SURVEY OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL-USE BY LESBIAN WOMEN IN NEW-ZEALAND

The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of alcohol a nd drug use and attitudes towards alcohol use in a group of New Zealan d lesbian women.The method used is 1,222 copies of a postal questionna ire (the Lesbian Mental Health Survey [LMHS]) were distributed via les bian newsletters over a 4-month period. Responses were received from 5 61 women, an estimated response rate of 50.8%. The respondents were pr edominantly New Zealand European, highly educated, urban women in the 25- to 50-year age bracket; 30.1% smoked cigarettes, and 90.2% had dru nk alcohol at some time in the past year, over half once per week or l ess. The median number of drinks per week was 1.5 drinks, equivalent t o 22.5 mi alcohol per week. Despite a comparatively low reported use o f alcohol, 48.1% of respondents expressed the view that alcohol is use d excessively in the lesbian community; 75.8% had used cannabis at lea st once, 32.6% in the past year; 30.8% had used recreational drugs oth er than cannabis and alcohol at some time, 4.5% in the past year. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.