The international literature on women and addiction distinguishes, on the one hand, between publications dealing with sex—that is, the physiological differences in how psychoactive substances affect the bodies of women and men—and, on the other hand, publications addressing gender differences—that is, the differences in the social roles assigned to each sex. Among sex-related differences, we primarily find physiological variations, such as body fluid volume, which leads to a different impact on substance metabolism, but also distinctions related to mental health. Gender differences reveal greater emotional dependence in women than in men, a more pronounced impact of negative childhood experiences as a cause of addiction, and differences in access to and use of treatment. Risk-taking in addictive behaviors is also described as more prevalent in women than in men. Finally, two issues specific to women were examined in depth: prostitution and motherhood, as these themes are recurrent in the reviewed literature. (R.A.)