Full Version: Drug use among homosexuals
An article came out yesterday in the New York Times relating the experiences of a gay man that has been to "Gay Hell and back".
Rufus Wainwright Journeys to 'Gay Hell' and Back
This has been brought up recently, and while I was reading a bit on the subject, I saw some interesting articles indicating that this is potentially a huge problem:
Some people sell pamphlets online outlining the problem : Gay men and Drug Use - A16
Here is a link from a LGBT website which says:
Here is a discussion amongst the gay community in San Francisco about the effects that drug use has on their sex lives.
Hereis another pro-gay site which is trying to get out the message about the drug problem in the gay community.
Those figures seem very dated, but they are confirmed by the data in This study by the UK government.
There is a ton of more articles out there.
Question for debate: Is drug use a huge problem in the gay community?
Rufus Wainwright Journeys to 'Gay Hell' and Back
QUOTE
Mr. Wainwright believes that crystal meth presents specific dangers — and specific temptations — for homosexual men, and that its use is a menace to their community. "Years of sexual insecurity, the low-grade discrimination you suffer, the need to belong — speed takes care of all that in one second," he said. "It was a world where people are going so crazy that they're not making sense any more. If you wanted safe sex, you were a nerd, uncool. I was one of the nerds who did have safe sex, thank God. But I'm still mentally shattered by the whole experience."
This has been brought up recently, and while I was reading a bit on the subject, I saw some interesting articles indicating that this is potentially a huge problem:
Some people sell pamphlets online outlining the problem : Gay men and Drug Use - A16
Here is a link from a LGBT website which says:
QUOTE
Studies conducted since the 1970s have suggested a higher prevalence of alcohol and drug use in the LGBT community compared to the general population. Of all the communities affected by the increased use of "party" drugs like cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy, X), ketamine (special K), amyl nitrate (poppers), and methamphetamines (crystal meth), gay men are perhaps most notably affected. In addition to their dangerous physiological effects, these drugs cause disinhibition, incaution, and, some say, heightened sexual arousal. Health providers believe they hinder safe sex practices, that they have catalyzed recently increased rates of gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis A, and HIV in metropolitan LGBT communities, and that they are a serious LGBT health concern. Many providers find the correlation between party drug use and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in urban gay male populations in their locality.
Here is a discussion amongst the gay community in San Francisco about the effects that drug use has on their sex lives.
Hereis another pro-gay site which is trying to get out the message about the drug problem in the gay community.
QUOTE
Alcoholism is a fatal chronic illness affecting the lives of 20 to 30% of the homosexual population (Ziebold & Mongeon, 1982). Studies have found that 35% of lesbians had a history of excessive drinking, compared to only 5% of the heterosexual women in the sample (Saghir, 1970; Lewis, 1982). Approximately 30% of lesbians and gay men are addicted to drugs (Rofes, 1983). The facts show that the homosexual community constitutes a high-risk population with regard to alcoholism and drug abuse.
Those figures seem very dated, but they are confirmed by the data in This study by the UK government.
QUOTE
To what extent is there a particular drugs problem within the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) community? Research is mixed but generally indicates that people from the LGB community are between two and four times more likely than the general population to abuse drugs and alcohol.
There is a ton of more articles out there.
Question for debate: Is drug use a huge problem in the gay community?
Woo, this is a whole can of worms. 
I'm not sure to what extent it is a problem, or that drug use is really that much more prevalent among non-heterosexuals...
In fact, I hate to say it but I think the effect may very likely be going the other way- not that GLBTs are more likely to do drugs, but that the inhibition lowering effect of the drugs makes drug users more likely to experiment with their sexuality.
A major factor, IMHO, is that we are in a sense forced to come up with our own moral code, and to have little respect for the law(in and of itself). Until just this year, it was illegal in many states to have sex with a person of your same gender; many Christian churches harp on the Levitican prohibitions against gay sex ignoring that we are all sinners and that the new covenant put that aside.
