Addiction occurs in both men and women but the kind of addiction they enjoy varies greatly. Some addictions are quite common in both the sexes. There are various forms of addictions; among this drug addiction, alcohol addiction, cigarette smoking and gambling are some of the common ones.

Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol addiction is more prominent in men than in women. Men have 80% more tendency to become dependent on alcohol than women and their dependency lasts for lifetime. Men in the age group between 20 to 40 years are more susceptible to alcohol addiction than those above 40 years.

Drug Addiction

Men are more addicted to hallucinogens, such as Marijuana, than women. Women are generally more habituated to sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs (Barbiturates) such as Valium, Amytal, Serax and Doxylamine, to name a few. These drugs are basically used to treat sleeplessness.

It is believed that it’s the male sex hormone oestrogen that is responsible for higher addiction rate in males. All addictive drugs trigger brain to release a neurotransmitter substance called Dopamine which is also known as feel-good drug. Oestrogen also affects the dopamine effect by enhancing its release by the brain. Thus, males get addicted to these drugs faster and easier than females.

There is also a difference between men and women in the mode of drug intake. Women start self administrating the drugs much faster than men.

Addiction to Cigarette Smoking

Addiction to cigarette smoking is very common in both men and women. But the intensity of cigarette smoking is less in females than males. Also nicotine intake is also less in women than men. Both men and women are addicted to cigarette smoking due to different reasons. Women smoke to reduce their hunger and control their mood swings while men smoke to improve their work ability, enhance alertness, to decrease pain and to calm down their aggressive mood.

Some other forms of rare addictions are sexual addiction, porn addiction and love addiction.

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Addiction has different meanings for both men and women. For men it’s a stress buster and for women it is a mood booster. Whatever may be the reason, addiction is always harmful to both men and women.