(Working Paper)

By Elene Japaridze, April 2014

Abstract

The literature demonstrates that females and males with drug use problems differ in many ways, including the patterns of drug use, psycho-social characteristics, physiological consequences of drug use, and treatment needs. There are many studies which suggest that men and women start to experiment with drugs for different reasons, give priority to different substances, develop the syndrome of drug dependence in different ways, and encounter different difficulties and problems due to their dependence on drugs. Various studies have been undertaken in the recent past, to investigate the characteristics of women with drug use problems as well as their stigmatization.