When you find that something your laws and religion are against is not harmful and, in fact, feels really good you begin to wonder "what else are they wrong about."
That said, my circle of friends is almost exclusively gay and to the best of my knowledge none of us do drugs aside from the occasional marijuana or alcohol.
I'm not sure to what extent it is a problem, or that drug use is really that much more prevalent among non-heterosexuals...
In fact, I hate to say it but I think the effect may very likely be going the other way- not that GLBTs are more likely to do drugs, but that the inhibition lowering effect of the drugs makes drug users more likely to experiment with their sexuality.
A major factor, IMHO, is that we are in a sense forced to come up with our own moral code, and to have little respect for the law(in and of itself). Until just this year, it was illegal in many states to have sex with a person of your same gender; many Christian churches harp on the Levitican prohibitions against gay sex ignoring that we are all sinners and that the new covenant put that aside.
When you find that something your laws and religion are against is not harmful and, in fact, feels really good you begin to wonder "what else are they wrong about."
That said, my circle of friends is almost exclusively gay and to the best of my knowledge none of us do drugs aside from the occasional marijuana or alcohol.
I don't know about IN the homosexual community but it is a problem FOR the community because, first, it is kinda obvious that the majority of people in the United States with AIDS are homosexual. Secondly, drug use, such as the use of injectors, would be the problem because of the possibility of the spread of AIDS, just like in the hetrosexual community
I think the main point that should be addressed here is that substance abuse is a problem, period. I could cite as many stories decrying drug abuse among blacks or among hispanics or among those below the poverty line or among urban youth, regardless of sexual orientation. I don't personally feel that it is an issue which should be compartmentalized on the basis of minority status.
What this does indicate to me is that, among minorities, there seems to be greater concern about substance abuse within those communities than there may be in our society at large. Whether there's anything to the whole "higher prevalence of alcohol and drug use in the [fill in the blank] community" is another story.
I have heard this "disproportionate problem" claim about the gay community before, of course - and have read research which makes the same claim regarding ethnic minorities - but I have yet to see any compelling evidence, especially in relation to gays. Surely every minority can't have a "disproportionate" problem or they would soon be the majority. Or are we simply saying that straight, white, rural folk over sixty have a disproportionately lower problem with drug abuse?
Of the six sources cited by Amlord, for example, half of them make the claim that substance abuse is a greater problem among the gay community than within the rest of society - and none seem conclusive. The rest simply state that the gay community is aware of the fact that drug abuse exists.
One of the sites I can't get to download for some reason (the soberdykes.org one - which seems to be addressing alcoholism among lesbians). Of the remaining two which actually seem to promote the "disproportional" issue, one cites no corroborative sources at all, merely stating that "studies have suggested". Which studies those might be is never actually mentioned. (And that article is focussing exclusively on "party drugs" - not IV drugs, for example.)
The other source cites "research claiming higher levels of drug misuse amongst lesbians, gay men and bisexuals" as well as "research questioning higher levels of drug misuse amongst some sections of the LGB community". The ones which seem to support this claim are, themselves, problematic. One, for example, states that it was conducted among "homosexual men under stress". I would imagine that substance abuse might be slightly higher among any given group of people "under stress".
The first problem is that remaining studies which "suggest" a greater prevalence of drug use within the gay community (at least those which make reference to their sampling techniques at all) are based on studies among "urban gay men" or "the queer community" (which suggests, to me, the more ghettoized urban centers) or "young people". Were any of these samples weighted against the gay population as a whole? None of them seem to take into account gay men who may lead quieter lives - who may be in long-term relationships, who may be older, who may be rural or sub-urban - who may not be "on the scene". I don't think anyone would dispute that drug use is rampant in club culture. But are we comparing circuit party denizens to everyone else?
The second problem has to do with the sampling itself. How were these samples gathered? Case studies in one report were admittedly taken from gay health clinics - where people go for drug treatment. Duh. Were the rest random samples from anonymous telephone interviews where people were asked by a stranger what their sexual preference was? Were they questionnaires in gay publications, many of which double as club guides? Were they all taken from health clinics?? None of them say which method was used to skew the data.
