What’s the Issue?

You’ve heard it all before and there’s a good reason for it: alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs can really hurt you.

• Smoking harms your lungs, your heart and puts you at higher risk for serious illnesses such as cancer.
• Drinking beer, wine or liquor slows down your body’s movements and your thinking. If you drink a lot, alcohol can damage parts of your body including your liver, heart and stomach.
• Taking illegal drugs is never a good idea. Not only is it against the law, it can cause serious health problems.

You can become addicted to any of these substances: alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs. Addiction is uncontrollable, compulsive drug seeking and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences.

Why Should I Care?

Women who smoke are more likely to have a heart attack and develop cancer than men who smoke. Smoking puts a woman at higher risk than a man for diabetes, high cholesterol and a stroke. Women also have a harder time quitting smoking than men.

A glass of wine, shot of liquor and 12 ounces of beer all have the same alcohol content. But if a woman and a man under the age of 50 drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman will get drunker because more alcohol will go into her bloodstream. Drinking puts a woman at risk for breast cancer, heart problems and a stroke. Getting pregnant is harder for women who drink on a regular basis when compared with women who don’t drink at all.

Women who use drugs are more likely to suffer from other problems, such as depression and anxiety. Drugs like cocaine, ecstacy and marijuana have different effects on men and women.

What Can I Do?

The earlier you start smoking, the more damaged your body gets. So, it’s better to not start at all.

Alcohol can lead you to do something that you don’t want to do. Women become more impaired than men after drinking the same amount of alcohol. Alcohol-related car accidents are more common than you think.

Ninety percent of all college campus rapes involve someone using. Men are more likely to report using illegal drugs than women, but women are more likely to seek help.

Using alcohol or drugs while you are pregnant can be very dangerous to you and the unborn baby.

Get help if you think you or someone you know has a problem with alcohol, tobacco or drugs. Talk to your doctor or health provider, they can help you through this hard time. Don’t think you are alone, many people have faced and beaten problems with drugs and alcohol!

http://www.womenshealthresearch.org