LGBT Drug Treatment Blog

The Bar Culture

Perhaps a simpler reason for an elevated risk of substance abuse, drug addiction and alcohol addiction among GLBT individuals is their exposure to the bar culture. “We have people who are trying to find out where they fit in the world,” says Stolz. “Every GLBT person pretty much grows up feeling very isolated in their thoughts and their feelings, and they’re trying to find a place where they can fit in, and the addiction world kind of welcomes anyone who’s willing to behave how they behave. It’s like a passport to acceptance.”
“Even though we have come to have so many other opportunities to socialize and interact, for many of our younger people, the bar is still seen as the mecca, the place to go, the place to be seen,” says McCabe. In addiction recovery work, he explains, clients are often encouraged to change “people, places, and things” to reduce temptation. “Yet for some gay people in rural areas, the club or bar scene might be their only real contact with the larger GLBT community,” he says. “They have to be able to balance their ability to remain abstinent and their ability to socialize in an environment where alcohol and drugs may be used.” Because of the closeted nature of much of the community, agrees Amico, people may feel extremely isolated, especially those who live far from cities with large GLBT communities. “San Francisco,” he notes, “has the Castro District, and New York City has Christopher Street,” but many cities have no geographic community. The only place GLBT people know where to find each other is in a bar. “It stands to reason that if the only place you know to go to meet other people like you is a bar, you’re going to be there more often.” Clearly, those with a propensity for drug addiction are increasing their vulnerability to addictions.
The bar culture is a challenge for those in recovery as well because the temptation is great to return to such places that may invite relapse. “It’s hard for a lot of gay men and lesbians who are addicted to imagine going back to a life without using because that’s the only way that they know to socialize and it’s become such a part of their identity,” says Agosta. A major concern for GLBT individuals in addiction treatment programs, she says, is what they will do when they go home and can’t go to bars or clubs. “They’re afraid they’ll end up sitting alone at home getting depressed because they don’t know another way to connect with clean and sober gays and lesbians.”
Clients will often say they have to go to bars even if they’re in recovery because it’s their only opportunity to meet others. Amico acknowledges the difficulty but points to strategies. “Here in Phoenix, we don’t have a gay-identified neighborhood as in other large cities, but we have hundreds of organizations and several gay-identified churches.” Sometimes he tells clients to go to a gay church rather than a bar. They often reply that they’re not religious. “I’ll say I’m not asking you to sing, I’m not asking you to pray. You don’t have to do a thing except sit in a room with 100 other gay folks who aren’t there to use drugs or drink.” Another assignment he gives clients is to get local gay newspapers and list all the organizations and groups they’d be most interested in joining and then start attending. “It’s a way to start finding other gay folks that doesn’t necessarily revolve around drugs or alcohol.”

If you are looking for a gay alcohol rehab or gay friendly alcohol rehab go to www.lakeviewhealth.com or www.gay-rehab.com.