The third problem is that, in such a sample, all participants were willing to admit, in some form, that they were gay. I suspect that those who are willing to be forthcoming about their sexual preference are more likely to be forthcoming about their drug use as well. At the very best, such studies can only possibly determine any statistics on the basis of the unabashedly "out" population.
Finally, what kind of drugs are we talking about here? "Party drugs" seem to be the most frequently discussed at all of these sites. Some of the studies are looking at alcohol only. What would the stats look like if we excluded amyl nitrate (a legal, non-addictive "drug" used for treating angina, whose effects last less than sixty seconds) and included heroin or crack?
I think the most that can safely be assumed on the basis of these studies is that openly gay young men "on the scene" are more likely to abuse party drugs than the population as a whole. Well, sure. I have no doubt that some circuit boy in San Francisco is more likely to take a hit of poppers at a rave than some housewife in Oklahoma is to have a crank habit. But to try to extrapolate from what can only ever be a narrow, incomplete, and misrepresentative sample the behavior of a global population is simply bad research.
I can see where some well-intended gay organizations might wish to make use of a bit of scare-mongering in order to heighten awareness of a problem. The drawback is that anti-gay groups can use similar scare-mongering to fan the flames of homophobia - as we have seen done elsewhere in these threads.
To answer the question posed - Is drug use a huge problem in the gay community? - yes, of course it is. Drug use - or, more properly, abuse - is a huge problem in every community. And the gay community is the world in microcosm. I am glad to see that gay groups are taking a proactive approach in relation to their own members - as are black groups - as are hispanic groups - as are many advocacy groups. But I'm not convinced that it is a huger problem among any of these communities than it is in our society as a whole.
Would we were all taking such a proactive approach to substance abuse rather than throwing millions of dollars per annum at the counter-productive "War on Drugs" and wasting even more on advertising campaigns full of transparent misinformation. Substance abuse is everybody's problem. It's time we got real about it.
What this does indicate to me is that, among minorities, there seems to be greater concern about substance abuse within those communities than there may be in our society at large. Whether there's anything to the whole "higher prevalence of alcohol and drug use in the [fill in the blank] community" is another story.
I have heard this "disproportionate problem" claim about the gay community before, of course - and have read research which makes the same claim regarding ethnic minorities - but I have yet to see any compelling evidence, especially in relation to gays. Surely every minority can't have a "disproportionate" problem or they would soon be the majority. Or are we simply saying that straight, white, rural folk over sixty have a disproportionately lower problem with drug abuse?
Of the six sources cited by Amlord, for example, half of them make the claim that substance abuse is a greater problem among the gay community than within the rest of society - and none seem conclusive. The rest simply state that the gay community is aware of the fact that drug abuse exists.
One of the sites I can't get to download for some reason (the soberdykes.org one - which seems to be addressing alcoholism among lesbians). Of the remaining two which actually seem to promote the "disproportional" issue, one cites no corroborative sources at all, merely stating that "studies have suggested". Which studies those might be is never actually mentioned. (And that article is focussing exclusively on "party drugs" - not IV drugs, for example.)
The other source cites "research claiming higher levels of drug misuse amongst lesbians, gay men and bisexuals" as well as "research questioning higher levels of drug misuse amongst some sections of the LGB community". The ones which seem to support this claim are, themselves, problematic. One, for example, states that it was conducted among "homosexual men under stress". I would imagine that substance abuse might be slightly higher among any given group of people "under stress".
The first problem is that remaining studies which "suggest" a greater prevalence of drug use within the gay community (at least those which make reference to their sampling techniques at all) are based on studies among "urban gay men" or "the queer community" (which suggests, to me, the more ghettoized urban centers) or "young people". Were any of these samples weighted against the gay population as a whole? None of them seem to take into account gay men who may lead quieter lives - who may be in long-term relationships, who may be older, who may be rural or sub-urban - who may not be "on the scene". I don't think anyone would dispute that drug use is rampant in club culture. But are we comparing circuit party denizens to everyone else?
