"The past decade has witnessed a sort of coming out of the closet for women's addiction," says Carl Hickey, M.S.

, C.E.A.P., coordinator of Access to Treatment, a Baltimore-based program that links individuals with private and public facilities willing to provide treatment for free or at a reduced cost.

"Until recently, alcoholism among women was largely an invisible issue. The negative stigma of chemically-dependent women has kept them from treatment, intervention and prevention," adds Hickey, in a recent article published by the Toronto Fashion Monitor. 

Mental health professionals note that it is often harder to treat women as their addictions are often compounded by other problems, including a history of physical abuse and depression, so it’s necessary to make changes in standard treatment programs to cater to the needs of the women who are seeking help. 

Experts concur, noting that physicians are less likely to consider addiction in women than men and are therefore missing the diagnosis of drug or alcohol dependency when they have the opportunity to meet with their patients.  If the woman doesn’t reveal her addiction during a doctor’s visit, the problem is often overlooked, Hickey points out.

"Everyone working in medicine today needs to be aware of the special issues surrounding women's addiction," says Hickey.