More Teen Girls Are Getting Involved in Drugs

Females are Experimenting With Drugs at a Higher Rate Than Their Male Counterparts.

by Dr. Jenn Berman

A recently released analysis of the National Survey on Drug use and Health revealed what therapists who work with teenage girls have long suspected and parents of teenage girls have not wanted to believe; girls are experimenting with marijuana, alcohol and tobacco at higher rates than their male counterparts. That is surprising both because historically boys have led the pack in drug and alcohol use and because over the last decade, teen drug use has been declining overall among teenagers.

In fact, since 2001 illicit drug use for boys and girls ranging in age from 12 to 17 years old has declined a reported 19%. Despite this statistic, according to the recently released analysis which reflects data collected from January to December of 2004, 1.5 million girls started drinking alcohol compared to 1.28 millions boys. During that same time period 730,000 girls started smoking cigarettes compared to 565,000 boys and 675,000 girls started using marijuana compared to 577,000 boys. When it came to prescription drug use, girls surpassed boys again. 14.4 percent of the girls reported misusing these drugs compared to only 12.5 percent of the boys.

Why Girls are at Risk There are a few reasons why girls are particularly susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse. One common cause often cited is that girls, even more so than boys, are under tremendous pressure to succeed. Adolescent girls report feeling increasing pressure to be perfect; to get straight "A's", be popular and look like supermodels. They are bombarded by images of unrealistic standards of beauty on television, the internet, in magazines, and in movies. In addition, girls today are under a lot of pressure to be prematurely sexual. In today's teen culture girls are expected to "hook up" or have emotionless sexual experiences. Many times girls who don't feel ready but want to fit in or please a boy they like will drink or take drugs to avoid feeling the emotions associated with having a sexual experience they are not comfortable with or are not ready for.

The Dangers for Girls Girls and boys tend to turn to substance abuse for different reasons. Boys tend to experiment because they are looking for a rush while girls often try them to escape. A study at CASA, the Columbia University's National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse, revealed that girls tend to develop addictions faster than boys even when using the same or smaller amounts of a particular substance. In addition, substance abuse can have lasting and damaging effects on a teens developing body. In fact, pediatric experts claim that even moderate drinking can disrupt a girl's growth and reproductive system which can take years to regain, if at all.

What You Can Do The best prevention for substance abuse is consistent and loving parenting with boundaries. Many parents today are so concerned with being their child's friend that they are afraid to set boundaries. Daughters look to their parents to figure out their own morals and values. CASA's Formative Years survey showed that 61.6 percent of girls who had conversations with their parents about controlled substances said that the conversations made them less likely to smoke, drink or use drugs. Religious involvement also tends to be a protective factor for girls.

There are many different precursors for substance abuse problems. Frequent relocation has been shown to increase the risk factors for girls. Also transition times like going from junior high to high school or high school to college seems to mark vulnerable periods for girls. Surprisingly, caffeine consumption has been linked to substance abuse problems in girls. Girls who drink coffee as children are significantly more likely to smoke and drink. Whether these risk factors exist because they are an indication of less parental involvement or another, more physiological reason is difficult to say but all studies show that parents who are more involved in their daughter's lives tend to have fewer problems with drugs and alcohol.