THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF PROBLEM DRINKING IN GAY MEN AND LESBIANS - A CRITICAL-REVIEW

This review examines research on the prevalence of problem drinking am ong gays and lesbians, and dicusses various theories as to the etiolog y of drinking problems in this population. Early reports on alcohol pr oblems in this population suggested that gay men and lesbians were cat alarmingly high risk for alcohol problems; however methodological fla ws call these results into question. More recent research suggests tha t gay men are not at significantly higher risk for drinking heavily or for developing drinking problems than heterosexual men. Problem drink ing may exist at somewhat higher rates among lesbians than among heter osexual women, although not at the high rates reported in early studie s. Both gay men and lesbians appear to be less likely to abstain from alcohol than their heterosexual counterparts. Numerous theories have b een pro posed to explain the etiology of problem drinking in this popu lation, including subcultural phenomena, self-medication hypotheses, a nd social and cultural pressures. However, none of these theories has mwe than minimal empirical support. Clinical implications and recommen dations for further research are discussed.