Women and Substance Use

Course overview

For many years, research and treatment guidelines ignored sex and gender differences that impact substance use disorders. Decades of research that routinely excluded women have led to an accumulation of data that is heavily biased toward men. More recent research efforts have emphasized these sex and gender differences. Not surprisingly, this research shows that women have different pathways to the development of a substance use disorder. They also have different risk factors, treatment needs, and barriers to treatment, compared to those of men (National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA], 2018). In this course, you will learn about the effects of age and life transitions on alcohol and drug use in women and how these are reflected in treatment methodologies. A host of stressors and life transitions can be accompanied by significant changes in substance use and can be implicated in women's development of a substance use disorder. You will learn ways that you can provide gender-sensitive treatment to women struggling with substance use or at risk of developing a substance use disorder. The goal of this educational program is to provide marriage and family counseling, nursing, professional counseling, social work, and psychology professionals in health and human services settings with information about substance use treatment for women at various stages of development.