First of all, I think it’s important to say that drug use isn’t a problem exclusive to the LGBT community. It exists in many groups within society and for very different reasons. That said, it’s important to realise that drugs can give a false sense of well-being, euphoria, confidence or even an escape from problems. For some people, this can be particularly appealing when they are dealing with stress, loneliness, anxiety, discrimination or other emotional difficulties. In certain social and party settings, drug use can also become more normalised, which may lead some people to try it in order to feel included or simply because it is part of that specific group’s culture. But that does not mean it represents the entire LGBT community. After all, the reasons why someone uses drugs are usually far more complex than simply ‘liking to party’. And the fact that you grew up witnessing the negative impacts of drugs has probably given you a different perspective and a greater aversion to drug use, which is perfectly understandable.

@pedro_nuno_pinto you got valid points there, it isn't a LGBTQ+ exclusivity, but the amount of hospitalisation risk lie much more to those involved in chemsex which in fact is more in the community. With that said, any abuse of substances can lead to hospitalisation for example alcohol also have numbers. Therefore, my question also go for why this is a thing in the community, I have had several talk about it with LGBTQ people and most of them just say it okay as long as people "don't loose control", there is much less discrimination towards the use of drugs than around straight community... And I understand people uses drugs for different reasons, it just don't get in my mind is like seeing someone cutting the wrist and say it's fine as long as you don't die. But maybe that's it, I just got a hugely aversion to it, and I should just mind my business.

@mooner I would say exactly the opposite: your concern is more than justified. If you are observing the consequences in clinical practice, it is natural to question why certain behaviours become normalised and what their impacts are. I also agree that it is important to distinguish between not stigmatising people and normalising risky behaviours. We can advocate a non-judgemental approach whilst, at the same time, recognising that substance misuse, including in chemsex contexts, is associated with real risks to physical and mental health. Therefore, rather than simply adopting an ‘everyone does what they want’ attitude, I think it is important to tackle this issue in collaboration with the community. We need to talk openly about the risks, promote health education, reduce harm and create spaces where people can seek help without fear of being judged. The aim should not be to point the finger at anyone, but rather to understand why these behaviours occur and how we can reduce the suffering and hospitalisations that result from them. Concern for people’s wellbeing is not meddling; it is precisely the starting point for tackling a public health problem constructively.

Lack of acceptance/support + self-destruction intentions = harmful addictions

I think about this often, we need to also point out that’s it’s extremely normalized in our community. I think it’s problematic that safe queer spaces happen to be bars where there’s endless flow of alcohol, and clubs and raves seem to be worse. people don’t seem to be able to have fun let alone dance without intense drug use.

Loneliness and isolation are very common in the queer community. People who are lonely will often fall into addiction. You see the same thing with Grindr: it preys on lonely gay men by making them think the way to tackle their problems is to move from hookup to hookup, making them even more lonely in the process and therefore even more dependent on the app. Drugs are very similar. While you’re taking them, it’s an escape. Once you’re back in the room, you feel even worse than before so you seek another high.

Hi Miguel, if you’re interested in understanding it better would suggest talking to organisations that offer drug and alcohol support services for the community - one example is CGL (Change Grow Live) in Newham. It’s more than just drugs though, within the NHS we have “significant evidence that LGBT+ people have worse access to healthcare, poorer experience and worse health outcomes than the general population.” Checkout: https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/patient-equalities-programme/lgbt-health/

Drugs and alcohol often serve the same purpose they can both be ways people numb pain. The bigger question isn’t “Why are queer people into drugs?” but “Why do some LGBTQ+ people feel they need to numb themselves more often?” That’s where conversations about trauma, acceptance and mental health become important. One thing I’d also gently challenge is the line about working in critical care. If someone works in an ICU or emergency department, they’re naturally going to see the most severe overdoses. That’s a form of selection bias, you don’t see the much larger number of LGBTQ+ people living healthy lives who never come through those doors. So it’s understandable that their experience shapes their perception, but it’s not the whole picture.

I think it’s multiple things. Generally a demographic with more trauma and therefore susceptible to unhealthy coping. But also much of queerness happens and has always happened around partying. Perhaps those parties being one of the few space to have an outlet and therefore overindulging in a “last day on earth” kind of way. On top of that chemsex is so big in the gay scene, tho I’m honestly not super clear on why, perhaps as a way to avoid a feeling of shame in the moment?