"Women and Substance Misuse: Enhanced Risks and Research Gaps"

This workshop will examine the enhanced risks for female substance abusers, and will show that women substance misusers develop more psychological and physical health problems over a shorter period of time than male addicts. This workshop will also explore the reasons that women have reduced access to treatment and why most women benefit more from treatment interventions that are gender specific and designed for women. Finally, the talk will highlight how current substance abuse treatment research often utilizes samples that are disproportionately male and fails to address the specific needs of women in recovery.