Gender Differences in Drug Use

[fairnymph]

Though I'm sure many of you will think that it's meaningless to generalize about gender differences in drug use, I'd like you to bear with me for a bit and consider the following trends:
While both men and women seem to like stimulants, I have noticed that women tend to prefer stimulants over downers, whereas men don't tend to have a preference, or occasionally prefer downers. Basically, for whatever reasons I think women get more out of stimulants, or are more drawn to them, compared to downers, whereas the same discrepancy does not exist for men.
I've also noticed that more men tend to prefer weed (and are more likely to be potheads) as well as opiates. There are certainly women who like these drugs, but for whatever reasons it just seems like men are way more into them than women.
Finally, it also seems like men tend to be more into long-term, heavier drug use than women. Plenty of women go through stages of heavy partying, but more often than not get tired of it eventually. Men, on the other hand, seem like they could do drugs forever. I've also noticed that more often than not, the reason men who are regular drug users start cutting back, is because they begin dating a woman who isn't cool with that much drug use. I rarely see the reverse scenario.

 

[Thirdeyeopen]

Don't forget that women never buy weed, they just expect you to smoke them.
Just kidding!

 

[titania]

That is so true! I would much rather have uppers than downers...although, i must admit that i like weed, a whole lot...generally with drugs...i wouldn't really go for a downer (other than weed) when there are uppers about...whereas,i know many a man who would quite readily take K. before speed...i just can't understand it...
oh well, i guess it's the differences that make life so much fun!

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

That has been my experience too, fairnymph.
All the long-time marijuana smokers I know are men. The few friends I've known who had heroin addictions (including my cousin, who died), were men.
And personally, I'd take E or Coke anyday over any kind of opiate, K or weed; likewise my girlfriends. I love speed too, but it doesn't love me, so I can't, but I certainly know plenty of girls who do.
I know for myself, I take drugs for social reasons, and to be more energetic - not to block out pain, look inside myself or escape reality. Perhaps this is a deciding factor.
Do users of downers have more of a need to obscure, rather than enhance their reality? And does this need apply to men more? I wonder. Just a thought.
Hard to have a discussion like this without wildly generalising, isn't it? I apologise

 

[Goodspeed]

I don't know this to be true everywhere but I find more of my male friends like tripping, LSD, Shrooms more than my girl friends, and most guy friends are pot heads too, I know girls who smoke weed but not just weed, always when they are drunk or something, not smoking weed for just getting baked and no other reason, and I know more girls who Love Coke over my Male Friends, this is just stuff I have noticed and now thought about since I read this topic

 

[bong420tripper]

MissNymph-
I find what you say to be true to a certain extent, however, as with all rules, there are exceptions. I believe many girls need to feel like they are having a fun time the entire time they are on something, in order to enjoy it.
This is probably illustrated by the fact that many girls prefer drinking to anything. Easy amusement. The downtime provided by use of pot and opiates are too boring and blah for most women. I'm not saying some girls dont like this, however. I've known my fair share of stoner chicks.
I dont mean to stereotype either, but must long term, heavy pot smoking women I know tend to be hippies. I dont know, I just think guys like to chill out more and just be high than girls do. Us men are much more easily amused.
-adam

 

[ibizakat]

Along the same lines, I've heard that women are more susceptible to stimulant addiction. Is there any truth to this?
I wonder how much of it has to do with the effects of estrogen/progesterone/etc on neurotransmitters. I know they effect serotonin, which is part of what causes moodiness (and why they're prescribing prozac for PMDD)... do they have any effects on other transmitters?
As for personal experience... all my drug buddies are guys, so i can only compare myself to them. And one of them is definitely more of a speed freak than I am, and on the whole they have less interest in psychadelics and opiates/opiods than i do. Maybe we're just freaks.

 

[Chicanist]

I know for myself, I take drugs for social reasons, and to be more energetic - not to block out pain, look inside myself or escape reality. Perhaps this is a deciding factor.
Interesting that you say this - all the people I know that routinely use drugs more to block out pain/escape reality have been female (and one very effeminate male). I'm talking about people whose first instinct when life starts getting shitty is to hit up the bottle/bong/whatever rather than try to give things time, talk to friends, or similar measures not involving drugs.
I'm not saying that guys never do this; I've certainly used drugs to escape reality before, but it's very rare; usually when I'm in an EXTREMELY bad mood and my friends happen to be out somewhere so I have nobody to bitch to.
However, on the weed front, my observations pretty much mesh with everybody else's; the only hardcore pot smokers I know are male...most of my female friends are either occasional smokers or abstain completely.

