Almost 80 percent of the women coming into treatment for drug abuse say thet have experinced some kind of sexual abuse or trauma, according to a top drugs counsellor.

And Joanne Dean, the treatment coordinator for the National Drug Control Ministry, says men report very similar experiences.

She said that poses challenges for drug counsellors.

?Bermudians ? people in general ? are not going to want to reveal that right up front,?she said.

?They won?t necessarily do that in a group therapy because we are close-linked, people don?t air their dirty laundry.

?So we need to be mindful of our own culture we need to give them an opportunity to get that out in a safe environment.?

And Ms Dean added: ?Research shows 70 percent of people with chemical health issues also have mental health issues. They are very closely related.?