Substance Use in the LGBTQ+ Community: Reading List
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride month is celebrated each year during the month of June. Here you can find a list of resources and research on the topic of substance use among the LGBTQ+ community.
1) This report, developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), explores the current research on substance use among LGBTQ+ youths and provides an overview of helpful and harmful interventions for these populations in clinical, community, family, and school settings.
2) The National Institute on Drug Abuse has published a research topic on substance use and substance use disorders in the LGBTQ+ population. You can access the research overview here.
3) The likelihood of alcohol dependence among LGBTQ+ individuals is approximately twice as high as that of the general population. The insititute of alcohol studies (IAS) have put together a briefing that LGBTQ+ People and Alcohol use.
4) This qualitative research article explores how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) young adults with problematic substance use made sense of their substance use in relation to their LGBTQ identities. They go on to suggest how professionals can support young LGBTQ+ adults in treatment by exploring their identity and unique stressors.
5) A study published in the LGBT Health Journal explores family rejection as a predictor for substance misuse in transgender and gender nonconforming adults.The study also highlights the increased risk of adverse life experiences faced by transgender and gender nonconforming people such as poverty, violence, increased risk of HIV and discrimination in housing or employment. You can read the study here.
6) Chemsex: More than just Sex & Drugs is a resource published by ADFAM in collaboration with London Friend, which provides helpful information for the families, friends and LGBT partners of people engaged in chemsex. It is an information guide for people who are familiar with chemsex as well as those to whom it is a new concept.
7) In this webinar recording, produced by the alcohol health alliance, the research on gender, identity and drinking, and the disproportionate impact of substance use in the LGBT+ community is explored.
8) This narrative review explores research on substance use in sexual and gender minority communities. The authors define the sexual and gender minority population and minority stress and explore stresses and substance use disparities in adolescence, adulthood, and older age.
