A Process Approach to Women's Use of Alcohol Services

Summary The use of specialist alcohol services by women and the reasons given in the literature for women's apparent reluctance to use these services are reviewed. It is argued that, to provide an appropriate response to the rise in the harmful use of alcohol by women, we need to know more about women with drinking problems and about the events which result in some women contacting specialist alcohol services for help while others do not. It is suggested that future research might usefully adopt a process approach to the study of the use of services, taking contact with a specialist alcohol service as one stage in a help‐seeking career.