Many have been battered or sexually abused. Women develop more liver cirrhosis than men. Some studies indicate the rate for cirrhosis in women is twice that for men. Alcohol use is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. AIDS is now one of the 10 leading causes of death among American women.
Women experience more social disapproval of alcohol use and alcoholic women are more stigmatized.
Women in treatment for cocaine abuse are more likely to also be diagnosed with depression, and to have slower recovery from depression than men. Unlike other illegal drugs, crack is popular among women and youth. Researchers attribute this to cheap price and users' perception that smoking a drug is more acceptable than injecting a drug. The epidemic of drug abuse has overwhelmed American women and children. Judith Gevalier, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, Presentation at the Institute of Medicine Conference, May 1991.