There are gender differences in the prevalence of substance abuse.

Alcohol and Tobacco Use

General population studies indicate that fewer women drink than men, and women who do drink consume less alcohol than men. Of the estimated 15 million alcohol-abusing or alcohol-dependent individuals in the United States, fewer than one-third are women. In the 1993 NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), 57 percent of men reported they drank alcoholic beverages in the previous month, compared with 43 percent of women. The NHSDA defines heavy alcohol use as 5 or more drinks per day on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days. By this definition, in 1993 men were much more likely than women to be heavy drinkers (10 and 2 percent, respectively).

It has been suggested that male and female sex roles, and therefore drinking norms, have become more similar in recent years. Some sex-role changes that...