Pubdate: Thu, 6 Feb 2003 Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ) Copyright: 2003 Pulitzer Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/23 Author: Associated Press Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Joseph+Califano NEW ADDICTION TREATMENTS, TARGETED TO GIRLS, ARE URGED WASHINGTON -(AP)- Girls and young women get hooked on cigarettes, alcohol and drugs more quickly and for different reasons than boys, and should receive specialized treatment that reflects that, according to a study released Wednesday. Teen-age girls often begin smoking and drinking to relieve stress or alleviate depression, while boys do it for thrills or heightened social status, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Girls "get hooked faster, they get hooked using lesser amounts of alcohol and drugs and cocaine, and they suffer the consequences faster and more severely," said Joseph A. Califano Jr., chairman of the center. Califano said prevention and treatment centers need to design their programs to deal with the risk factors leading to female substance abuse. "With some exceptions, the substance abuse prevention programs have really been designed with a unisex, one-size-fits-both-sexes mentality," said Califano, who served as health and human services secretary under President Jimmy Carter. "We now know that girls are different than boys - let's recognize it and let's help them." Florida first lady Columba Bush, whose daughter Noelle is struggling with substance abuse, said that if parents and educators understand girls are more vulnerable and need different treatments, "we can save millions of young girls and women from the agony of addiction." Mrs. Bush is married to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. The study, based on a nationwide survey of more than 1,200 girls and women age 8 to 22, found that approximately 45 percent of high school girls drink alcohol, compared with 49 percent of boys, and girls outpace boys in the use of prescription drugs, the study found. Researchers determined girls are also more likely to abuse substances if they reached puberty early, had eating disorders or were ever physically or sexually abused. Their likelihood of using cigarettes, alcohol or drugs also increases if their families move often or when girls advance from middle school to high school or from high school to college. As they develop into teen-agers, "girls are likelier than boys to compare themselves physically and academically to their new peers, increasing the doubts they feel about themselves," the study said. The study faults alcohol and tobacco companies for promoting their products by linking them to glamorous models, and calls for a ban on alcohol advertising on television and cigarette and alcohol advertising in magazines with large numbers of young readers. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk