Gender and Drug Use

Gender and Non-Medical Use of Prescription Opioids

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The use of prescription medications for recreational use is becoming a growing problem in the United States. It is estimated that as of 2003, approximately 4.7 billion individuals were misusing prescription opioids (Tetrault, Desai, Becker, Fiellin, Concato, & Sullivan, 2007). This estimate is the result of a rise in prescription opioids abuse from 11.6 million users in 1998 (Tetrault et al., 2007).

Contributing to this rise in abuse is the large number of women who have begun to use prescription opioids recreationally (Tetrault et al., 2007). This growing diversity within the population of opioids abusers makes it much more difficult to effectively treat these individuals (Tetrault et al., 2007).  For example, drug and alcohol addictions are more common in men (Tetrault et al., 2007). However, women are more likely to have a dual-diagnosis of addiction as well as a psychiatric disorder (Tetrault et al., 2007).

According to Tetrault et al., this rise in female prescription opioid abuse is likely due to the fact that women are simply more likely than men to be prescribed these abusable medications (2007). However, by 2007, the number of men and women using prescription opioids has evened out (Tetrault et al., 2007). 

Tetrault et al. conducted a national survey in order to compile a current idea of the statistics concerning prescription opioid use, as well as who is using it. According to Tetrault et al., individuals aged thirty-five years and older are the most likely to abuse prescription opioids (62.8%), followed by 24-34 year olds (17.3), then 12-18 year olds (11.7), and finally 19-23 year olds (8.2%) (2007).

In addition, it was found that Whites were the most likely to abuse prescription opioids (69.9%) (Tetrault et al., 2007). Another interesting facet to the study was the fact that the researchers measured which total household income level was the most likely to abuse prescription opioids. It appears as though the $40,000-$74,000 income level was the most likely to abuse these drugs (Tetrault et al., 2007). A majority of the users were also married, as opposed to single (Tetrault, et al., 2007).

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These findings just go to show that there is not a “typical” addict as we discussed in class. The stereotypical addict would be a single, lower-class individual. However, the results of Tetrault et al. paint a very different story which could possibly change our perceptions of addicts in society.

References

Tetrault, J. M., Desai, R. A., Becker, W. C., Fiellin, D. A., Concato, J., & Sullivan, L. E. (n.d.). Gender and non-medical use of prescription opioids: Results from a national us survey. (2007). Addiction, 103, 258-268. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.02056.x