Alcohol and drug misuse among women--an overview.

Most research into substance misuse has focused on men but the problem among women is considerable and the social consequences and causation differ between the sexes. In the US, one-third of alcohol abusers are women and in the UK 1% of women are estimated to be drinking at a dangerous level. Drug and alcohol misuse holds additional problems for women since abusers tend to be of childbearing age. Rehabilitation units and prevention strategies would benefit more women substance abusers if they were tailored to suit their specific needs.