Wednesday, November 2, 2011

LGBT Drug Culture


Whether anyone acknowledges it or not, there is a big part of the LGBT community that is immersed in drugs and alcohol. Every time I go to a gay club, guaranteed I get hit up for drugs, specifically ecstasy. I don't do ecstasy, never have and don't intend to. At first it made me wonder if I look like a drug dealer. The answer to that is no, I don't. I probably look like the kind of girl that looks like she wants to have fun.


Everyone, and not just people in the LGBT community, often use drugs and alcohol as an escape. It's become so normal that people don't even think about it anymore. When someone says they want to go out and get trashed, few people will ever ask why, or tell their friends that maybe it isn't a good idea. Most people often just go with the flow and consequences be damned. I myself have gone out and gotten trashed and done things that the next day I realised wasn't something I was proud of. Yes, I have done the walk of shame. No one was ever watching, but I knew.


Some of us like the feeling, the thrill, being without inhibitions. We don't think we have a problem, although in reality the problem lies in the fact that some of us believe we can't have a good time without drugs and alcohol. As someone that can go out and not drink or use drugs, I am proof that you don't need to be wasted or even buzzed to have a good time. I look around the room and take not of how pissed or high people are and wonder if I looked that stupid when I was drinking and using. When everyone is trashed, no one really notices how trashed other people look. When sober, everyone doesn't look quite so cool. I guess that's how the term "beer goggles" came about.


For others of us, drugs and alcohol don't just affect us when we go out clubbing or to parties; it becomes and everyday thing in order to get through, more so if we are somewhat closeted, struggling with self acceptance or being discriminated against.


It might feel normal, but whether you are a weekend binge drinker/user or a daily one, it isn't healthy for one's mind or body. And it doesn't help when it is normalised by our culture and that for those of us that don't go out and get smashed or high, that we are made social outcasts.  Peer pressure on top of all the other reasons people drink or use can be incredibly hard to deal with. It kind of goes along with "If someone jumped off a bridge, would you jump off after them without looking?" Me, I'd at least look to see what was down there. 


If people want to use drugs and alcohol I am not against it. If people know the risks and are aware of the consequences, then the risk is theirs to take. I've been there, I've done that, and for me, I choose a different path these days where I don't need to drink or use in order to have a good time or get through the day. 


If you think that you or someone you know has a drug or alcohol problem, there are places you can seek out for help. AA and NA among them, and they are distributed in almost every country around the world, in abundance. 


-Indie