Gay Men and Alhol: The Relatnship wh the Bottle

Contents:

• SUBSTANCE USE LBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL POPULATNS: AN UPDATE ON EMPIRIL REARCH AND IMPLITNS FOR TREATMENT
• GAY MEN AND ALHOL: THE RELATNSHIP WH THE BOTTLE

SUBSTANCE USE LBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL POPULATNS: AN UPDATE ON EMPIRIL REARCH AND IMPLITNS FOR TREATMENT

Alhol and dg e among some gay and bisexual men n be a reactn to homophobia, discrimatn, or vlence they experienced due to their sexual orientatn and n ntribute to other mental health and physil problems. For some gay and bisexual men, alhol and illegal dg e, pecially methamphetam (meth), amyl nrat (poppers), and dgs ed to treat erectile dysfunctn (when a man has a hard time keepg an erectn durg sex), also ntribute to a higher chance of gettg HIV and other STDs. 1 In fact, studi show that people who self-intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual are approximately 2 tim as likely to have an addictn than straight peers and transgenr dividuals are close to 4 tim as likely.

GAY MEN AND ALHOL: THE RELATNSHIP WH THE BOTTLE

Rearch suggts that gay alhol treatment programs mt nsir important factors such as sexual objectifitn, the tersectnaly of multiple margalized inti—pecially the impacts of racism—and high occurrenc of mental health ndns. This is particularly ncerng when nsirg that a 2007-2017 Centers for Disease Control and Preventn (CDC) report showed that over 23% of lbian, gay, or bisexual high school stunts and almost 27% of stunts who were unsure of their sexualy had ed illic dgs, pared to jt over 12% of straight stunts.