Gays and Alcoholism
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oppression? not being accepted by much of society? shame, pain, etc? maybe also because gay bars are a place to hang out with other GLBTQ people, and there are not often other gathering places.
I'm bi but I don't think i drank because i'm bi. but I was lucky to have very accepting people around me.
I'm bi but I don't think i drank because i'm bi. but I was lucky to have very accepting people around me.
I need more than Nar-Anon
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Join Date: Jun 2011
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could be.............
I dunno, I don't feel shame at all. I am what I am...take it or leave it.
wow...bi? I would think that holds a whole different dynamic. I mean, that to me would be sooooo confusing. What if you are with a woman then meet a man.....what if you are with a man then meet a woman?????
And I thought my life was tough. Hense the booze I guess.
POPaTOP
wow...bi? I would think that holds a whole different dynamic. I mean, that to me would be sooooo confusing. What if you are with a woman then meet a man.....what if you are with a man then meet a woman?????
And I thought my life was tough. Hense the booze I guess.
POPaTOP
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I don't feel shame either. I love being bi. But so many people hide who they are. I wonder if alcoholism got into the GLBTQ community many years ago due to various pain from oppression and ostracism and has continued out of habit. Curious that there is a lot of alcoholism among Native Americans too.
Great question btw.
Great question btw.
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I don't know if it is so much alcoholism as alcohol abuse or use. My experience has been that the ratio of alcoholics vs drinkers is about 15/85. I don't know if that is really much higher than in the heterosexual community.
I do think that there is a lot of problem drinking in the community that is due to the fact that the LGBT community as a whole is treated as second class citizens in this society. I was raised to believe that my lifestyle was sinful and I was going to hell. There are many who still believe that way. The fact that we are not afforded the same human/civil rights as heterosexuals is also a factor in my opinion. In many states it is still not a hate crime to harm someone simply because they are LGBT but it is considered one for harming someone because they are of a different race. I personally feel I was born this way as I can remember being quite young and knowing I was different than my peers. Obviously I was as people I had not seen or talked to in over 38 years that knew me as a young child were not surprised at all when they found out I was gay, they just said "we always knew that why didn't you?" But that is another topic, don't want to derail your thread.
I guess what I am trying to say is that there are many factors that do not apply to groups of people other than the LGBT communities that promote/encourage alcohol/drug abuse to escape the pain of living in a society where we are not accepted by many and treated the same as heterosexual people as far as civil rights go. But I do not believe that there is a higher rate of alcoholism just alcohol abuse. But that is just my experience and opinion for all that is worth. There is a significantly higher rate of suicide among the LGBT community especially the young.
We also have a LGBT section on these forums if you are interested. Just scroll down the forums and you will find us.
I do think that there is a lot of problem drinking in the community that is due to the fact that the LGBT community as a whole is treated as second class citizens in this society. I was raised to believe that my lifestyle was sinful and I was going to hell. There are many who still believe that way. The fact that we are not afforded the same human/civil rights as heterosexuals is also a factor in my opinion. In many states it is still not a hate crime to harm someone simply because they are LGBT but it is considered one for harming someone because they are of a different race. I personally feel I was born this way as I can remember being quite young and knowing I was different than my peers. Obviously I was as people I had not seen or talked to in over 38 years that knew me as a young child were not surprised at all when they found out I was gay, they just said "we always knew that why didn't you?" But that is another topic, don't want to derail your thread.
I guess what I am trying to say is that there are many factors that do not apply to groups of people other than the LGBT communities that promote/encourage alcohol/drug abuse to escape the pain of living in a society where we are not accepted by many and treated the same as heterosexual people as far as civil rights go. But I do not believe that there is a higher rate of alcoholism just alcohol abuse. But that is just my experience and opinion for all that is worth. There is a significantly higher rate of suicide among the LGBT community especially the young.
We also have a LGBT section on these forums if you are interested. Just scroll down the forums and you will find us.
