(1) I'm thinking the older a man gets the harder it is for him to maintain clean and sobership.

(2) Because many things men do women can do better, I'm thinking because this is how it seems, that women addicts have MUCH more determination to muster up the willpower to get cleaned and then maintain sobriety than men addicts. I don't think the female facilities are loaded with women addicts in their 40's who started in their teens, yet the male facilities are loaded with men in this age bracked who started their choice back in their teens.

(3) I'm thinking because the lifestyle of maintaining an addiction in society is so much harder for females that this is why they get out of the lifestyle a lot sooner than men.

Any input as to the validity of my thinking?

Interesting, I really dont know the stats on that but you have certainly made me curious and Im going to see what I can find out.

Yeah, I find this interesting also. I wonder if being a woman, they may also have it a little easier to hook up with a guy thats more willing to provide for them or if it's easier to make money on the streets and they're not in recovery. Now that I'm thinking about it, most the women at all the rehabs my ex were in were in the under 30 crowd. Mostly late teens to 25. Hardly ever were there older woman except for some of the counselors.

Another thing that I've been thinking about, a little off the subject here. But, one of the counselors at one of the rehabs my ex was in before I met him told my ex's parents that if you don't get them back before they are 35, the chances of them ever recovering go way down. I wonder if that is true also. I met him when he was 33, at that point he was still functioning somewhat. But, from age 35 on, he spiraled downhill quite rapidly.

I worked at a drug rehab (Caron Foundation) for several years in the medical records department. I found that the numbers are fairly equal as far as relapse, age, and stages of the disease. In fact, when I worked there I think more women were in the relapse program than men. I think you are forgetting that women have such a dual role still in society that so many women have such a hard time being a wife, mother, and provider that the stress for an addict can be unbearable. I saw women in their 70's go through the relapse program. Plus, there is an adolescent center at this rehab as well and there were plenty of girls enrolled in the program. Many had combined problems of drugs, drinking, and cutting. That was a trend when I worked there.

Although I do not like to look at the world in terms of gender stereotypes, I agree that it s often that the woman can stop, but the man cannot, or until much latter.

I think the one aspect that women have that men don't when it comes to motivation to stay sober: motherhood. Women have more responsibilities. When I had my daughter, I stopped using for her. I couldn't be a good mom while I was high. She inspired me, plus when I was pregnant, I was forced to dry out.

Look at all the women who have had their kids taken away from you by the state because of drugs, it is a pretty harsh blow- most men addicts never have to deal with that because the mamas have they babies.

Well I’ve been looking up stats and finding some interesting results though Ive also found contradictions One area I found difficulty in gathering information is specific drug use in elderly women. Though we do have some news articles on this in the news sub forum in the addiction form.
(see bottom for explanation of acronyms and sources of research.)

- In 2002 Females accounted for 30% of substance abuse admissions. The average age was slightly younger than the males at 33.3 vs 34.2 (not a big difference).
source SAMHSA

- Females were more likely than males to be treated for opiates or cocaine and less likely for pot or alcohol.
source SAMHSA

- the population in the United States had a gender ratio of 51% female and 49% male in 2002, however there were 1.9 substance abuse treatment admissions in 2002 and of that 30% were female.
Source TEDS

-In 2003 it was reported that among persons age 12 and over 61 percent of the females used alcohol during the past year and 12 percent used illicit drugs. In comparison in the same age group; 70% of males used alcohol and 17 % illicit drugs.
Source: NSDUH
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Female and male treatment admissions were similar in some respects. Approximately 60 percent of both females and males admitted to substance abuse treatment in 2002 were White, and both were most likely to enter treatment between the ages of 35 to 44.

-In addition to this 44% of both males and females were entering treatment for the first time.

There were however important differences:
-Alcohol was the most frequent primary source of substance abuse for both males and females in 2002

-Cocaine, however, was reported as the primary substance of abuse by 17 percent of females entering treatment compared with 11 percent of males. Females were also more likely than males to report primary stimulant abuse (10 vs. 5 percent).

-The average age at admission for female admissions was slightly younger than male admissions (33.3 years vs. 34.2 years). However, females initiated substance use at an older age compared with males. The average age of first use of drugs or alcohol for females was almost 20 years old compared with 18 years old for males.

-Females were more likely to self-refer themselves then males who where more frequently referred threw the criminal justice system. 40% of the males were referred by the criminal justice system as compared to females who were only 27%.

-Females were more likely to arrive threw ambulatory service then males though females were less likely to be in a detox setting (18 vs 24 percent)

-Males were more likely to be employed when entering treatment. Close to half of the females admitted were not employed.

-Males and females were about equal as far as their marital status being that 19-21 percent were married. However 39% of females were separated, widowed or divorced compared to males who were only 30%. Females were less likely to be single.

-67% of females reported living alone prior to admission which was slightly higher than males.

