Yet there is not enough prevention, intervention, and treatment targeting women. It is still much harder for women to get help. That needs to change. Former First Lady Betty Ford, Rancho Mirage, CA, April 1995. Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse can have devastating consequences on women's health.
Some women develop drug or alcohol dependencies as a way of coping with past abuse.
Alcohol is associated with domestic violence. Women become more intoxicated than men when drinking identical amounts of alcohol. With lower water and higher fat contents in their bodies, the alcohol is less diluted and therefore has a greater impact. Enzymes that help metabolize alcohol in the body are less efficient in women than in men. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol.