Barriers to treatment of alcoholic women.

Three barriers to effective treatment for alcoholic women are described: 1) the impact of negative myths and expectancies (in particular, the myth that women do worse); 2) the impact of stereotyped sex-role expectancies which may limit and constrict women's potential for growth; and 3) the impact of the knowledge gap. The impact of each kind of barrier is elaborated as data are presented from: a clinical field experiment; a meta-analysis of a decade of research studies; and clinical experience.