In this review we discuss the importance of investigating both sex and gender differences in addiction and relapse in studies of humans and in animal models. Addiction is both a cultural and biological phenomenon Sex and gender differences are not solely determined by our biology, nor are they entirely cultural; there are interactions between biology and the environment that are continuously played out throughout development. Lessons from the historical record illustrate how context and attitudes affect the way that substance use in men and women is regarded. Finally, cultural and environmental influences may differentially affect men and women, and affect how they respond to drugs of abuse and to treatment protocols. We recommend that both animal models and clinical research need to be developed to consider how contextual and social factors may influence the biological processes of addiction and relapse differentially in males and females.

This article discusses different types of treatment modalities for alcoholic women over more than a century of American history, outlining several key themes. First, the notion that there may be fewer alcoholic women than men, but they are somehow ''sicker'' or more deviant than their male counterparts, has been remarkably persistent. Second, beliefs about maternity and sexuality have long shaped our understanding of alcoholism in women. Third, defining a clinical entity called alcoholism has been particularly difficult in the case of women, for whom any drinking may be viewed as a troublesome behavior. Finally, fitting women into research and treatment models designed for men has been immensely complicated, yet emphasizing gender difference has, in the past, sometimes excluded alcoholic women even more from the care they needed and added to the stigma they faced.

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Alcoholism is a problem with far-reaching personal, social, and public welfare implications. It is a phenomenon that is inherently interdisciplinary, affecting human life at biological, psychological, spiritual, social, cultural, economic, and political levels.Historically, the study of women in society has called for and benefited from interdisciplinary approaches and has also often emphasized ties between theory and practice. Therefore, a special issue devoted to women seemed an especially appropriate place to extend the conversation across disciplinary lines.Reading across disciplines can deepen knowledge and facilitate understanding in ways that can help solve problems. As scholars, we know that our colleagues downstairs or across campus are solving problems important to our work. Yet challenges such as time, familiarity, and access, and the need to decipher disciplinary-specific language can all make it difficult to learn from other approaches.With the help of a highly accomplished group of contributors, we present a collection of articles on the scientific study of women and alcoholism from the following disciplinary perspectives: history, anthropology, sociology, psychology, social work, criminal justice, nursing, and pharmacology.