Why+Us

= Why Us? =
 * Gays Turning to Drugs and Alcohol **
 * ﻿ **Homophobia, discrimination and victimization are largely what are responsible for substance use disparities in gay people. Discrimination against homosexuals can be particularly brutal and nasty. Some of the reasons for this prejudice are religion, the traditional family and because it is out of the norm. It is a proven fact that LBGT teens are 190% more likely to use drugs and alcohol than are heterosexuals. The prevalence of drug or alcohol use among bisexual youth is 340% higher than straight youth and the number rises to 400% in lesbian youth.

Drugs or alcohol tend to be what teens turn to when they have nobody else to turn to. 40% of all street kids are gay, most are runaways or were kicked out of their homes just because of their sexual orientation. In these kinds of situations, drugs sometime seem like the right way to turn. Statistics show that more gay and lesbian teens are starting to use drugs at younger ages, mainly because they are faced with more obstacles than heterosexual youth. Many gay youth that are discriminated against and victimized are forced to spend inordinate amounts of time and energy just trying to be invisible. This is something nobody should feel, but some feel every day.


 * Where to go from here? **

First of all, we can begin by making it clear that sexual orientation can be a factor in drug use. In any substance abuse prevention program sexual orientation is not a contributing factor to drug abuse. If it were to be added to prevention groups then maybe the number of drug use among youth in particular would fall, rather than ignoring it as a problem altogether. More research needs to be done in order to have the information needed to make any kind of change in the statistics of homosexual drug use as a form of escapism.

Although there are many cases of drug use and abuse among homosexuals for various reasons, it is important to remember that the vast majority live happy and healthy lives. Even though they're faced with the stress of living in a violent, homophobic society, not all homosexuals turn to drugs to escape. Having love, support and acceptance from family members and friends can help make the difference between a potentially destructive lifestyle, and a happy, healthy one.

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