-Among those aged 26 or older, males were twice as likely as females to be dependent on or abusing alcohol or an illicit drug. The rate of substance dependence or abuse for those age 50 or older was 4.9% for males and 1.5% for females. (source: Office of Applied Studies)

-The rate of substance dependence or abuse for those age 50 or older was 4.9% for males and 1.5% for females. Among the age group most likely to use alcohol or illicit drugs (aged 18 to 49) and who were employed full time, the rate of substance dependence or abuse was 15% for males and 8% for females. Among the unemployed, the rate was 23% for males and 12.5% for females. By marital status among those aged 18 to 49: the rate of substance dependence or abuse for those who were married was 10% for males and 4% for females. The rate of substance dependence or abuse among the divorced or separated was 23% for males and 11% for females. Among those never married, the rate of substance dependence or abuse was 24% for males and 16% for females. Among those living with one or more children, the rate of substance dependence or abuse was 11% for males and 5.5% for females.
(source: SAMHSA)

-Among older adults, 1.4 million (1.8%) used an illicit drug during the past month. Marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug (used by 1.1% older adults), followed by prescription-type drugs used nonmedically (0.7%), and cocaine (0.2%). (source: SAMHSA 2002 & 2003 updates)

-Trends in the substance abuse treatment admissions of adults age 55 or older show an increase of 32% in the number of older adult admissions between 1995 to 2002. (Source: TEDS)

-Primary drug admissions among older adults increased 106% for men and 119% for women: from 6,200 men and 1,600 women in 1995 to 12,800 men and 3,500 women in 2002. (source: TEDS)

-Substance abuse treatment admissions rates among older adults tended to be highest in northern and northeastern States. (Source: TEDS)

- In 2002, 66,500 admissions aged 55 or older were admitted to substance abuse treatment facilities in the United States

- Alcohol was the most frequently reported primary substance of abuse among older adults in treatment for all years from 1995 to 2002

- Primary drug admissions among older adults increased by 106 percent for men and 119 percent for women between 1995 and 2002
(Source: DADIS Report 05_2005)

-Between 1995 and 2002 there has been Alcohol was the number one primary substance of abuse for admission ages 55 and over. During this time frame admission increased by 19% for men and and 24% percent by women over 55 years of age. (Source: DADIS Report05_2005)

-The number of illicit drug users among older adults is likely to increase in the coming years due to the aging of the "baby boom" generation
(Source: NHSDA 11_2001 Report)

-Its estimated 568,000 adults aged 55 or older, or 1 percent of all older adults in the United States, had used illicit drugs in the past month
(Source: NHSDA 11_2001 Report)

-The illicit drugs most commonly used by older adults were psychotherapeutics used nonmedically (an estimated 300,000 past month users) and marijuana (an estimated 221,000 past month users). Among older adults, the rate of past month illicit drug use was highest for those aged 55 to 59, and rates declined dramatically with increasing age
(Source: NHSDA 11_2001 Report)

-There also was no significant gender difference in the rate of past month illicit drug use among older adults. However, the rates of past month alcohol use, binge drinking, and heavy drinking among older adults were higher for males than for females.
(Source: NHSDA 11_2001 Report)

-Percentages of Adults Aged 55 or Older Reporting Past Month Use of Illicit Drugs or Alcohol, by Gender: 2000 in percentages per capita:
Any illicit drug: male 1.3, female 0.8
Any alcohol use: male 46.5 female 30
Bingle alcohol use: male 14.5 female 5.2
Heavy alcohol use: male 4.0 female 0.9
(Source: NHSDA 11_2001 Report)

-Impact of the "Baby Boom" Generation Birth cohorts that experience high rates of illicit drug use in youth or young adulthood have subsequently shown higher rates of use as they age, relative to other cohorts.2 The rate of lifetime illicit drug use was signficantly higher among persons aged 35 to 54 (50 percent) in 2000 (birth cohorts of the "baby boom" generation) than among older adults (13 percent).3 The higher prevalence of illicit drug use among the younger age group (those aged 35 to 54), combined with the generation's overall large population size, suggests that the number of illicit drug users among older adults will increase in the coming years as this younger group enters older adulthood.
(Source: NHSDA 11_2001 Report)

Other sources:
Primary Care Research in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services for the Elderly (PRISM-E) (http://www.samhsa.gov/aging/age_07.aspx)

acronyms and sources of research

TEDS: Treatment Episode Data Set (http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/SAMHDA-SERIES/00056.xml)
SAMHSA: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (http://www.samhsa.gov/)
NSDUH: National Survey on Drug Use and Health (http://oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda.htm)
DASIS (Report): Drug and Alcohol Services Information Systems (http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k6/DualTX/DualTX.cfm)
NHSDA (Report): National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (http://oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda.htm)


****Well I dont know about all of you but much of this has now caused me to have many more questions.
Great topic

Very interesting, good information, this is a good topic.

very interesting

One of the things that feeds into addiction is high-level risk-taking behavior. That is generally strongly influenced by testosterone level, which is, of course, higher in males, especially young males. And the earlier one begins to drink, the harder it is, in general, to quit, andd the earlier it begins, the more devastating are the effects on brain development. So . . . if you're young and male, your chances are high, and the more you drink, the more your brain suffers, and the less you have to work with to recover.

I work as a substance abuse counselor. Actually, women do get locked up, often late in life, for using drugs, often selling themseleves or whatever else to support their habit.
It's sad, but true. I know, I worked with many of them.
The thing is this: there are many people who are termed 'functional addicts'. Women, oftimes do try to be functionally addicted, due to the many responsiblities they have, sometimes working, raising children, sometimes their's and someone elses, taking care of relatives, and trying to hold down the fort. It's been my experience that women get into using drugs as a way of 'escape' and then can't stop.

I think because women are often incarcerated for crime that is 'around' their drug use, it may not be as visable, but it is there.

It's difficult to help somoene unless something happens that makes them have to realize that they need to stop using. Sometimes being sent to prison can be that motivation, and sometimes now. I have had my share of mandated clients who really didn't want to be in treatment. I don't like working with them, because they are there because they are told they have to be. Many don't see a thing wrong with their behavior. I now work with many people in a different setting who have the same issues in a different space, they think they are very functional, even though their children have been removed by the child welfare system and they themselves are either homeless or a few steps away from it.

I think addiction is an equal opportunity problem...it can hit just about anyone of either gender equally.

Fyre