Women drug abuse in Europe : Gender identity - Irefrea

of female drug addiction with respect to that of the male can be confirmed and over thelast ten years there has been a more rapid increase in the percentage of female drugaddicts.Furthermore, such a distribution is similar to that found in circles outside Europeand there is a generic estimate of the female population world wide of 4 million womenwho abuse drugs and are in need of treatment (Leopold, Steffan, 1997).In Spain there is a ratio of women and men of 1: 4 in relation to the drug addictedsubjects undergoing treatment (Llopis, 1999).In France approximately one third of the population of drug addicts are women anda relatively recent study which estimated the number of heroin addicts at 16,000 showsa distribution according to sex equivalent to 28% women and 72% men with an averageage of respectively 27,7 and 29,7 (IREP, 1996).In Italy the participation of the female sex amongst drug addicts shows an amplevariety depending on the region according to the users of the Services with a malefemaleratio of 3-5:1 in the central-north or 10:1 in the region of Southern Italy(Magliocchetti, 1996).In Germany the tendency of consumption of drugs and alcohol is substantiallysimilar to the other European countries and the female subjects abusing drugs makes upapproximately 30-40% of the total (Leopold Steffan, 1996).In Holland, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway a percentage varying between 30%and 40% has been noted while Luxembourg, Spain and Poland report slightly lowerfigures of around 22%-25% (Leopold Steffan, 1997).Nevertheless, the relative interest in the subject women and drugs does not onlyrefer to the quantification of the phenomena but rather to other specific factors whichare of crucial importance both to an adequate understanding of the problem and for thepredisposition of preventive and treatment strategies.Indeed, the literature highlights how the problem of female drug addiction does notinvolve the woman as an individual but rather refers to the consequences that thedependence creates in the different aspects that define the functions of the woman(procreative, maternal, social etc.) (Orte Socias, 1997).The phenomena varies according to gender according to the various authors whohave occupied themselves with this subject both as far as the type of substance used isconcerned as well as in relation to the characteristics of consumption. Different motivesin the two sexes have been verified regarding the start of abuse, keeping up the habit ofdrug addiction and the approach to treatment.As in American literature, it can be noted that the women consume a lower amountof drugs than men but that their dependence progresses much more rapidly and thatthey are more inclined to sleeping tablets and tranquillisers. It is an alternative andmuch quieter mode of communication and expression of ill-ease which is often47