Men & Addictions

This book focuses on men and addictions. Various studies have found that the vast majority of men over 12 years of age (82.6%) had used alcohol at least once in their lifetime. The data indicate that 9% of men reported heavy alcohol use (five or more drinks at one time in the previous month), compared to 2% of women. Approximately 34% of the samples reported using illicit drugs. Studies also indicate that drug use patterns vary significantly by racial and ethnic groupings. Men are more than twice as likely to develop substance use disorders as women. Men begin using substances earlier than women and have more opportunity to try drugs. Men suffer far more adverse consequences of substance abuse than women. Clearly, the social construction of masculinity plays a significant role in these statistics. Men's attitudes toward alcohol and drugs tend to be generally less negative than women's attitudes. expectations. Co-occurring psychiatric disorders occur commonly among men.