Pubdate: Thu, 06 Feb 2003 Source: Oklahoman, The (OK) Copyright: 2003 The Oklahoma Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.oklahoman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318 Author: Devlin Barrett GIRLS ADDICTED MORE EASILY, STUDY FINDS WASHINGTON (AP) -- Girls and young women get hooked on cigarettes, alcohol and drugs more quickly and for different reasons from boys, and should receive specialized treatment that reflects that, according to a study released Wednesday. Teenage 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. The study, based on a nationwide survey of more than 1,200 females age 8 to 22, found little difference in the percentage of boys and girls who smoke, drink and use drugs. 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 also are 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. The study faults alcohol and tobacco companies for promoting their products by linking them to glamorous models, and calls for a ban in magazines with large numbers of young readers. Dr. Michael Nuccitelli, a psychologist who runs a substance abuse treatment facility in Brewster, N.Y., questioned some of the study's findings. He doesn't believe women become addicted to alcohol more easily than men, noting there have been far more men than women in his alcohol treatment program over the years. "Clearly there are gender differences," he said, "but at the ages this study is talking about, there's no gender differences in the importance of peer acceptance." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom