Monday, May 25, 2009
Gay men, drugs and alcohol
A report by THT and Sigma Research has revealed that more needs to be done to improve alcohol and drug services for gay men. Wasted Opportunities claims that current services are poorly equipped to help gay men with substance misuse problems.
The report, based on interviews with 40 gay men, confirmed that alcohol and drug abuse is very common. One gay man in six was worried about their own alcohol or drug use. The majority of those interviewed said they would prefer a service that would be gay-run or gay-friendly, as they would find it more helpful to identify with the people who were giving them support.
Marc Thompson, THT deputy head of health promotion, said:
“It’s clear from these findings that a lot of gay men who have a problem with drugs or alcohol could benefit from more dedicated support services. This could involve training service providers to deal with issues that affect gay men’s lives, or running special sessions for gay men within existing organisations. We hope that by introducing services that are more tailored to gay men, we would see an increase in the numbers of men getting the help they need.”
The report can be downloaded from:
www.sigmaresearch.org.uk/go.php/reports/report2009c
Information about drugs and alcohol can be found on the THT website at:
www.tht.org.uk/drugfucked
Pictured: Marc Thompson, THT
