Women at high risk for substance abuse
What you need to know — ASAP
Sponsored by the Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative
Do you know of a woman or young girl in your life who could have a substance abuse problem? Have you felt powerless to help her? Or that it is just not your business? Have you made excuses for her behaviors? Well‚ you could save her life…
Here are some important facts about women‚ girls and alcohol:
• The most commonly diagnosed mental health problems among girls and women with alcohol problems are depression, anxiety disorders, borderline personality disorder and eating disorders.
• Teenage girls who drink frequently are almost six times more likely to attempt suicide than girls who never drink.
• Up to 50 percent of people with eating disorders abuse alcohol (and illicit drugs), compared with 9 percent of the general population, and up to 35 percent of people who abuse alcohol (and illicit drugs) have eating disorders, compared with 3 percent of the population.
Have a conversation with a woman in your life if you suspect they may have an addiction.
The Maine Office of Substance Abuse has a wealth of resources and can help. Visit them on the Web at www.maine.gov/dhhs/osa/
This article is brought to you by MAPSA and ASAP Coalition Alcohol Workgroup Members: Aroostook Chiefs of Police, CADET, Community Voices, Healthy Aroostook, Power of Prevention, and WAGM. These statistics were taken from the book “Women Under the Influence” by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.
