In the summer of 1994, a needs assessment questionnaire was distributed to a total of thirty-six women (9 teen and 27 older women) asking them about their substance use/abuse and what they needed to resolve their problems. As well, twenty-three out of twenty-four social service agencies completed a questionnaire on their services specifically for women. Following is a summary discussion of relevant factors that emerged through the women's voices.

Sharon (seated), a member of the WASA "Talking Group" and researcher Judith Grant.

The older women respondents (aged 28 to 56) in the Moncton community stressed various reasons for their using/abusing substances. Generally, the women stated that a specific situation in their lives was the catalyst for their initial use, ranging from the breakup of their marriages to bad relationships in which they were abused. A high percentage had had bad experiences in marriage and had witnessed drug and alcohol abuse in their families when they were growing up. Many of the WASA respondents stated that they were addicted to drugs they had been prescribed for various ailments.

Fifty-five percent of the respondents in our local study stated that they had been abused either physically, sexually, emotionally and/or mentally as children and in their adult relationships. Research shows that over 70 percent of women in treatment for alcohol and drug problems are survivors of incest and sexual abuse; in fact, such abuse is seen as being under-reported nation-wide. A history of rape, incest, or both, has been reported by 45- 70 percent of women admitted to alcohol treatment programs (9).

A partner's use and influence was an important factor for many of the women in the WASA study. One teen woman talked about this problem for her: "I've been clean from drugs for eight months now and I still drink. I want to get alcohol out of my life. I'm trying really hard but my boyfriend drinks every weekend, and I just want to drink too. Now that I've been in this class twice, I'm going to try really hard to stop drinking altogether."

A recent study of 598 treatment centers across Canada and the United States showed that 50 percent of women seeking treatment for alcoholism were between the ages of 18 and 34. And the number of female drinkers is growing-more rapidly than male drinkers. Studies are increasingly showing strong links between early alcohol and drug use and unwanted pregnancies, high school drop-out rates and suicide rates among girls (10).

Educational work undertaken by the WASA project includes extensive media work, with interviews on local radio stations and cable television, and presentations to local high schools as well as to provincial Detox/Rehab Centre employees on research connected to the project. Young women have responded positively to our education sessions in the local high schools. One teen women stated that: "It was a great idea to have the workshop on women teens and substance abuse - it's nice to know that someone cares about our individual needs as women. It was a great source of information as well." Another echoed this statement by declaring, "I have learned a lot about the effects of abuse (alcohol and drugs) on women and how people treat women with problems." Obviously, there needs to be more educational workshops within schools regarding adolescent girls and substance use and abuse.