The second problem has to do with the sampling itself. How were these samples gathered? Case studies in one report were admittedly taken from gay health clinics - where people go for drug treatment. Duh. Were the rest random samples from anonymous telephone interviews where people were asked by a stranger what their sexual preference was? Were they questionnaires in gay publications, many of which double as club guides? Were they all taken from health clinics?? None of them say which method was used to skew the data.
The third problem is that, in such a sample, all participants were willing to admit, in some form, that they were gay. I suspect that those who are willing to be forthcoming about their sexual preference are more likely to be forthcoming about their drug use as well. At the very best, such studies can only possibly determine any statistics on the basis of the unabashedly "out" population.
Finally, what kind of drugs are we talking about here? "Party drugs" seem to be the most frequently discussed at all of these sites. Some of the studies are looking at alcohol only. What would the stats look like if we excluded amyl nitrate (a legal, non-addictive "drug" used for treating angina, whose effects last less than sixty seconds) and included heroin or crack?
I think the most that can safely be assumed on the basis of these studies is that openly gay young men "on the scene" are more likely to abuse party drugs than the population as a whole. Well, sure. I have no doubt that some circuit boy in San Francisco is more likely to take a hit of poppers at a rave than some housewife in Oklahoma is to have a crank habit. But to try to extrapolate from what can only ever be a narrow, incomplete, and misrepresentative sample the behavior of a global population is simply bad research.
I can see where some well-intended gay organizations might wish to make use of a bit of scare-mongering in order to heighten awareness of a problem. The drawback is that anti-gay groups can use similar scare-mongering to fan the flames of homophobia - as we have seen done elsewhere in these threads.
To answer the question posed - Is drug use a huge problem in the gay community? - yes, of course it is. Drug use - or, more properly, abuse - is a huge problem in every community. And the gay community is the world in microcosm. I am glad to see that gay groups are taking a proactive approach in relation to their own members - as are black groups - as are hispanic groups - as are many advocacy groups. But I'm not convinced that it is a huger problem among any of these communities than it is in our society as a whole.
Would we were all taking such a proactive approach to substance abuse rather than throwing millions of dollars per annum at the counter-productive "War on Drugs" and wasting even more on advertising campaigns full of transparent misinformation. Substance abuse is everybody's problem. It's time we got real about it.
Hmmm- here is some anecdotal evidence I suppose- when I was a partier, I always had gay friends that could always score the best weed and coke. I remember a guys saying to me "Man, you know some gay guys, they always have the best drugs, let's pool our money together and you go score" LOL
I think Wertz is absolutely correct though, how many quiet, in the closet gay couples did they interview?
The correct question would actually be- "Do hard core partiers use too many drugs and too much alcohol? " LOL
I think Wertz is absolutely correct though, how many quiet, in the closet gay couples did they interview?
The correct question would actually be- "Do hard core partiers use too many drugs and too much alcohol? " LOL
I actually agree a little with Wertz on this subject. And have my usual problems with the debate.
I wonder why we're debating drug use in the gay community at all. Why not black? Why not teens? This does appear to be as he put it, "compartmentilzing" a subject. And the reason I haven't joined the fray up until now.
But then we get the typical "sourceophobia". I think the studies DO suggest that drug use among gay males is much higher because of the party drugs. Meaning, other classes of our society use the excuse of oppression and poverty, but gays use it mostly for recreation. The drugs appear to be used to stimulate the sexual experience and aid with "marathon sex".
But, so what if it is? Is it keeping people from succeeding? That appears to be the bigger question. If it's recreational and they show up for work everyday, who cares? But I haven't seen any study showing drug use among gays is keeping them poor and powerless.
I wonder why we're debating drug use in the gay community at all. Why not black? Why not teens? This does appear to be as he put it, "compartmentilzing" a subject. And the reason I haven't joined the fray up until now.
