Chasing the White Horse “The Impact of Drugs on Gay Men and Lesbians”

1609 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: An essay on homophobia

“Numb the pain, numb the pain”…are the very words that openly gay R&B artist sung in reference to his dark days when he abused drugs to help cope with the stigma of being gay in the music industry. Just as Frank Ocean, millions of other LBGT individuals continue to portray as heterosexuals versus “coming out” in order to feel accepted in society. Resulting one to find a resolution that will help temporary thwarting the stresses, pain and challenges they experience through abusing drugs. According to Jordan (2000), “all teens may use substances due to peer pressure, the desire to experience with something new, to seek independence from parents, or for pleasure. This paper will explore the reasons why gay men and lesbians abuse substances, their drug usage: where they used them and the drug choices amongst gay men and lesbians. Also the reader will discover the effects drugs plays on the LBGT population and the solutions on how to help the population change their behaviors. Many researchers believe that substance use rates are higher amongst gay men and lesbians than the general population…particular when used as a recreational drug or club drug; during the weekend and night” (McDowell 2000 pg. 37). Reasons There are countless of stories that one may hear if one should ask a drug user “how they started using drugs?” The three main reasons that one may hear why gay men and lesbians conform to drug are: 1) being stigmatized by society aka “a potent force” (Cabaj 1999 pg.19). As mentioned earlier having to portray as a heterosexual just to be accepted by society plays a major role on the standard stages that LBGT population goes through. For example, the “coming out process”, when a gay man or lesbian is asked to described their proc... ... middle of paper ... ...ture problems they might face by preparing them earlier. Works Cited Cabaj, R. (1999). Substance Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, and Gay Men and Lesbians: Psychodynamic Issues and Clinical Implications. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, 1p.5. Eliason, M. and Hughes, T. (2004). Treatment Counselor's Attitudes About Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Clients: Urban vs. Rural Setting. Substance Use & Misuse, 625-644. Jordan, K. (2000). Substance Abuse Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Adolescents. School Psychology Review, 6p. McDowell, D. (2000). Gay Men, Lesbians and Substances of Abuse and the “Club and Circuit Party Scene”. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, 37-57. Weber, G. (2008). Using to numb the pain: Substance use and abuse among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 31-48.

Show More
Related

  • Does Sexual Abuse in Adolescents Lead to Homosexuality?

    3346 Words  | 7 Pages

    Throughout research, there is an understanding of the possibility of there being a relationship connection between past traumatic events of adolescents to changing their life style from heterosexual to homosexual. What is considered an adolescent for this study are adolescents between the ages of 13-17 because once you are the age 18 you are considered a legal adult in the United States. The study will take place looking at the age bracket of adolescents, which live in the United States. In this, the research will be looking at th...

    Read More

  • The Stonewall Riots

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people have dedicated themselves in fighting for

    Read More

  • Born Gay: Truth and Circumstances.

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tori, DeAngelis. "New data on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Mental Health." www.apa.org/monitor/feb02/newdata.aspx . N.p., 12 february 2002. Web. 9 Apr 2014.

    Read More

  • Co-Occurring Disorders

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mangrum, L., Spence, R., & Steinley-Bumgarner, (2006). Gender Differences in Substance-Abuse Treatment Clients with Co-occurring Psychiatric and Substance-Use Disorders. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 6 (3), 255 - 267

    Read More

  • Healthcare Disparities in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Community

    1491 Words  | 3 Pages

    HIV/AIDS is a major risk factor affecting a large portion of the LGBT community, especially gay men. CDC.gov (2013) found that gay and bisexual men of all races continue to be at high risk for developing HIV. According to Krehely (2009) the drug and substance abuse risk factor, as well as mental health issues in the LGBT community often occur and are related to high rates of stress due to the lack of family acceptance of the LGBT lifestyle, systematic discrimination, and the lack of cultural competency in the health care environment. Sexu...

    Read More

  • Sluts and Lesbians: More Alike than Different in a Society of Labels

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    Internalized homophobia is when negative attitudes from the primary group, mainly family but also the surrounding community, cause negative homophobic thoughts in a person that has same-sex attraction, but may not identify with it. This kind of internalization creates lack of self worth for those that do not “come out”. Research supports that internalized homophobia contributes to lower self-acceptance, loneliness, depression, and the lessened ability to come out to others. Internalized homophobia has a high impact on lesbians because society’s norms are to be married to a man and reproduce, and this norm is the majority in small, rural communities. Because of this norm, lesbians try to maintain a “normal”, “acceptable” lifestyle, and get married and have children, while fighting within themselves about their identity. “A number of studies have found that the degree of internalized homophobia was inversely related to relationship satisfaction in lesbians” (Spencer, 2007, pg. 258).

