Substance abuse refers to a patterned use of a drug in which the user apples the substance in way that is detrimental to him or to others. This implies that the use of these substances has a negative judgment towards human beings 1, 3. Substance abuse is very common in the society today. This is because it leads to addiction. This is a complex habit in which the user is strongly attached to the use of these substance to a level which quitting is very difficult. In the society today, substance abuse is structurally influenced by various social, cultural and shared dynamics.
The problems associated with substance abuse are prevalent to both men and women. However, the prevalence rates and addiction has been found to be skewed along gender perspectives. This implies that men are likely to fall into addiction and its effects than women. According to NIH studies, substance abuse predisposes men to various disorders more than it does to women. This is because women consume less of these drugs than men do. The frequency of substance abuse among men and women also differs significantly. This is because unlike women, men are subjected to frequent substance abuse 1, 2.
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"Substance Abuse in Men".
There are various substances that are prone to abuse. These substances include tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and cocaine among others. According to the United Nations report, there are approximately 13 million users of cocaine, 8 million users of heroine, 30 million amphetamines users, 141 million users of cannabis, 227 million users of sedative and 1100 million smokers of tobacco across the world. Alcohol and nicotine are also among the most common problematic substances in the world 2. Misuse of these substances has led to massive social and economic challenges among different people in the world. Extreme use of these substances also leads to addiction.
Among the users of these substances, men are dominant users of all these substances. According to American drug studies, men are twice as likely as women to be affected by drug addiction and its subsequent disorders. The prevalent rates for drug use and addiction are 36% for men and 18 % among women. This implies that one third of men have entirely relied on a certain substance at one stage of their lives. Men in their early adulthood, between 25 to 34 years, are twice as likely to be predisposed to substance abuse as those between 45 to 50 years 2.
According to British drug studies, men are there times more likely than women to depend on alcohol. The further indicates that men are twice predisposed to substance use than women. Approximately 8% of Briton men and 5% of women admitted to have depended on illegal substances at one stage of their lives. Most of those respondents indicated that they had been involved in substance abuse in the previous year prior to the study. Therefore, it is evident that men are highly affected by drug and substance abuse than their female counterparts.
There are various factors that predispose men to drug and substance abuse, these include social cultural and economic issues. Marriage is a very crucial aspect in determining the level of substance use. This is because married men are less likely to be affected by drug addiction as compared to the unmarried men 2. According to the study, substance use is very crucial towards determining a man’s social status. This is because never getting married or becoming single is highly associated with heavy substance use. On the other hand, those who have serious marriage engagement is highly associated with a significant drop in consumption of substances 2, 3.
There are various social factors that have accelerated the gender imbalance in substance abuse. This includes the reaction of the society towards substance abuse along gender lines. The use of substances in generally stigmatized in the society today. However, women who are involved in substance use face higher levels of disapproval from the society as compared to men. This is one of the aspects that has fuelled the gender imbalance that is evident regarding substance use. This is because the stability of a family is highly associated to the ability of a woman to adopt psychological and cognitive stability 3. This is because most of the women who are involved in substance use are more likely to experience divorce than men.
Physiological responses as a result of substance abuse favor male abusers. This is attributed to the biological makeup of men. This is because, unlike men, women are likely to be affected by the consumption of small quantities of alcohol. The slower rate of intoxication in men is attributed to the fact that men have more body water in relation to their body sizes. This implies that men who are involved in substance abuse take more time to acquire high concentrations of alcohol in the blood system 3.
In conclusion, the patterns that are evident in the society today have been very instrumental in guiding the societal orientations regarding substance use. This is one of the critical issues that has facilitated the formation of perceptions regarding substance abuse align the gender lines. Consequently, men are associated to the abuse of substances because of various reasons. However, substance use is associated with various side effects that include health disorders, depression, suicide and even divorce. Therefore, gender structural and cultural differences have played a big role in shaping the position of drug and substance use in the society.
- Green, CA. Gender and Substance Abuse. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 2014. Retrieved from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh291/55-62.htm
- Ciaran, M. Men and Addiction. Net Doctor Publication. 2014. Retrieved from http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/menshealth/facts/addiction.htm
- Brady KT, & Randall CL. Gender Differences in Substance Use Disorders. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 1999. Retrieved from http://faculty.mwsu.edu/psychology/dave.carlston/Writing%20in%20Psychology/Alcohol%20and%20Gender/1/alc.pdf
