Please remember, this column is designed to help the consumer seeking behavioral-health information, and not intended to be any form of psychotherapy or a replacement for professional, individualized services. Opinions expressed in the column are those of the columnist and do not represent the position of other SelfhelpMagazine.com staff.

Question

I am disturbed at the amount of alcohol and drug use and abuse within the gay and lesbian community. Is there theory or research about this situation? How does drug abuse relate to sexual behavior and other factors?

Answer

There has been some research that purports to show a somewhat higher alcohol abuse rate in gay and lesbian populations than in heterosexuals, but I think we have to be very skeptical about those findings. It's easy to find lesbians and gays who misuse alcohol and drugs because they show up often at bars and in rehabilitation programs. It's often not as easy to find people without those problems, particularly if they are partially closeted, so we don't know how many of them are out there.

I recommend caution in generalizing research results on gay and lesbian people. We don't know whether the people we haven't studied are significantly different from those we have studied. What I do know is that there are many, many lesbian and gay individuals who do not abuse drugs or alcohol.

For information on relationships among sexual behavior, drug and alcohol abuse and other variable of interest to you, I suggest starting with the SelfhelpMagazine.com Addictions Department.

3/18/98

Author and psychologist Gail S. Bernstein, Ph.D. has a psychotherapy practice in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Bernstein speaks and writes about gay, lesbian and bisexual people for both general and professional audiences, and is the author of the new audiotape, NOT HETEROSEXUAL: An Educational Program About Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual People.