New Study Shows Alarming Drug Use Among LGB Teens

hmm... idk... most my friends are straight and most of them use drugs recreationally, and i don't...

 

I would agree with the results based on what I have seen.

 

LGBT teens are more likely to be depressed - so abusing substances can potentially be a danger. Which I think is a shame due to the fact that it could all be remedied if homophobes simply opened their minds a bit.

 

I am gay and I don't do drugs. I understand why some GLBT people do it though. I never found the idea of putting harmful chemicals into my body appealing.

 

It is a sin to hurt oneself. So, better to accept oneself and continue the journey of life. Life is too beautiful to be destroyed that way.

 

Im not so sure I believe tha Lesbian, Gay, and Bi teens are more likely to abuse drugs

 

a lot of my friends, straight and gay, do drugs, myself included. i don't like the term drug abuse, i like to think when done sensibly that it is not a problem

i'm sure that iits true that there is a correlation between it, and it could become a problem with people doing it to escape reality. but could it also be something to do with gay people accepting that the 'normal' way of living is not one that they agree with?

 

Funny, I'm the one who didn't do drugs and such out of my circle of friends...

 

well, at least I can say I've never used "injection drugs," unfortunatly, though, this is exssesively true, specially in the club sceene, I love it, but I will say that if it wasnt for it I would have probably never done cocaine, meth, ex... enough said.

 

Same here....

 

I've been offered most drugs by some friends so i could if i wanted to. Hmmm...

 

Never tried any drugs, never smoked a single thing. And i certainly don't plan to.

 

Me too.

 

Something very interesting about this story... the way that The Advocate wrote up the study is not the way that the researchers' press release describes the study. The Advocate article makes it sound like GLB teens are more likely to be drug abusers.

The actual study says that GLB teens have higher odds for using drugs (legal or illegal) than other teens. The UPMC study was done because studies of drug use in teens looked at different groups but never studied gay, lesbian and bisexuals as a separate risk group.

Here's what the summary from Addiction said (I've added bold font on some of the key things):
"The odds of substance use for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth are on average 190 percent higher than for heterosexual youth, according to a study by University of Pittsburgh researchers published in the current issue of Addiction. What’s more, for some sub-populations of LGB youth, the odds were substantially higher, including 340 percent for bisexual youth and 400 percent for lesbians, researchers found. "

Here's what The Advocate reported:
"Gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens are 190% more likely to abuse illegal substances than heterosexual youths, MedicalNewsToday.com reported Wednesday. A new study by the University of Pittsburgh shows that among this group of LGB teens, the odds were higher for bisexual youths, 340%, and lesbian youths, at 400%. "


"More likely to abuse illegal drugs"? That's not what was studied! The Advocate completely misrepresented this study!

What they studied was this:
"The substances in the study included cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and injection drugs."

Something else that was in the press release that wasn't mentioned in the The Advocate article (from the researchers' press release):
"It is important to remember that the vast majority of gay youth are happy and healthy, despite the stressors of living in a violent, homophobic society," noted Dr. Marshal. "More than anything, gay youth need love, support and acceptance from their family members and friends. It also is imperative that health care providers offer a safe, confidential environment to discuss health care needs with gay teens."


There are a lot of good studies out there that support something we have all seen- that gay and lesbian people are at a higher risk for problems with alcohol and drug use. Some of it is related to the club culture but there's also some evidence that it is related to some of the ways that gay people are under stress from a society that does not accept them. Or as the researchers states, "history shows that when marginalized groups are oppressed and do not have equal opportunities and equal rights, they suffer. Our results show that gay youth are clearly no exception".


So, don't read this study to say that GLB youth are more likely to be "drug abusers". Read this study to say that most GLB youth are healthy and happy but they are at greater risk for drug use- both legal (alcohol, cigarettes) and illegal (cocaine, meth, etc).

 

I'm curious on the specifics of the drugs they're talking about. There's a pretty big difference between, say, pot and meth.

Anyways, it wouldn't surprise me. Drugs can be a way to deal with stress or depression, and it's no secret that GLBT youths have plenty of both.

 

Hooray for KaraBulut's analysis and anti-ignorance response!
It makes me happy that people catch these things
Honestly, I don't think The Advocate knew it either....
But I'm gonna be honest and say I didn't read either Just Kara's analysis haaa......

Anyways, I'll still reply with:
Nearly all my bi/gay friends do or have done drugs
And I have a good amount of straight friends that do or have done drugs

Thankfully, I've been clean.. but temptation has definately come my way x_x..

I hear so many stories.. and it sounds so blissful.. but then I think about how hard it will be to get where I want to go if I'm dreaming in fantasy land all day and not reality. I don't want to be just another statistic.

 

I don't think its suprising because some people think that it's an escape from the problems you are having and with gay teens there are a lot of problems to do with acceptance of themselves and others. The problem is that with drugs it only provides an escape for a short time and can add on to the problems you are already facing so I wouldn't recommend using drugs because while it may feel good at the time, in the long run it makes things a lot worse.

I used to be a big believer in using drugs as an escape and all it got me is a few years of addiction and more hatred of myself for letting myself get involved in it and I still crave it. It's an ongoing battle to stay away from it.

But like I said it doesn't surprise me.

 

Yours is a very common story. There are a lot of GLB people who unwind and escape with drugs and alcohol. And that self-hatred thing that so many gay people battle with is very connected with to the use of alcohol and drugs.

It is something that every gay person will see in their circle of friends. And it's something that we have to help each other deal with.

What bothers me about the way The Advocate's story is written is that it provides another thing that can be used against GLB youths. I can just picture those coming out discussions with parents in which they say, "But I heard that GLB people were more likely to be drug abusers!".

 

i don't know in high school i was one of the few people there that wasn't on drugs and there were only two guys that were out of the closet.