GIRLS ARE MORE EASILY ADDICTED, STUDY SAYS

WASHINGTON -- Girls and young women get hooked on cigarettes, alcohol and
drugs more quickly and for different reasons than boys, and should receive
specialized treatment that reflects that, according to a study released
Wednesday.

Teenage girls often begin smoking and drinking to relieve stress or
alleviate depression, while boys do it for thrills or heightened social
status, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
at Columbia University.

"(Girls) 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 A. Califano Jr., chairman of the center.

Califano said prevention and treatment centers needed to design their
programs to deal with the risk factors leading to female substance abuse.

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

Florida first lady Columba Bush, whose daughter Noelle is struggling with
substance abuse, said if parents and educators understand girls are more
vulnerable and need different treatments, "we can save millions of young
girls and women from the agony of addiction."

Bush is married to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is President Bush's brother.

The study, based on a nationwide survey of more than 1,200 females age 8 to
22, found little difference in the percentage of 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.

Researchers determined girls are also more likely to abuse substances if
they reached puberty early, had eating disorders or were ever physically or
sexually abused. Their likelihood of using cigarettes, alcohol or drugs
also increases if their families move often or when girls advance from
middle school to high school or from high school to college.

As they reach puberty and develop into teenagers, "girls are likelier than
boys to compare themselves physically and academically to their new peers,
increasing the doubts they feel about themselves," the study said.

Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., voiced
support for the study's main recommendation -- that parents, educators and
doctors become familiar with the warning signs and intervene quickly with
girls at risk.

Clinton said she would introduce legislation aimed at boosting public
awareness of prescription drug abuse and forcing hospitals to better track
the problem.

The study faults alcohol and tobacco companies for promoting their products
by linking them to glamorous models.