Most research and knowledge on addictions has been done on males because they are prevalent among men. One third of all substance users are female, yet there is still a dearth of research regarding the issues that women face in addictions. Reasons for this scarcity of research are that there is stigma and denial surrounding a woman having alcoholism.

Some of the little research that has been done on women concludes that:

1. It is more probable that a woman will acquire and die from disease of the liver
2. Black women with drinking issues have twice as many problems with their health as black men do
3. The chances are 36 times greater that a Native American woman (when compared with a white woman) between the age of 15 and 34 will acquire cirrhosis of the liver
4. 11 percent of pregnant women are illicit drug users
5. Intellectual Disability is primarily caused by alcohol use during pregnancy in the United States

Treatment for alcoholic mothers needs to be markedly different from men, because of their feelings of guilt, shame, and challenges during parenting. Other barriers facing women are access to only small amounts of financial resources, limited insurance coverage, issues with childcare, and the worry that their dependent children will be taken away from them if they enter treatment. All in all, women have different treatment barriers than men do, so more research and implementation of female friendly treatment services needs to be done.