I need more than Nar-Anon
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"I was as people I had not seen or talked to in over 38 years that knew me as a young child were not surprised at all when they found out I was gay, they just said "we always knew that why didn't you?" But that is another topic, don't want to derail your thread".
I started it for you.
I started it for you.
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Originally Posted by POPaTOP 
wow...bi? I would think that holds a whole different dynamic. I mean, that to me would be sooooo confusing. What if you are with a woman then meet a man.....what if you are with a man then meet a woman?????
And I thought my life was tough. Hense the booze I guess.
And I thought my life was tough. Hense the booze I guess.
Some people will cheat/stray/whatever, others will not. Just because someone is bisexual does not mean they "gotta have it all" - unless, of course, they are afflicted with Tiger Woods syndrome.
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Originally Posted by POPaTOP
I was thinking about this today. Why is it that alcoholism runs ramped in the gay lifestyle. Just a question.
GLBT AA meetings are very often packed to the brim with shattered souls - a sad sight indeed.
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Originally Posted by oak
Curious that there is a lot of alcoholism among Native Americans too.
As far as alcoholism and GLBTs, to me it would seem that alcohol/drugs' ability to lower one's inhibitions allows them to express their sexual feelings more comfortably (if less healthy), both verbally and physically. I have occasionally found some men to be very attractive, and I'm almost a little surprised that I never experimented sexually while I was really drunk. I would be way to scared to do anything while sober, that is for sure.
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Originally Posted by POPaTOP
I was thinking about this today. Why is it that alcoholism runs ramped in the gay lifestyle. Just a question.
PopaTop
PopaTop
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Originally Posted by TheEnd
Is this an observation or research based??:
The Advocate: Gays Need a Drug Intervention
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Originally Posted by AVRT
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Originally Posted by TheEnd
This is not research based.
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I was thinking about this today. Why is it that alcoholism runs ramped in the gay lifestyle. Just a question.
So...child abuse?
ETA: any headcount of addicts in the gay community is likely to be inaccurate, anyways. Reason being, I can't find it on the GPS.
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Being of the "T" category in the GLBT community. It was the 'being in the so called' outsider culture that I found liquor and drugs were heavily promoted at get to gathers social events.
There always seemed to be a heated discussion at one time or another at these parties. Discussions of someone being shunned, cast out and persecuted because of their lifestyle caused strong emotional states for all involved. Feeling the hurt caused by family members, friends, work place and community prejudice seemed to be lessened by intoxicants during the consolation of all involved.
There always seemed to be a heated discussion at one time or another at these parties. Discussions of someone being shunned, cast out and persecuted because of their lifestyle caused strong emotional states for all involved. Feeling the hurt caused by family members, friends, work place and community prejudice seemed to be lessened by intoxicants during the consolation of all involved.
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Originally Posted by TheEnd
This is not research based.
It was published in what I think is the largest GLBT publication in the US, though, which would seem to indicate that people are certainly aware of the problem, if not quite how to deal with it.
Here is a piece by the National Association of Lesbian & Gay Addiction Professionals (NALGAP) which echoes what some others have said. It has further references.
ALCOHOL, TOBACCO & OTHER DRUG PROBLEMS & LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER (LGBT) INDIVIDUALS
The fact that such an association even exists, in addition to the fact that every major rehab facility offers GLBT services, would indicate that there is a large market for such services, in spite of GLBT individuals being a noticeable minority of the general population.
I'm not suggesting that GLBT individuals innately vulnerable to addiction, but I think anyone who has been around the "pink ghettos" or "recovery" can see that addiction is unusually common in this community.
I would, however, appreciate any actual research links on this topic. I could use it for something else I am working on.
- AVRT
PS: Please know that I am not using "Pink Ghettos" in a derogatory manner - this is common slang used by the community, particularly in countries where it is more underground, like Jamaica, for example, to describe GLBT neighborhoods. Also used to describe impediments to women's upward mobility in the workplace.
