Alcohol Abuse in the Gay Community - Term Paper Example

?Although it is true that there are various forms of addiction which exist within society, one of the most common forms of addiction exists throughout the world is with regards to alcohol addiction. The overall prevalence of alcohol addiction can mainly be attributed to the fact that unlike many types of stimulants, narcotics, or drugs in general, alcohol is widely available and ultimately quite cheap for the average consumer. Studies regarding the effect of alcoholism have generally been concentric upon the degree and extent to which it is damaging to the overall health of the individual who suffers from it. Although this is a relevant question to engage, this does not in and of itself allow for a greater degree of understanding with respect t to the “why” question of alcoholism. Ultimately, many social and psychological explanations have come to be concentric upon the fact that those who suffer from alcoholism can be divided into two main categories: those who are genetically predisposed to suffer from alcoholism and those that are using alcohol as a crutch or a self treatment to escape from the reality of their own past or some troubling aspect of their current life that they find it difficult to live with. Naturally, for purposes of this brief analysis, the author will focus upon alcoholism within the gay community and the likely determinants of how this addiction is exhibited and ultimately caused. Firstly, it must be understood that any form of addiction can ultimately be divided into two main categories. As evidenced within the introduction to this brief paper, these two categories are a genetic predisposition to a particular substance and/or the user seeking to “self treat” themselves based upon a certain level of psychological trauma or current life hardship that is being experienced. With regards to a current level of self treatment that is engaged, this can be understood as perhaps the most salient means of describing addiction within the homosexual community. Ultimately, the past several decades have witnessed ostracism, hatred, repression, and finally a level of service acceptance for homosexuality (Lee, 2013). This turbulent history has provided many reasons for why an individual within the homosexual community might wish to escape from the unpleasant and painful level of acceptance that society provides. In such a manner, alcoholism within the homosexual community is in order of magnitude higher than it is as compared to the general population. Due to the fact that individuals within the homosexual community oftentimes made with regards to their orientation, hardship is with regards to their family, ostracism and rejection at work, school, or any other number of social interactions is common. Even a cursory level of analysis reveals the fact that this ostracism has a profound effect not only upon the level of alcoholism that is represented, it also has a profound effect with regards to the way in which a psychological interpretation of self is exhibited within this community as a whole. Moreover, even though an alternate means of understanding alcoholism within the homosexual community is with respect to defining it as an outgrowth of genetic predisposition, this is something of a flawed approach due to the fact that no convincing evidence has been given with respect to the way in which alcoholism is exhibited in the homosexual community and a genetic predisposition to it. Naturally, the individual researcher might be tempted to point to the fact that genetic predisposition and/or orientation towards homosexuality, as has been evidenced in witness by a number of scientists and research studies, necessarily point to the fact that a genetic predisposition for alcohol and/or alcohol addiction is also represented within the same community (Paul & Stall, 2011). However, this is not definitively been noted in any of the studies have been performed. One does not need to be completely familiar with alcohol and/or alcoholism to understand the reason for why self medication is so prevalent within this particular group of societal stakeholders. It is not the purpose of this author to point to the homosexual community as a whole and label it within a given manner. However, for purposes of clarity inconvenience, broad generalities must be noted so that the reader is more able to discern the dynamics and fundamental elements of the way in which this community exhibits something of a joint consciousness. Self-medication merely points to the fact that an individual seeking to trace themselves with a given substance. Oftentimes, these substances can be drug related, either pharmacological and/or illicit; other times, they can be as simple as nicotine and alcohol. With respect to alcohol, it must be understood that this particular substance is widely available and relatively cheap; thereby increasing the overall likelihood that an individual will turn this particular substance as a means of self-medication (Suprina, 2013). One of the most well-known effects of alcohol is