President of the Cyprus Addiction Treatment Authority (AAEK), Dr. Christos Mina, has said that in 2020, 147 women sought treatment in Cyprus for addiction to illegal drugs.

Mina noted that almost half of the women (46 per cent) reported cannabis as the main substance of abuse, followed by cocaine (19 per cent), methamphetamines (17 per cent) and heroin. The average age of women seeking treatment was 29 years, and compared to other European countries, Cyprus seems to have more men than women seeking first-time treatment.

It is possible Mina said that women in Cyprus do not use addictive substances as much as women in mainland Europe. “However, we cannot ignore the small number of services addressed exclusively to women and that this in combination with a strong social stigma, can act as a deterrent to the search for treatment by women,” he added.

While both legal and illegal substance addiction is much lower for women compared to men, addiction to sedatives and sleep aid medications seems to be higher in women aged 55-64.

According to the President of AAEK, Cyprus has one residential rehab treatment programme for women, and strengthening interventions that specifically address women’s needs is an ongoing goal.