'Women Under The Influence'

Book: Girls Get Hooked Faster On Drugs And Alcohol

(CBS)  Girls are at a much higher risk of developing addictions to tobacco, alcohol and drugs than boys of the same age, even if they consume smaller amounts of the substances, according to a new book.

The book, "Women Under The Influence" offers an in-depth look at substance abuse among girls and women. It is the work of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Joseph A. Califano, Jr., is chairman of the center and wrote the forward to the book. He joined The Early Show Monday to talk about his findings.

Califano told co-anchor Rene Syler that part of the explanation comes down to differences in physiology, which is what makes girls more susceptible to the effects of alcohol. He points out that girls' bodies are made up of "more fat and less water in their system. So they retain the alcohol. ... One drink has the same impact on a girl that two drinks have on a boy," he said.

As for smoking, "One cigarette has the same impact on a woman, carcinogenically, as two cigarettes have on a man," said Califano. "These are physiological differences," but there are psychological forces at work, as well. "Psychologically, girls are likely to be depressed. Puberty is a much more difficult experience for a teenage girl than it is for a boy," he said. "Self-esteem, depression, anxiety, weight is a big factor, a major factor in smoking, both in terms of starting, and also in terms of quitting. It makes it harder for a young girl to quit." And once addiction takes hold, "they suffer much more severe consequences fast than men do."

Califano says childhood experience is another important factor in addiction. "Sexual abuse as a child is a major factor. You take the girls and women in substance abuse treatment, they're five times likelier to have been abused as a child," he said.

Adding to the spiral of substance abuse in this country is that doctors have a hard time pre-screening women for addiction, according to Califano. "Women are very good at hiding it. And doctors are not doing their job in many respects," he said. "What's terrible about that is if a woman has an alcohol problem the doctor hasn't recognized and he starts giving her prescription drugs, tranquilizers, central nervous system stimulants or depressants, then that can really get her hooked not only on the alcohol, but then on the valium, then on the sleeping pills."

As far as treatment goes, Califano says that too many women avoid it. "Only eight percent of the women who need treatment actually get it. They're much more ashamed and embarrassed, afraid to come out, and there's much less treatment available for women," he pointed out. "We need treatment tailored to women. This is not a one-size-fits-all situation. …We've lost millions of women to addiction and substance abuse, because we've sort of said, 'Well, they're going to be just like men. One size will fit all.' It doesn't work that way."

Click here for much more information about "Women under the Influence" and to read excerpts.

For a long list of quick facts about young girls, women, and older women "under the influence," click here.

To find a substance abuse treatment center near you, click here.