Gender and substance use

Discusses the emotional and physical health effects of alcohol for women. Examines how alcohol is specifically marketed to women, and the consequences for women of the high social acceptance of drinking in our culture. Written by journalist Ann Dowsett Johnson who researched woman and alcohol as a recipient of the Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy.

Profiles the development of single-access programs for supporting pregnant and parenting women who use substances in four different communities, and talks about why this type of program works. Single-access programs seek to provide a range of services under one roof (a “one-stop shop” or “single-access” model), address women’s needs from a holistic perspective, provide practical and emotional support, and strive to reduce barriers to accessing care and support. Each of these four programs also started as a unique network of cross-sectoral partnerships that developed a common vision, values, and goals.

Aims to to encourage and provide guidance to the substance abuse workforce for taking the initial steps towards applying SGDBA to all of their activities. Summarises the processes of applying a sex, gender and diversity lens when developing initiatives, including providing a helpful checklist to guide one through the first steps. Outlines a simplified process that lays the groundwork for future and more comprehensive sex, gender and diversity-based analysis as resources become available.

Developed by CCSA in collaboration with Nancy Poole, Colleen Dell, and the National Advisory Group on Youth Substance Abuse Prevention, to ensure that the needs and realities of boys and girls, women and men, and diverse populations are considered within A Drug Prevention Strategy for Canada’s Youth—a national prevention strategy that aims to reduce illicit drug use by Canadian youth between the ages of 10–24. The tool can be applied to all substance abuse initiatives, from treatment to prevention to workforce development and enforcement.

A follow-up report from the Canadian Addiction Survey (2004) that presents an analysis of alcohol and illicit drug use with respect to gender.

Examines how health and social factors may have different impacts on street youths’ drug use patterns according to gender.

Examines sex and gender as it relates to seniors’ substance use. Finds that older men have more substance use problems but older women are more prone to accidents as a result of substance use.