An Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use Comparison of Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Undergraduate Women

Abstract

Bisexual women had greater odds of using alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana than heterosexual women and lesbians. They also had greater odds of using all illicit drugs (except steroids) and misusing prescription drugs than heterosexual women and greater odds of using amphetamines other than meth, sedatives, and ecstasy when compared to lesbians. Lesbians had greater odds of using tobacco, marijuana, sedatives, hallucinogens, other illegal drugs and misusing prescription drugs than heterosexual women. Conclusions/Importance: The study confirms increased ATOD use among sexual minority women as compared to their heterosexual counterparts with bisexual women having the highest use. This is the first study to examine misuse of prescription drugs among a large number of lesbian and bisexual college women, and contributes to the scant literature addressing college women's ATOD use by sexual orientation.

Other Tobacco Product Use Among Sexual Minority Young Adult Bar Patrons

“…20 This complements a large body of literature indicating increased risk for multiple types of substance use (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs) among LGB individuals. 7,12–14,28,32,33 The high rates of smoking, OTP use, and binge drinking in this study sample demonstrate the need for bar-based interventions targeting substance use among high-risk LGB young adults.…”

Patterns of injecting and non-injecting drug use by sexual behaviour in people who inject drugs attending services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2013–2016

“…Drug use patterns in WSW were associated with having sex with men, transactional sex and reporting 10+ sexual partners, but it was not possible to disentangle the individual contribution of those factors due to the strong associations between these factors and the small sample size. Sex with men and women and/or identifying as bisexual have been reported in the literature to be associated with higher drug use (Barker, et al, 2012;Buffin, Roy, Williams, & Winter, 2012;Green & Feinstein, 2012;Kerr, Ding, Burke, & Ott-Walter, 2015;.…”

Violent Victimization and Substance Dependency: Comparing Rural Incarcerated Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Women

“…This research has been fairly consistent in identifying higher levels of alcohol and drug use, as well as substance use-related problems, among sexual minority women compared to women who identify as heterosexual only (Gattis, Sacco, & Cunningham-Williams, 2012; Green & Feinstein, 2012; King, et al, 2008; McCabe, et al, 2009), with a number of studies finding the highest levels of problematic substance use among women who identify as bisexual (Green & Feinstein, 2012; Hughes, Wilsnack, & Kristjanson, 2015; Kerr, Ding, Burk, & Ott-Walter, 2015; McCabe et al, 2009). A secondary data analysis of the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse compared heterosexual and sexual minority women on lifetime, past 30 days, and daily use of nine classes of drugs.…”