Substance Abuse Is Different for Girls: Study

Girls and young women get hooked on cigarettes, alcohol and drugs more quickly and for different reasons than boys, and should receive specialized treatment that reflects that, according to a study released Wednesday.

Teenage girls often begin smoking and drinking to relieve stress or alleviate depression, while boys do it for thrills or heightened social status, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

Girls “get hooked faster, they get hooked using lesser amounts of alcohol and drugs and cocaine, and they suffer the consequences faster and more severely,” said Joseph A. Califano Jr., chairman of the center.

Califano said prevention and treatment centers need to design their programs to deal with female risk factors for abuse.

“With some exceptions, the substance abuse prevention programs have really been designed with a unisex, one-size-fits-both-sexes mentality,” said Califano, who served as Health and Human Services secretary under President Carter. “We now know that girls are different than boys -- let’s recognize it and let’s help them.”

The study, based on a nationwide survey of more than 1,200 females age 8 to 22, found little difference in the percentage of boys and girls who smoke, drink and use drugs.