    Read More

  • Gender Dysphoria and Gender Reassignment: Analysis of a Policy Issue

    3347 Words  | 7 Pages

    Lev, A. I. (2013). Gender Dysphoria: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back. Clinical Social Work Journal, 41(3), 288-296.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of High Price By Carl Hart

    2362 Words  | 5 Pages

    Dr. Carl Hart had a very rocky childhood and through his own determination to not repeat the past has gotten to where he is now in life. He comes from a broken family plagued by domestic violence, divorce, and a lack of support while he was growing up. Dr. Hart’s views on; social support, addiction and the physiological effects on the brain, factors to take into account when assessing drug abusers, drug policies influencing discrimination, and decriminalizing drug use are well articulated through his book High Life; in which enabled the audience to have raw reactions to his personal views.

    Read More

  • The NASW Position Statement on Gays and Lesbians and the Students Perspective

    2324 Words  | 5 Pages

    There are many issues that interfere with the health and happiness of those within the Gay and Lesbian community. The National Association Position Statement on Gays and Lesbians is as attempt to abolish such issues within the social work practice. One place that individuals of any sexual orientation practice should feel safe is with those who have chosen the field of social work as a means to helping the oppressed. Social workers must be aware of their own personal beliefs and values when it comes to the fear of and the misrepresentation of working with this divers group. The consequences of not dealing with such issues and may have a latent manifest in dealing with the Gay and Lesbian population, and if not addressed prior to working in this field, maybe devastating to a client.

    Read More

  • Drugs in American Society, by Erich Goode

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    Drug in the American Society is a book written by Eric Goode. This book, as the title indicates, is about drugs in the American Society. It is especially about the misuse of most drugs, licit or illicit, such us alcohol, marijuana and more. The author wrote this book to give an explanation of the use of different drugs. He wrote a first edition and decided to write this second edition due to critic and also as he mentioned in the preface “there are several reason for these changes. First, the reality of the drug scene has changed substantially in the past dozen or so years. Second much more information has been accumulated about drug use. And third, I’m not the same person I was in 1972.”(vii). The main idea of this book is to inform readers about drugs and their reality. In the book, Goode argued that the effect of a drug is dependent on the societal context in which it is taken. Thus, in one society a particular drug may be a depressant, and in another it may be a stimulant.

    Read More

  • Better School Programs for Mental Health

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Currently in today’s society, coming out as gay is easier than admitting to a serious mental problem. This effect puts a burden on teens who suffer from problems and don’t know where to go; which led to the increase of teen suicides as seen in the media. In the average classroom size, about three of the twenty-four students have depression; not mentioning other common disorders such as bipolar disorder, panic disorder, ADHD, conduct disorder, and eating disorders. Without better programs in schools to prevent and inform about mental disorders, the current taboo on them, the bullying of students suffering, and the romanticization of diseases will continue to increase the negative effect mental disorders have on teens.

    Read More

  • The Mental Health of Individuals in the LGBT community

    3253 Words  | 7 Pages

    Talbott, J. (2006). Rates and Predictors of Mental Illness in Gay Men, Lesbians and Bisexual Men and Women: Results From a Survey Based in England and Wales. Yearbook of Psychiatry and Applied Mental Health, 2006, 158. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0084-3970(08)70152-X

    Read More

  • Sexual Identity Development

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    D’Augelli, A.R. (1992). Lesbian and gay male undergraduates’ experiences of harassment and fear on campus. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 7(3), 383-395.

    Read More

  • Different types of Bullying

    1534 Words  | 4 Pages

    Williams, T., Connolly, J., Pepler, D., & Craig, W. (2003). Questioning and sexual minority adolescents: High school experiences of bullying, sexual harassment and physical abuse. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health. Special Issue: Disrupting Normalcy: Lesbian, Gay, Queer Issues and Mental Health, 22 (2), 47-58.

    Read More

  • LGBT Community and Discrimination.

    1284 Words  | 3 Pages

    Huegel, Kelly. GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens. Vol. 1. Free Spirit Publishing, 2003. 1 vols.

    Read More

More about Chasing the White Horse “The Impact of Drugs on Gay Men and Lesbians”

Open Document