When I read the initial results of the Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Health survey by WA Centre for Health Promotion Research (WACHPR) that lesbian and bisexual women report higher incidences of tobacco, alcohol and drug use than their straight counterparts I was not surprised. Alcohol, in particular, figured quite heavily in my experience of the gay & lesbian scene.
When I was 19, I was a tea-totaller, a two-pot screamer, a Cadbury kid. Despite having a full year to legally indulge, my tolerance for alcohol was famously non-existent. I had spent many nights partying, going to raves and dance parties with my friends, but alcohol was not required. I saw them more as feats of physical endurance – how many hours could I dance, and how many people could I fool into thinking I was buzzing on some illicit substance that they would like to get their hands on.
The change came when I came out and despaired to others that my pulling power seemed to be terminally low. I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to ‘put myself out there’ to get attention. Somehow hanging around on a University campus and getting involved in numerous causes and collectives was not enough. Putting myself out there, it turned out, involved attending various gay drinking establishments and strutting my stuff on the dance floor. On the surface, the difference between this and my previous party exploits was simply the venues. I became a regular at The Court, and being a student, had no qualms about partying at the now defunct ‘Red Lion’ on Sunday nights. The problem was that at raves and dance parties I was avoiding attention – shrugging off guys who thought that ‘what are you on tonight?’ was a pick up line. At The Court and Red Lion I was seeking attention, and for that, I needed some dutch courage in the form of copious amounts of beer. My friends were all for it, and being able to drink, a lot, was also a badge of honour.
The whole thing – going out, drinking a lot and getting a lot of kudos from my mates, as well as the occasional success in meeting an interesting and attractive woman, was self-rewarding. Like a puppy that had escaped from its backyard for the first time while its boss was away, I had discovered a whole new world. With it came a whole new set of friends and a series of conquests to boast about. I have been in and out of the scene many times since, and it has provided a lot of great times, memorable stories and some close friends, but now it’s hard going to The Court and not falling into old habits.
I had to stop bingeing when I realised that my emerging beer belly was wobbling far too much on the dance floor. I was always getting colds, and turning up to work half conscious was not helping me progress beyond my job as a filing clerk. While being able to down half a carton of beer was a positive amongst my buddies, people at work just shook their heads at me.
So do you drink too much? Here are some questions I should have asked myself:
- Do you turn up to work with a hang over?
- When was the last time you went for more than 5 days without being drunk?
- Where did that $100 that was in your wallet go?
If you answer ‘yes’ to the first one, and ‘don’t know’ to the other two – maybe you should have a tea party instead.
