Clearly they are not talking to the women I know, ahem.
According to this study the number of women becoming addicted to drugs, nicotine and alcohol is increasing rapidly.
the gender gap is closing. More than 20 million girls and women in the United States abuse drugs and alcohol and 30 million more are addicted to cigarettes, according to a 10-year research effort from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.The study documents how women, pound-for-pound, not only get more drunk or higher faster then men, but also become addicted more easily.
I mean really this has not been my experience, but I could see what they are saying. I have never seen that much of a correlation between body size and ability to consume party goods, more like preferences and what is considered socially acceptable for girls to do as opposed to boys. But I know some hardcore ass ladies so...
Also according to the study, teenage girls engage in the use of drugs and alcohol as often as teenage boys. Furthermore,
The risk of addiction to alcohol and drugs, including nicotine, is approximately doubled as well. The reason may be hormonal or psychological, according to ongoing research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Males and females abuse drugs for different reasons. For example, teenage girls are more likely than boys to abuse substances in order to lose weight, relieve stress or boredom, improve their mood, reduce sexual inhibitions, self-medicate depression, and increase confidence, according to CASA.
Teenage girls could also perhaps use substances to have fun, just like their guy friends (just a thought). I do see how instances of substance abuse are overlooked in young girls and women because it is always assumed that only boys do things like that.
What my feelings are on the way young people in general are talked to and treated with respect to drugs and my feelings on the drug war in general, well that is a whole different issue.
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I have never seen that much of a correlation between body size and ability to consume party goods
It's more metabolism than body weight, though the latter is a factor.
I do see how instances of substance abuse are overlooked in young girls and women because it is always assumed that only boys do things like that.
!?
I have no idea where you get that assumption from. That is completely different from what I saw. I would be inclined to say it's a generational thing, but you're not any older than I am.
I kind of disagree with your take on this, Sami; first, I agree with David that people definitely assume that boys and girls both party. It might be more socially acceptable-- in some ways-- for boys to party, but both are expected to do so. I teach college and it's very rare that I hear my kids having any sort of real discussion about their drinking or drug use in a realistic way.
I think we do have to be realistic about how destructive drinking and drug use can be. It's easy to position ourselves as partiers vs. the world, but many people aren't using drugs or alcohol responsibly and there's a great deal of $$$ behind encouraging the non-responsible use of alcohol. Plus the draconian US drug laws make drug use even more dangerous regardless of how responsible people are. This is a very real problem and not one that should be discredited.