Gay and using Drink and Drugs

posted: 23/06/2009

Over the summer, people at Pride events across the country will be surveyed about the use by gay, lesbian and bisexual people of alcohol and drugs.

Part of the Picture - England's first ever research into drug and alcohol use is now underway.

The Part of the Picture research teams have been to Birmingham already and will visit Newcastle Pride (18 July), Leeds Pride (2 August), Cornwall Pride (8 August) and Manchester Pride from 29 - 31 August.
 

They hope the research will shape the future provision of drug and alcohol services to ensure that they are inclusive of the needs of LGB people, as well as developing a national evidence database of drug and alcohol usage amongst LGB communities.

HIV and drug and alcohol use

It would be helpful if gay men living with HIV made sure their views and experiences are heard. Please complete a questionnaire, whether you are diagnosed with HIV or not.

"Substance use is under-researched within these communities" says Christina Marriott, one of the research team from ISCRI. "The little existing research there is suggests that lesbian, gay and bisexual people may be at much higher risk of problematic substance use and drinking. Our pilot showed staggeringly high levels of problematic use and it is important we confirm or disprove these.
"We also found very different patterns of drug use to the general population. For example, poppers (the alkyl nitrates) were more widely used than cannabis and this is not true in any other community. This may suggest that the services to help people with substance misuse issues will fail most lesbian, gay and bisexual people - because they are based on a different pattern of use. We hope that, in providing a great evidence base, we can support agencies in meeting the needs of these communities."
 

Autumn Outcomes

The first wave of results will be known in the autumn, and will be passed on to drug and alcohol teams across the UK to advise them of LGB areas of need.
 

Taking Part

If you are lesbian, gay or bisexual and want your experiences of drug and alcohol use to help shape the future provision of services for LGB people go to the Part of The Picture website to complete the survey.
 

For more information on Part of the Picture, contact:
Helen Burdett, Substance Misuse Co-ordinator

Lesbian and Gay Foundation

0161 235 8026
 

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