Substance Abuse

This feature was created by former YouthResource intern Liana

Beginning in early adolescence, some of us start experimenting with alcohol and drug use. There's a number of reasons for experimenting: because it's the "cool thing" to do; to make us feel less tense, just to see what the big deal is; or in some cases, to help ourselves deal with other issues that seem too overwhelming in our lives. The truth is -- being a young person today is stressful. This is especially true for those of us in specific communities where other stressors are ever present issues that the majority of youth may not face.

As gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, the inherent homophobia and heterosexism that is everywhere in our society often makes us feel devalued and like our opinions and lives don't matter as much as those of heterosexual people. It is easy to feel threatened by the constant verbal (and sometimes physical) harassment of people perceived to be GLBTQ that we see in most communities everyday. In some areas where GLBTQ youth do not feel at all safe being who they are, every day is terrifying. They are scared that either someone will find out what's really going on with them, or if they are already out, that they will be attacked or threatened because of their sexual or gender identity.

In our society, all youth, regardless of sexual orientation, are supposed to fit into fairly rigid gender roles. These gender categories often inhibit self-expression, and the way that gender dealt with in our society is the cause of a lot of stress for everyone who is scared of not belonging. Strict categories of gender and sexuality affect many people negatively, from the seemingly masculine and tough football captain to the non-athletic straight boy to the gay kid who always talks about how hot the popular girls are so that he won't get harassed.

When GLBTQ youth feel trapped by the societal standards of male, female and straight that we may not be living up to, it is easy to see how drugs and alcohol may appear as a good option to those of us who are searching for a way to feel less stuck in an overwhelmingly heterosexist and homophobic world. Studies show that far too often GLBTQ youth use drugs and alcohol as a way of coping with stress like violence, harassment, isolation, family rejection and sometimes subsequent homelessness.

Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol tend to complicate our lives and lead to even more health risks. While it may seem like a quick fix - it's not necessarily a solution. We at Advocates felt it was time to devote a feature entirely to issues of substance abuse and how it affects our communities and our lives.

There are several components to this feature on substance abuse and GLBTQ youth. This introduction provides and overview of the issues that are going to be developed in the following pages.

Personal stories dealing with alcohol and drug issues:
Blake's Story
Sam's Story

Below, we offer resources on how to help someone you know, such as a friend or partner, who seems to be heavily using substances.

Resources

Here are some places to go and people to contact if you or a friend/partner is having issues with drug or alcohol abuse... These websites and health centers specifically focus on the needs of the GLBTQ community in dealing with health and substance abuse issues.

Addiction Recovery Drugs and Alcohol on Gayscape.com
http://www.gayscape.com/recov.html
This site offers a great selection of resources and listings of various groups tailored to specific communities within the larger GLBTQ community. You can go here to find links to groups in your area (recovering lesbian addicts, for example).

Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
http://www.glma.org
You can log in at this site to find a GLBTQ-friendly doctor in your area who will have specific resources to help you deal with drug and alcohol issues.

National Association of Lesbian and Gay Addiction Professionals
http://www.nalgap.org
You can go to this site to find many resources on the issues of substance abuse and GLBTQ people, and to locate GLBTQ-friendly meetings for people with concerns about drug and alcohol use.

Some Ways to Help a Friend or Partner Who May Be Abusing Drugs or Alcohol

Be there for her/him to talk about what is going on, and listen to what s/he has to say. Don't be judgmental.
Offer to go to a support group for people dealing with drug and alcohol addiction with him/her.
If your friend is are at a place that you think this is possible, try to get her/him to go out and get involved in other fun things with you that don't involve partying with drugs or alcohol.
Take the initiative to tell someone else that you can trust if the problem is getting too big for you or your friend/partner to handle on your own.
Ask your friend or partner what s/he feels like they need to overcome their addictions, and what s/he thinks you can do to help.