GIRLS NEED THEIR OWN SPECIAL REHAB: DOCS

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Young girls and women are more easily addicted to drugs
and alcohol, have different reasons than boys for abusing substances, and
may need single-sex treatment programs to beat back their addictions,
according to a study released yesterday.

"They get hooked faster, they get hooked using lesser amounts of alcohol
and drugs and cocaine, and they suffer the consequences faster and more
severely," said Joseph Califano Jr., chairman of the National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, which conducted the
three-year survey of girls and young women.

"With some exceptions, the substance-abuse prevention programs have really
been designed with a unisex, one-size-fits-both-sexes mentality," Califano
said. "We now know that girls are different than boys. Let's recognize it,
and let's help them."

The study, based on a nationwide survey of females 8 to 22, found the
gender gap is narrowing between boys and girls who smoke, drink and use drugs.

Approximately 45 percent of high-school girls drink alcohol, compared with
49 percent of boys, and girls outpace boys in the use of prescription
drugs, the study found.

While boys often experiment with tobacco, alcohol and drugs in a search for
thrills or heightened social status, girls are motivated by a desire to
reduce stress or alleviate depression, the study found.