Why are alcohol and drugs so much a part of lgbt culture?

[lisa36]

Hi,
I just wanted to see what everyone thinks about the way lesbians and gays are portrayed in the media regarding alcohol and drugs.

I am 36 and spent the majority of my life partying hard with alcohol and drugs..since age 14 actually. Now that I am a few months sober, I have noticed how lgbt media glorifies alcohol and drug use, a lot more so than mainstream media.

In my community, it is so much a part of gay life, that nobody even questions it at all. Even when it kills us. I've lost a lot of friends to drugs/alcohol and yet nobody stops.

Just wondering what everyone thinks.

[nandm]

I think that is a very good question with no simple answer.

It is my personal opinion that part of the problem starts with the fact that the GLBT community has been forced to be in the shadows for so long. I am 46 and growing up I had no idea where one would find a group of gay people. What I found was meeting places tended to be gay bars in hidden away parts of town. Gay bars were a place where one could be themselves and not worry about it. I for many years was in the closet at work, to my family and most of my friends. The only place I could be me was at a gay bar. Of course what does one tend to do in a bar? Drink. So since meeting places are in places centered around drinking it only follows that the GLBT culture would lean towards alcohol. I don't know if has been the case for anyone else but that was my experience.

I do have to say that I see some very positive things happening in society today. I see a lot more out people. There are now many more places where one can meet other GLBT people besides bars. There are now bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants, etc.... I do believe the GLBT culture is getting away from the alcohol and drug image the more that we come out of those smoky bars and into the public eye.

[MyGirlGracie]

I have to agree with NandM about the bar scene... I am 49 and went to my first gay bar in the D.C. area. Not only were the alcohol and drugs flowing, but patrons were comped drinks as a way to get people to stay after paying the cover charge. I remember thinking: "We could all be arrested for hanging out in this bar AND all the cops would have to do is hang around the parking area to get 3/4ths of the people for DUIs!" The other thing that stands out in my memory is that if you told the bartender that you were the DD, all your non-alcoholic drinks were free! It is true that there are other social avenues NOW where QLGBT folks can congregate and be together, but most of those alternatives are located in and around bigger cities. Those of us in the boondocks have to be a little more creative :o)

I too am bothered by the apparent acceptance of substance abuse in the gay media, but I thought it bothered me because I don't drink or do drugs... and this realization made me feel judgemental which I don't want to be.

Interesting topic....

[Mattcake]

I agree wiith Nandm's post too, Gracie.

And let's not forget the ...unique... challenges that a lot of us face: shame, confusion, rejection and so on. It's easy to see how drugs could fit into this picture. I used alcohol in an obviously misguided way, and wound up abusing it very heavily. While I respect AA's "alcoholism as a disease" stance, my experience was different, that's why I choose to call myself a recovered (or ex) drinker.

Let's be honest, we are basically forced to deal with a tonne of issues that are painful and tough; drugs and alcohol can numb this baggage, with terrible consequences.

[Internet]

Originally Posted by mattcake79

And let's not forget the ...unique... challenges that a lot of us face: shame, confusion, rejection and so on. It's easy to see how drugs could fit into this picture. I used alcohol in an obviously misguided way, and wound up abusing it very heavily. While I respect AA's "alcoholism as a disease" stance, my experience was different, that's why I choose to call myself a recovered (or ex) drinker.

Let's be honest, we are basically forced to deal with a tonne of issues that are painful and tough; drugs and alcohol can numb this baggage, with terrible consequences.

I had a similar experience. I started drinking heavily around the time I was coming out (to myself, my friends, my conservative parents), and continued to use it for the years following as the way to deal with pain. Mix in some dark periods of depression, and you have a cycle that perpetuates. So with increased mental health issues in the community, you also have increased drinking/drug issues.

I also agree with what nandm said..

[despairingsair]

Im in the Uk and its rife throughout all the clubs and bars here.. I wonder for my own situation whether my very early drinking years ( aged 13 in the park with older kids) was the start for me.. I also played Ladies football and everyone was so much older than myself (at least 16 +) and many drank to excess.. This was 23yrs ago..maybe alcohol and drugs were / are a social lubricant to allow us to be out in public without a care in the world about what people thought or how we looked?
I have also given much thought to the struggles of growing up confused about sexual identity and where I 'fitted' in my peer group.. certainly alcohol made it easy...

[JustLiving]

I personally have seen hardly anything but alcohol/drug use among gay people. I think it's because we become very un-happy with ourselves and turn to alcohol and/or drugs to medicate those feelings.

[omenapt]

someone once told me that on "all gay" ship cruises the alcohol consumption is TRIPLE the average cruise! i think there is a much higher tolerance for drunken behavior within that community as being silly is encouraged and rewarded. I was in the midst of my 1st 8 years of sboriety and was at a swim meet in Toronto . there was a harbor booze cruise after the meet and i could not get off that "ferry" soon enough!

[AnthonyV]

I grew up in the 80's and was told my religious leaders that being gay was evil. I started drinking to dull the emotional pain I felt in knowing that I was inherently bad. My views have obviously evolved but I know without a doubt I started drinking to feel comfortable in my own skin and to gain acceptance.