But then we get the typical "sourceophobia". I think the studies DO suggest that drug use among gay males is much higher because of the party drugs. Meaning, other classes of our society use the excuse of oppression and poverty, but gays use it mostly for recreation. The drugs appear to be used to stimulate the sexual experience and aid with "marathon sex".
But, so what if it is? Is it keeping people from succeeding? That appears to be the bigger question. If it's recreational and they show up for work everyday, who cares? But I haven't seen any study showing drug use among gays is keeping them poor and powerless.
I grant that there may be a disproportionate use of "party drugs" among younger gay urban males compared to society at large (or even the rest of the gay community). The source of my "sourceophobia" is that, too often, these sorts of distinctions aren't made. People hear "drug problem" and immediately leap to thoughts of addiction and needles among the entire gay population - as goamerica, for example, did (at least in part).
I would be more seriously concerned if there were evidence that there was a majorly disproportionate use of, say, crystal meth or the injection of cocaine, but most of the data I've seen seems to refer to a more recreational use of euphorics like ecstacy and grass. Irresponsibility in relation to safe sex would, of course, be another concern - which would apply equally to people of any sexual persuasion.
While I don't wish to minimize any serious abuse of drugs, I agree that our main concern should be with the more debilitating problems.
I would be more seriously concerned if there were evidence that there was a majorly disproportionate use of, say, crystal meth or the injection of cocaine, but most of the data I've seen seems to refer to a more recreational use of euphorics like ecstacy and grass. Irresponsibility in relation to safe sex would, of course, be another concern - which would apply equally to people of any sexual persuasion.
While I don't wish to minimize any serious abuse of drugs, I agree that our main concern should be with the more debilitating problems.
I tend to agree with Wertz. There is not enough data to conclusively say that drug/alcohol abuse is higher in the GLBT community than it is in the heterosexual community. We really don't even know how many GLBT people there are to begin with, and on top of that, secrecy and denial are common when discussing the topic of alcoholism and drug abuse.
Anecdotally, my experiences have leaned towards a high level of hard drug abuse among my adolescent, gay, male friends...mostly heroin and crystal meth. That's not to say that the heterosexuals or the lesbians that I know haven't indulged, as well, but, in my experiences, homosexual men have a more emotionally traumatic experience in coming out of the closet and dealing with who they are because society is largely unaccepting of gay men. This leads to a form of escapism which often progresses into addiction. Again...this is merely anecdotal.
Club drugs, in my experience, are popular in the club scene, period. It doesn't matter if it's heterosexual or homosexual. That's just the scene.
Anecdotally, my experiences have leaned towards a high level of hard drug abuse among my adolescent, gay, male friends...mostly heroin and crystal meth. That's not to say that the heterosexuals or the lesbians that I know haven't indulged, as well, but, in my experiences, homosexual men have a more emotionally traumatic experience in coming out of the closet and dealing with who they are because society is largely unaccepting of gay men. This leads to a form of escapism which often progresses into addiction. Again...this is merely anecdotal.
Club drugs, in my experience, are popular in the club scene, period. It doesn't matter if it's heterosexual or homosexual. That's just the scene.
OK, gay guy here...There is absolutely no correlation between a homosexual orientation and predilection for drug abuse. The reality is, the social lives of many urban gay men are centered around the bar/club scene, and there is definitely a correlation between frequenting clubs and drug usage. Many club owners adopt a tolerant approach to drug usage in order to stay in business and consistently attract crowds. Clubs have a notoriously short lifespan, so the owner is dependent on a sustained "buzz" to recoup his investment in an accelerated timeframe. This often includes periodic token enforcement of drug policies to satisfy local authorities, which permitting and even encouraging the trafficking and consumption of drugs on their premises. Most often, when drug usage is discussed in regards to gay men, it involves the consumption of "club" drugs like ketamine, MDMA, or GHB. So, to understand the drug epidemic in today's gay community, you need to understand the relationship between the gay community and the bars and clubs they frequent.
This is a simplified version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.