Women And Substance Use

Elizabeth Ettorre offers a clear account of women and substance use in a field which has been resistant to a woman-oriented perspective. The authors of  most "addiction studies" view women as stigmatized and marginalized.  Ettorre strongly counters this perspective. She focuses specifically on women's use of alcohol, prescribed drugs (specifically minor tranquilizers), heroin, tobacco, and food. Using the term "substance use" rather than "abuse" throughout the text, she directly challenges ideas regarding women in the field of addiction. More significantly, Ettorre deliberately puts forward a feminist perspective rooted in the identity and consciousness of women substance users.

In order to expose the major misconception held by both clinicians and researchers in the field--that women substance abusers are a homogeneous group--Ettorre provides separate analyses of the different substances used and abused by women.  She emphasizes the types of feminist strategies to use in the substance abuse field which will mobilize women. These strategies, she argues, must become increasingly visible if changes are to occur. Women need to build an alternative creative response which challenges the pervasive dogmatism in the substance abuse field.

     

Elizabeth Mendes is an Assistant Editor at POLITICO and a moderator of POLITICO's Arena.

Mendes spent three years as an Associate Editor and Video Producer at Gallup. During her time there she assisted in the relaunch of Gallup.com, led new media efforts, oversaw design and technology projects, and covered topics including politics, health, behavioral economics, and a wide spectrum of international issues.

Upon first arriving in Washington, D.C., and before venturing into the media world, Mendes worked in the non-profit sector researching and analyzing the child welfare system, youth homelessness, and out-of-school time. She got her first taste of life in the nation’s capital while spending a quarter as a John Glenn Fellow, studying public policy and working at The Child Welfare League of America.

In 2008, she received her master's degree in Film and Video from American University, with a focus in documentary and digital journalism. Originally from Ohio, she attended The Ohio State University, where she studied political science and international economic development. Her writing and documentary work has appeared on Gallup.com, USATODAY.com, and on public television.