Substance Abuse Treatment Much More Likely for Men: Report

A new government report finds twice as many adult men as women entered substance abuse treatment facilities in 2011. The report found 1.2 million men, and 609,000 females, entered such facilities that year.

Among teens 12 to 17, the rate of substance dependence for both males and females was about 7 percent, UPI reports. The findings come from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Teenage boys were more likely to abuse marijuana, while teenage girls were more likely to abuse alcohol.

Twenty-two percent of women ages 18 to 24 said marijuana was their primary substance of abuse, compared with 3 percent of men the same age. Women 65 and older were almost three times as likely to abuse prescription painkillers such as oxycodone, compared with men of the same age.

“This report provides insight into how age and gender relate to substance abuse, SAMHSA Chief Medical Officer Elinore McCance-Katz said in a news release. “SAMHSA believes that health care professionals can use this information in designing programs that are better tailored to effectively meet the treatment needs of both genders.”