce, or dissolution of marriage means the marriage ending. It can be contrasted with an annulment which declares that a marriage is invalid, though the marriage effects may be recognized in such unions as spousal support, child custody and property distribution (“Divorce.”). Divorce is like an epidemic in our society that is spreading very quick, and the offspring are most affected in this epidemic (Chandler). According to facts one out of every two marriages ends in divorce (Chandler). It is very bad because many children are raised in single-parent families, and this has a negative impact on their development. In the biggest countries of the world such as the United States, Japan, Korea, Canada, the members of the European Union, the United Kingdom and some other developed Commonwealth countries divorce rates have increased essentially in the last half of the twentieth century and divorce has become commonplace in them (“Divorce.”). It is considered that the divorce rate in the USA is the highest in the world and it was primarily caused by the changing role of the husbands and wives in their household, early marriage, infidelity, additional marital affairs, domestic violence, unstable financial situation and psychological incapacity. All this has the negative effect on social stability in the whole and, of course, it can be the reason of social...

Words: 869 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Uncc100

...This essay will highlight the mission statement of the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and focus on the ethical challenges that Midwives face on a daily basis. It will also emphasise the strategies that can be implemented by Midwives when challenged with ethical issues that may arise. Midwifery is a professional discipline that combines science, art, as well as strong ethical values (Ozcan & Akpinar & Ergin 2012) Individuals are not born with a set of values. The values are formed by interactions with environment, family, culture and through education. (Miles & Francis, 2010) The ACU’s Mission statement gives insight into the values that are imperative to model the aspects of a fair and equitable environment. ACU has a proven history of intellectual tradition which has a strong focus on higher education where academic integrity and a spiritual perspective are encapsulated. As well as a solid commitment toward quality teaching, research and service within the community. ACU also seeks to contribute in a universal scene through fundamental concerns of justice, equity and dignity for all human beings, whilst upholding the values of the common good. Midwifery as a profession values respect for privacy, client autonomy, justice and avoiding harm and working toward the common good for the community (ACU, 2010). Midwives have many roles as they care for women prenatally, during labour and postnatally, as they provide physical, educational and psychosocial needs of...

Words: 991 - Pages: 4