 

[Shimmering Tia]

Eh, this doesn't really fit me at all. I would chose ket or vicoden over cocaine or meth anyday. I can't stand stimulants at all.
I read this thing before that was like a chart that showed what kind of person somebody is based on their drug of choice though, and mine was accurate. My drug of choice would be shrooms and that supposedly indicates I'm a very dreamy escapist who gets lost in my imagination a lot. I wish I could remember what it said about the other drugs. It was so funny when I read it, because it fit all the people I know!

 

[Fetish Jester]

I've also noticed that more males than females use drugs in the search of trancendant experience.
A female on LSD and a male on LSD are almost alien to each other. My female friends seem to enjoy the skewed social interaction and sensation that this drug brings to them whereas the males are bent on journeying into realms of strangeness in the hope of bringing someting back.
This observation seems to fit in with the steriotypical view of the male psycadelic user: the searcher for truth. Females seem to be much more content in sitting back and letting the trip carry them wherever they may.
That said, I do know of a few females are very quite into the use of methamphetamine. I really am not that predispositioned to it, I see it more as a means to stay awake a dancing, not as anything recreational.

 

[badboybrian]

i guess im the exception to the rule.
i favor stims over any other substance. and no, i am not a pothead by definition...although i occasionally smoke marijuana to take the edge off other substances.

 

[Chicanist]

Yeah, actually, I'm kind of the exception to the rule too...I really don't like pot (it usually just makes me feel sluggish and stupid and then eventually I fall asleep), and I tend to like stims.
I haven't really experimented with psychadelics, so I'm not sure how well I'd take to those.

 

[dr seuss]

Fetish Jester -
i was just about to post saying 'no, everyone's the same when you're tripping'. but then i thought back, and you're right - i've never gotten into one of those super deep convos with a girl while tripping. we've had laughs & weird shit happening, but it's not the same at all. strange...
fairnymph - i would just like to add that IMO when a woman has succumbed to serious addiction, they hit rock bottom faster & harder. i think if it's just a phase of heavy use then they will get bored, but once it starts i think women are more likely to self-destruct quicker. this is merely from my experience...

 

[JB]

To me it seems that women are drawn to stimulants for the social effects, removing inhibitions and allowing them to blabber at high speed about crap non stop for hours without having to listen to anyone else. It's the selfish me me me side of them (imo).
Me I prefere to chill out lay back spark up a spliff have a beer and just chat, relax and have a laugh.
I really dislike stimulants, they feel so false to me.
When I was younger I went throughh a bit of a stimulant stage but it gets old real quickly and is just plain boring (imo).
There is only so long standing on a knife edge is fun.
My drugs of choice are probably, weed, beer, mushrooms, benzo's, opiates.
I don't think my use is neciserily escapeism, more a lowering of my guard. I find I can sit and listen to people as well as talk when on a downer rather than hold thoses one sided convosations that tend to happend between someone on a stim and someone not.
So many time have I been in a club withsomeone who won't shut up, they talk and talk and talk without even carring if you respond. To them you are jsut a pair of ears. Thats my main gripe with stimulant users (especialy shit talking female stim users)

 

[fairnymph]

I know for myself, I take drugs for social reasons, and to be more energetic - not to block out pain, look inside myself or escape reality. Perhaps this is a deciding factor.
I think this is a very common explanation for/part of female drug use.

Along the same lines, I've heard that women are more susceptible to stimulant addiction. Is there any truth to this?
Yes. I believe it is because during certain times of the month, it has been documented that women get 'more high' than men off stimulants (coke and amphetamines), so this may make them more appealing.

Interesting that you say this - all the people I know that routinely use drugs more to block out pain/escape reality have been female (and one very effeminate male).
In terms of escapism, I think both genders are prone to it, but like SLM I have seen men have more of a tendency to it (especially with pot which is an extremely escapist drug IMO).

I've also noticed that more males than females use drugs in the search of trancendant experience.
and

i've never gotten into one of those super deep convos with a girl while tripping.
I think this is partly because men are brought up to be more 'intellectual' than women. Also, I think women tend to be slightly less intelligent than men (it pains me to say this but I have found it to be true) -- again this could be for social reasons.
Also, I think the fact that far fewer women use psychedelics than men (why I'm not sure, and I can't believe I forgot this trend), means that there the odds of the woman also being spiritual, intelligent, and insightful are much lower.

To me it seems that women are drawn to stimulants for the social effects, removing inhibitions and allowing them to blabber at high speed about crap non stop for hours without having to listen to anyone else. It's the selfish me me me side of them (imo).
I think there is some truth to this.
Thanks for all the great responses. I'm really enjoying the different views and attitude of this thread. Keep it up.

 

[Riot Grrrl]

I think it also depends on how long you've been in the "scene" for. Pot and alcohol were the first drugs i tried when i was in my way early teens and to me now, they don't appeal to me as much as the stuff i'm doing now. So you could say i'm into the "uppers", mainly because it's not something i can do everyweek.
Also depends on the stage your in, at this point of time in your life. Alot of people wanna try new stuff. I know alot of my older female friends prefer to smoke a joint rather then take e or speed because they no longer need that loved up/hyped up feeling they once craved when they were in they're late teens.