the fact that it is a depressant. Naturally, this does not mean that alcohol actually causes a form of depression; although it has been linked to increasing depression an individual who over uses and/or abuses the substance over time. Rather, the fact that alcohol is a depressant references the fact that it calls the central nervous system and helps to promote sleep (Ziebold & Mongeon, 2012). Tangentially, alcohol also diminishes brain activity and increases a sense of drowsiness or calm to prove a the individual. Another secondary impact that alcohol has is the fact that it increases a sense of inclusion and love in the part of the individual who is intoxicated. Although this is not the case with regards to each and every individual who integrates with alcohol, it is a widespread side effects and therefore helps to adequately explain why an individual who is in a community that is oftentimes rejected by general society, judged by one’s work friends, family, or classmates, will more likely turn to alcohol as a means of escaping the reality of this painful level of rejection. But of all of the information that is thus far been presented, perhaps the most salient and important is with respect to the fact that alcoholism within the lesbian and gay communities of the world is extraordinarily underreported. For instance, within the general population of the United States, studies have indicated that alcoholism and/or binge drinking is represented in approximately 20% of individuals. However, when one takes a cross-section of the lesbian and gay communities within the United States, this overall percentage that struggles with and/or suffers from alcoholism and alcohol abuse jumps to nearly 75% (Weber, 2012). One of the rationales for why this issue has not been discussed to a further degree is with regards to the fact that the lesbian and gay communities are not comfortable with “airing dirty laundry”. Ultimately, individuals who were responsible for key publications and research/analysis within this particular community are hesitant to point to the fact that a further issue/problem defines the way in which this community interacts. Although this is a reasonable and rational approach, it must also be understood that this is performing a disservice to the many individuals within the gay community that suffer from alcoholism and are actively seeking a way not only to improve upon this but to address the core psychological issues that ultimately have driven them into alcoholism. It is unlikely that societal rejection and/or hardship will not continue to define the gay and lesbian experience within society in the near future. With that being said, it must also be understood that alcoholism within the gay and lesbian community is merely an outgrowth and/or a secondary symptom of a much deeper issue. As has been evidenced above, this much deeper issue revolves around the hardship and psychological trauma that many of these individuals are seeking to escape; thereby integrating with “self treatment” as a means of dulling the pain that they experience. Furthermore, it must also be understood that alcoholism in and of itself will represents a percentage, albeit a large percentage, of the issue of substance abuse within this particular community. From the information that is been presented, it is the hope of this author that the reader has been able to come to a more broad and definitive understanding of alcoholism within the gay community. By seeking to integrate such an understanding, the stakeholder within society can come to any appreciable level of realization with regards the fact that alcoholism within the homosexual community is merely an outgrowth of much deeper psychological and sociological issues. Whereas it is likely that the sociological level of success since with regards to homosexuals within the community will continue to improve as a greater degree of liberalism is evidenced throughout society, the pain and hardship of close minded and visceral rejection will continue to be felt and will necessarily increase the overall likelihood that stakeholders within these communities will turn substance abuse as a means of self-medication and as a means of dulling the pain that they have experienced as a result of this rejection. References LEE, M. G. (2013). Between Stonewall and AIDS: Initial Efforts to Establish Gay and Lesbian Social Services. Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare, 40(3), 163-186. Paul, J. P., & Stall, R. (2011). Gay and alcoholic. Alcohol Health & Research World, 15(2), 151. Suprina, J. S., Brack, C. J., Chang, C. Y., & Kim, J. (2013). Differences of Lifestyle and Coping Resources Between Gay Men With and Without Alcohol Problems. Journal Of Individual Psychology, 66(2), 166-187. Weber, G. N. (2012). Using to Numb the Pain: Substance Use and Abuse Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals.Journal Of Mental Health Counseling, 30(1), 31-48. Ziebold, T. O., & Mongeon, J. E. (2012). INTRODUCTION: ALCOHOLISM AND THE HOMOSEXUAL COMMUNITY. Journal Of Homosexuality, 7(4), 3-7. Read More