Have you had the experience of waking up with a naked man by your side and not having the foggiest remembrance of how he ended up in your bed or you in his? Well, many gay men have experienced such things. If this has happened to you often, then you are having ‘blackouts’- a sure symptom of alcoholism.
Alcoholism is widespread in the gay community. Gay men drink more than straight men. Gay men drink for several reasons. The first reason is homophobia -the irrational fear of gay men. Secondly, drinking has been used to oil our social inhibitions. A drink or two gives a man more courage to ask another man to dance or for a date and makes rejection of the offer less painful. Repeated rejection leads to repeated drinks. Thirdly, feeling yourself a part of the special crowd of gay men is another reason some men become addicted to alcohol. What you have done is exchanged your sense of inferiority and fear of rejection with chemical dependency.
Do you know there are ‘drug abusers’ who cannot perform sexually without alcohol or drugs or both? Drug abusers also suffer from poor judgement in choosing sex partners, spending money foolishly or failing down at the job.
How do you know that you have become an addict? When you lose the power to make choices about your drinking and drug taking, you have become an addict. Chemical dependence becomes more important than sex, friends, family and your job. During the course of time how good you feel from taking the booze evaporates and is replaced by how badly you begin to feel and how completely you doom your life. Remember Aashiqui2?
Alcohol leads to disinhibitions. Disinhibition leads to unprotected sex which leads to HIV. It may also lead to dangerous sex and fisting. Men under the influence of alcohol choose riskier and more promiscuous men for partners.
Always avoid taking alcohol and ecstasy together. It could lead to dehydration .If you are under the influence of alcohol ,you can be robbed, beaten up or raped. Alcohol inhibits your immune system and can lead to decline in T cells.
What if you have a drinking problem? Should you hide it or run away from it? None of this is effective. Join an AA(Alcoholics Anonymous).You can also see a psychotherapist.
And my suggestion is: Why bother to drink alcohol at all? Increase your self esteem and you won`t need the bottle any more.