Relationship between sexual orientation and substance abuse

This article explores the relationship between sexual orientation and substance abuse. A survey was conducted on a random sample of people in Washington State, where there were several questions asked, including past month and past year marijuana use, past month and year hard drug use, past year binge drinking, and past year drinking problem or addicted to alcohol. The results were positively correlated; the LGB population was reported to have higher rates of substance abuse than the homosexual population. The paper talks about several factors affecting these rates. One factor is psychological. LGB individuals are more prone to suffer from prejudice, discrimination, and abuse, due to their sexual orientation and the society’s response to them. The LGB population had also reported depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. These factors were shown to lead to increased substance abuse to help them overcome their low self-esteem and psychosexual issues that they go through due to the treatment they receive and the psychological hardships that they suffer from. Another major factor is social norms. The LGB community is more accepting of the use of drugs, especially what is referred to as “club drugs”. A final major factor is social bonding, where many LGB individuals find it difficult to form strong relationships with family members, colleagues, or classmates. These individuals were also found to be more likely to be abused as children. The LGB community is also unable to commit to marriage since most US states do not allow it, so it is harder for them to form stable households, which are found to be correlated with reduced deviant and criminal behavior. This study does come with a few limitations, such as not taking into account transgender individuals, or only having the study limited to the western part of the US.

Article: http://www.tandfonline.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/doi/full/10.1080/01639625.2012.749149#.UaQN_SvwLAV