 

[kubenzi]

I am in no way claiming my thoughts on this matter are substantiated in any way,but i agree with this and one of the things I have accredited this to is men LOVING thier habits.this is what i notice esp when it comes to the male trend with marijuana as it seems it's viewd as a vice or something not too good for you like too much junk food,fat,beer,cigarettes,and not so much something that society deems as a "junkie" vice.
granted,these things will kill you,but we dont think they will as fast! we all know some grandad or old timer in his 70's who can still smoke a pack a day and kill a twelve pack and go around lifting heavy objects and building huge wooden structures in thier yard.some of the time,Ive been around old men where i thought "if this guy ever stops doing this,he'll probobly die".basically,we think we are tough!and i think the odds are,when you pick up these habits to relieve everyday stress,the habits are always in the right place at the right time to tell you thier side of the story

 

[dr seuss]

Also, I think women tend to be slightly less intelligent than men (it pains me to say this but I have found it to be true) -- again this could be for social reasons.
nah - i think women are *more* intelligent than men, that's why they don't use psychedelics so much...

 

[Butterfly]

This is a really interesting discussion!
I have a few thoughts on the issue. First, I've known people, male and female, to be into just about any kind of drug. I haven't noticed a big difference. One of my close female friends is the biggest pothead I know. Likewise, I've also women who've been really into acid and K. My sister was really into mushrooms for a couple of year in high school.
As for myself, I agree with Riot Grrrl. The drugs I prefer, have changed over time. When I was in high school I first got into weed. I thought it was the best high ever. Then I got really into the psychadelic trip, mainly with mushorooms and e. What I loved about drugs then was the way they made me think, the way they deconstructed the way I understood reality. There was nothing I enjoyed more than having an intellectual conversation on drugs.
Then, I learned to dance, and I learned to enjoy the social aspect of the rave scene. While I still enjoyed the intellectual aspect of drugs, eventually I started to feel that I had thought all the thoughts that I could think on drugs, and there was nothing more they could show me. E in particular stopped giving me the high I used to get. Also, psychadelic highs started getting this depressing undertone to them. Instead of pushing the bounds of my thinking, they just made me think about all the things that were wrong with my life. I would re-hash the same stupid things in my mind everytime. I'm introspective enough sober, so I don't really need that. Also, it was just plain annoying. Anyhow, these days, I prefer uppers like crystal or coke and i'm more likely to socialize or dance than to have a deep conversation. I still smoke a lot of weed though.
However, although I disagree with some of the male / female generalizations made, I think there are some differences in drug use along gender lines. For one thing, in my experience, drug use is more of a stigma for women. Guys can generally get away with more partying than girls can before people start thinking they've got a drug problem. I've had guys who've done way more drugs than I have say things about my drug use. The same goes for drinking. Because of this, I think women end up prefering drugs that don't make them seem as fucked up because they want to downplay or hide thier drug use. I wasn't like this when I first started doing drugs, but increasingly I've wanted my high to be a personal thing. I can do coke and have no one notice. I can do crystal without seeming too fucked up - I can still carry on normal conversations with sober people while enjoying the buzz.
Another thing - women are more likely to suffer from depression from men. Perhaps this cuts down on the enjoyment of psycadelic drugs? If your heads a mess then you can't enjoy the trip as much.
Lastly, with regards to the comment about girls making thier boyfriends cut down on drugs... I have had the opposite experience as my current boyfriend is constantly criticizing my drug use and I have cut down quite a bit because of it.
[ 15 January 2003: Message edited by: Butterfly ]
[ 15 January 2003: Message edited by: Butterfly ]

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

I think men and women are equally intelligent, but in different ways.
Women are more intuitively intelligent, and have a better grasp of the big picture; men tend to be more fact and detail-focused.
I don't think intelligence has a huge bearing on which drugs are chosen by an individual, male or female. I think it's more complex than that.
After all, we all know brilliant, career-focused, professional E-users and plain old E-tards. Talented, witty, Coke fiends and plain old nose-candy wankers.
A searching mind (which often denotes high intelligence) and an artistic temprament are often found in users of psychadelics - but not always. Many of the men (or boys) I know who do acid or mushies are simply wanting to "see shit", experience something weird or warp their reality. They're not soul-searching in the least.
I know for me I got frustrated when the search just lead no-where... is that perhaps more intelligent?
:/

So many time have I been in a club withsomeone who won't shut up, they talk and talk and talk without even carring if you respond. To them you are jsut a pair of ears. Thats my main gripe with stimulant users (especialy shit talking female stim users)
^^^ lol. Oops. Guilty as charged. Interesting point.....