ABSTRACT
There can be no doubt that the lives of many women in the United States are profoundly affected by the use of alcohol and other drugs (AOD). Evidence also suggests that the addiction careers of women emerge and develop differently than do those of men, and that they are deeply influenced by the social context of a life embedded in family relationships and gender socialization (Henderson, 1998). Women with AOD problems are greatly disadvantaged, however, by the fact that little is yet known about the causes and consequences of substance use among women. Existing evidence suggests that women are often placed at risk by elements of their gender status and experiences as women which increase their likelihood of developing AOD problems while reducing their capacity to deal with those problems effectively. This is especially true for poor women with substance abuse problems, facing new risks with increased sanctions and diminished benefits in the wake of welfare reform. Women have also been placed at increased risk by societal responses to substance use and abuse that, in the 1980s and 1990s, moved from neglect to punishment with expanded reliance on incarceration of women with substance abuse problems. As a result, the past decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of women placed in double and even triple jeopardy by substance abuse, poverty, and incarceration for drug-related offenses.
