Alcoholism
If you are a gay man you are three times more likely than a straight man to be an alcoholic. You may not realise that you are an alcoholic. You may not even realise that you are ill. But over use of alcohol is like any other drug – there are side effects and long term health implications if you use too much alcohol, such as liver disease. There are also long term social implications such as the inability to hold down a regular job.
There are several reasons why gay men and some lesbians are more likely to have issues with alcohol. The main ones are:
Many gay men meet others in bars
The formation of a gay identity in the individual may be linked to and based on the consumption of alcohol
Few gay and lesbian clients enter treatment programmes or centres
Fewer gay men visit their doctors
Use of alcohol may lead to unsafe sex
Treatment centres may not address the needs of gay and lesbian clients
As nobody talks about the problem and recovering clients value their anonymity, it is hard to find someone to mentor you
You may have had your first sex experience while under the influence of alcohol
You may have used alcohol to deal with issues of stress or to help you face yourself or your sexuality
Feeling bad about yourself, you may have internalised homophobia, and the alcohol is making it worse leading to further depression.
If there is someone in your gay group or among your circle of friends who appears to have a problem with their consumption of alcohol, then they need understanding, empathy and support – and information. You could also make information such as leaflets available in gay community centres etc. Similarly when designing events for gay groups you can take steps to minimise dependency risk such as not linking the event to special price promotions for specific drinks and so on.
It is also easy to overlook the needs of that persons’ partner or family. While there is plenty of support available to the person with the illness, there is often little or no support provided to the partner or dependants, who may need supporting.
Alcoholics Anonymous in the UK have special groups for gay men and lesbians. There are also a number of UK support groups available over the internet. There is also a UK Gay AA Web ring of gay AA web sites. The helpline phone number in the UK is 0845 769 7555.
Like all illnesses, alcohol dependency is usually treatable. It does require a considerable degree of commitment from the person with the overuse problem. The treatment programmes are usually based around a tried and tested method called the twelve step programme. Alcoholics Anonymous supports anonymity at all times and anonymity has been found to be positive and helpful.
Text updated 14 November 2009
Good post. Thank God for sites such as this one. If it wasn’t for these sites I might not have been able to help my son before it was too late. You guys rock, so keep up the good work.