While women are taught that they are supposed to take care of everyone else's needs, men are taught that they are neither to take care of anyone else nor to have needs themselves. In response, Henwood has developed a treatment manual that can help facilitators take a more concrete, experiential approach with male clients. A treatment manual for the women's program is also being developed. For the time being, however, many clients are grateful that gender-specific treatment is one of the options available to them, and there is solid support for the concept from experienced and knowledgeable addictions workers and agencies. The Gender Gap Women begin using later than men, but lose control of their use more quickly.
Women experience serious physical effects sooner than men do.
Women develop cirrhosis of the liver after drinking less alcohol, and for a shorter period, than their male counterparts. Mortality rates from alcohol-related problems are 50 to 100 percent higher amongst female alcoholics than amongst male alcoholics. Women are less likely to seek treatment specifically for their addictions, and more likely to drop out of treatment. Although one Canadian study put the ratio of female to male alcoholics at 1 to 1.4, women comprise only about 1 in 5 clients in alcohol treatment. Women are more likely than men to be using prescription drugs like sedatives as their primary substance of abuse.