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Article: Women Less Likely to Receive Alcohol Treatment

In their study, Wu and Ringwalt (2004) note that women seem to be at more risk of experiencing alcohol problems than men are. However, they are less likely to receive treatment, such as attending alcohol detox programs. Drinking also becomes problematic faster in women, and they are at risk of experiencing the adverse health consequences sooner than men. However, the authors note that women are frequently underrepresented in studies on alcohol. Therefore, their aim was to establish whether there are any gender differences in alcohol dependence, use of treatment services, and their perceived need for these services. 

Wu and Ringwalt (2004) found that a high number of men and women with alcohol dependence did not receive treatment from an alcohol detox program or otherwise, and did not perceive themselves to need such help either. Only 2 out of 25 women reported a need for alcohol detox programmes and other such help. Therefore, the study seems to suggest that people do not seek help quickly once their alcohol intake becomes problematic. Instead, it seems that significant problems have to occur before they perceive the need for help.

Some alcohol dependent individuals may also presume that their problem is something that they can handle themselves. This may point to the need for educational interventions to increase knowledge on all aspects of alcoholism. Moreover, a high proportion of women who entered an alcohol detox programme were on psychotherapeutic medication, and men tended to be dependent on another drug. This may suggest that people seek help when their alcoholism is more severe, and when the health risks are more apparent.

Another finding was that men were more likely to receive support from family members in getting help. However, no other significant gender differences were reported. Thus, the primary suggestions resulting from this article are a need for greater education around addictions in order to change people’s attitudes towards treatment.

References

Wu, L., & Ringwalt, C. (2004). Alcohol dependence and use of treatment services among women in the community. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161 (10), 1790-1797.

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