What makes men more vulnerable to addiction?

Even though mental health and addiction affect both genders, it is often overlooked when it comes to men. There is a men’s mental health stigma indicating that it’s a sign of weakness if a man is faced with an obstacle of some kind. Due to the stigma, some men find it challenging to speak up about their mental health issues or even be more resistant to seeking help, say the experts at Sana Lake Recovery, which serves the St. Louis and Kansas City area.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, men are more likely than women to use almost all illicit drugs. Illicit drug use is more likely to evolve in emergency department visits or even overdose deaths for men over women. For the majority of age groups, men have higher rates of dependence on alcohol, illicit drugs, and use.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that men also engage in drug and alcohol use more frequently than women as compared to 7.3 percent of women. Around 11.5 percent of men over the age of 12 were considered current illicit drug abusers at the time. Additionally, 57.1 percent of men engaged in alcohol use or alcohol dependency compared to 47.5 percent of women.

There are several reasons men are more vulnerable to addiction than women. Though there isn’t a single factor that causes an individual to get addicted to a drug or substance, research suggests a complex interaction between environmental triggers and genetic risk factors.

Generally, men tend to view substance use less negatively than women do. They will often associate illicit drug use and drinking to excess as signs of manly behavior or a rites of passage. In comparison, women tend to view substance use as an incompatible behavior with family responsibilities and feminine caregiving.

ADDICTION AFFECTS MEN DIFFERENTLY
Addiction affects men in numerous different ways than it does women, depending on the drug. The substances that are more commonly abused by men are heroin, marijuana and alcohol.

• Marijuana – Similar to various other addictive drugs, there are fewer females than males that engage in marijuana use. It was indicated that marijuana can impair spatial memory in women more than it does in men. However, men show a greater marijuana-induced high than women. Furthermore, there was a particular study about teenagers that showcased male high school students who engaged in marijuana use reporting school problems and poor family relationships more than female high school students.
  However, studies suggested that teenage girls who engaged in marijuana have a higher risk of brain structural abnormalities associated with regular marijuana exposure than boys.
• Stimulants (Methamphetamine and cocaine) – There is research indicating that women might be more vulnerable to the reinforcing and rewarding effects of stimulants. The estrogen in women is most likely one of the factors for the increased sensitivity. Women are also more sensitive than men to cocaine’s effects on the blood vessels and heart.
  However, in contrast, cocaine use in both men and women has similar effects on academic achievement, deficits in learning and concentration. Also, female users are less likely than males to display blood flow abnormalities in the brain’s frontal regions. For the most part, women depend on methamphetamine more than men.
• MDMA (Ecstasy, Molly) – Research suggested that MDMA produces stronger hallucinatory effects in women than in men, even though men showed higher MDMA-induced blood pressure increases. There is some evidence in occasional users that women experienced more depression than men a few days after use, but both parties undergo similar increases in aggression after stopping MDMA.
• Heroin – Men are more likely than women to inject heroin. Research indicates that women are more likely to use smaller amounts of heroin for less time. The study suggested that women are more likely to experience a heroin overdose than men due to mixing the drug with other prescription drugs, which is dangerous. In the long term, women are more likely than men to survive heroin use.
• Alcohol – Generally, men experience higher rates of alcohol use, including binge drinking. However, young adults are the exception. Girls around 12-20 experience slightly higher rates of binge drinking and alcohol misuse than their male counterparts.
  Ironically, long-term drinking is more likely to damage a woman’s health than a man’s, even if the woman has been drinking less alcohol for a shorter period. Women become intoxicated quicker than men from small quantities of alcohol.

HELPING MEN RECOVER
Sana Lake provides mental health and addiction treatment in Missouri with a more centered approach around what each person needs for a lasting and successful recovery. Sana Lake provides comfortable, safe, and secure detox, recreational spaces, and residential living options. A clinical assessment will address substance use disorders, psychiatric issues, family dynamics and legal status.

Even though there is a men’s mental health stigma extremely present in today’s society, Sana Lake can help transform their way of thinking. Evidence-based research and recovery-oriented systems of care stress the importance of the client’s value despite a chronic addiction condition. With credentialed, empathetic staff in a world-class treatment setting, patients are guided toward long-term recovery in a way that makes the most sense for their unique needs.

For more information call 855-745-3336 or visit www.sanalake.com.