ROCKVILLE, Md., April 3 (UPI) -- Twice as many men age 18 and older -- 1.2 million -- entered substance abuse treatment facilities in 2011, compared to about 609,000 females.

A report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, using data from 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found among teens ages 12 to 17, the rate of substance dependence for both genders was the same at about 7 percent.


U.S. teen boys tended to abuse pot, but girl teens tended to abuse alcohol. Twenty-two percent of women ages 18 to 24 said marijuana was their primary substance of abuse versus 3 percent of men, but among admissions age 25 or older there was no variation by gender for marijuana.

Women age 65 or older were nearly three times more likely to abuse prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone than men of the same age.

[SAMHSA]