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Victimization and substance use disorders in a national sample of heterosexual and sexual minority women and men
It appears that substance use disorders may be in part mediated through the subject's perception of victimization.
CONTEXT:
There is consensus in the research literature that substance use disparities exist among sexual minority women and men; however, few studies have examined risk factors that may contribute to these disparities.
AIMS:
To compare reports of life-time victimization experiences in a US national sample of adult heterosexual and sexual minority women and men and to examine the relationships between victimization experiences and past-year substance use disorders. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, MEASUREMENTS: The secondary data analyses used 2004-05 (wave 2) National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) data collected in structured diagnostic face-to-face interviews in the United States. Substance use disorders (SUDs) were defined according to DSM-IV criteria and included past-year alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, drug abuse and drug dependence. The sample consisted of 34 653 adults aged 20 years and older; approximately 2% of the respondents self-identified as sexual minority (lesbian, gay or bisexual).
FINDINGS:
Results showed strong associations between victimization and any past-year SUDs and confirmed findings from several previous studies indicating that, compared with heterosexuals, sexual minority women and men are at heightened risk for life-time victimization. However, prevalence of the seven victimization experiences and the degree of association between individual victimization experiences and SUDs varied substantially across sexual minority subgroups. The childhood victimization variables-especially childhood neglect-showed the strongest and most consistent associations with SUDs. Odds of SUDs were generally higher among both female and male respondents, regardless of sexual identity, who reported multiple (two or more) victimization experiences than among those who reported no life-time victimization, suggesting a possible cumulative effect of multiple victimization experiences.
CONCLUSIONS:
Higher rates of life-time victimization, particularly victimization experienced in childhood, may help to explain higher rates of substance use disorders among sexual minorities. However, more research is needed to understand better the complex relationships among sexual orientation, victimization and substance use.
There is consensus in the research literature that substance use disparities exist among sexual minority women and men; however, few studies have examined risk factors that may contribute to these disparities.
AIMS:
To compare reports of life-time victimization experiences in a US national sample of adult heterosexual and sexual minority women and men and to examine the relationships between victimization experiences and past-year substance use disorders. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, MEASUREMENTS: The secondary data analyses used 2004-05 (wave 2) National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) data collected in structured diagnostic face-to-face interviews in the United States. Substance use disorders (SUDs) were defined according to DSM-IV criteria and included past-year alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, drug abuse and drug dependence. The sample consisted of 34 653 adults aged 20 years and older; approximately 2% of the respondents self-identified as sexual minority (lesbian, gay or bisexual).
FINDINGS:
Results showed strong associations between victimization and any past-year SUDs and confirmed findings from several previous studies indicating that, compared with heterosexuals, sexual minority women and men are at heightened risk for life-time victimization. However, prevalence of the seven victimization experiences and the degree of association between individual victimization experiences and SUDs varied substantially across sexual minority subgroups. The childhood victimization variables-especially childhood neglect-showed the strongest and most consistent associations with SUDs. Odds of SUDs were generally higher among both female and male respondents, regardless of sexual identity, who reported multiple (two or more) victimization experiences than among those who reported no life-time victimization, suggesting a possible cumulative effect of multiple victimization experiences.
CONCLUSIONS:
Higher rates of life-time victimization, particularly victimization experienced in childhood, may help to explain higher rates of substance use disorders among sexual minorities. However, more research is needed to understand better the complex relationships among sexual orientation, victimization and substance use.
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Originally Posted by MickeyAnMeisce
It appears that substance use disorders may be in part mediated through the subject's perception of victimization.
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Originally Posted by AVRT
Could you possibly provide a link to the original source?
I would if I could.
You should search PubMed for: (GLB* OR LGB* OR homosexual OR gay OR lesbian OR bisexual OR transgender OR transgender) AND ("alcohol abuse" OR "alcohol dependence" OR alcholi*)
Also, the title is at the top of my post. In which case, GIYF.
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