For many years, researchers were trying to establish both male and female patterns of drug behavior and their bodies’ response to illicit drugs. Although it is evident that men and women cannot have the same attitudes towards drug consumption, the gap is still quite significant. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, men have much higher rates of illicit drugs and alcohol dependence. Consequently, they are more predisposed to have drug-related emergencies. The reasons behind such data can be both social and biological differences between men and women. To answer the question of males’ higher predisposition to drug-related emergencies, it is necessary to dwell upon both aspects.
First of all, it is obvious that male and female bodies differ significantly in terms of their response to various external factors. For this reason, although women can become drug dependants from single substance abuse, men are still more likely to become drug addicts due to their body structure. Another important factor is the fact that men need a more significant drug dose to experience the desired effect. Thus, they are at risk of obtaining a lethal amount of substance or a dose with which the human body cannot cope without external help.
Speaking of social factors connected to drug consumption, women are less likely to try drugs due to labels created by society and traditional roles associated with women, such as taking care of children. Males, on the contrary, have a tendency of drug abuse, especially concerning alcohol and tobacco, and suffer from peer pressure from adolescence. As a result, the behavioral pattern of using drugs in large amounts is more socially acceptable for men. Due to such stigmas, men tend to be more exposed to drug abuse and overdose cases.