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Gay and bisexual men and problematic alcohol and drug use: demography, contexts, experiences, needs and service responses
Duration: April 2007 - October 2008
The 2005 Gay Men’s Sex Survey (GMSS) found that two-thirds of men regularly used alcohol more than once per week, while 40% used Poppers and 26% used Marijuana more than once a week. All other drugs were used by a much smaller proportion of gay men. For example, Viagra and similar drugs was used weekly or more by 3.4%; while between 1% and 2.5% used Ecstasy, Cocaine, Ketamine, or Benzodiazepines weekly or more often, and less than 1% used Speed, GHB, Crystal methamphetamine, LSD, Crack cocaine, or Heroin weekly or more often.
GMSS 2005 showed that 29.6% of drinkers were concerned about their alcohol use and that concern was associated with frequency of use, rising to 36.9% among men who drank more than weekly (67% of the entire sample). While far fewer men used other drugs, a greater percentage of those who did so were concerned about their use (38% of Ketamine users, 38% of GHB users, 39% of Crystal users and 40% of Crack users). The user groups least concerned about their drug use were Poppers users (18% concerned) and Marijuana users (21% concerned).
We therefore see a very complex picture of need. Significant proportions of men both use alcohol and are concerned about their use of alcohol. A much smaller proportion use other drugs, but a much larger proportion of these are concerned about their drug use.
At present, there are few alcohol services aimed at gay men and the extent to which generic services are acceptable to this group is unknown. Moreover, while Heroin use is relatively uncommon among gay men, opiate services are the bedrock of most drugs services. Finally, drugs strategies tend to concentrate on the ill-effects of drug use on communities through the crime generated by drug dealing. Gay men are probably peripheral to this crime.
This study examines problematic alcohol and drug use among gay and bisexual men and service and policy responses to the needs that this use generates.
PART ONE: review of strategy, policies, procedures and activities (March- June 2007): Document reviews and key stakeholder interviews will allow us to assess alcohol and drug policies and procedures on a range of levels to include Central government, Local Authorities, Primary Care Trusts and the voluntary or Third sectors.
PART TWO: experiences of gay and bisexual men who have identified their alcohol and drug use as problematic (July 2007 - June 2008): We will conduct in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a sample of 40-50 men who have identified their own alcohol and drug use as problematic. We will over-sample men from groups where alcohol and drug use and need is particularly high. Interviews will cover: history of use; social contexts of use; perceptions of problems, difficulties and risks; strategies to eliminate or minimise harm; intervention and service needs; experiences of interventions and service use.
Proposed outputs: A full research report will be available free in October 2008.
Key contact:
