Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Address reprint requests to Dr. Stonestreet Ave. Despite this progress, stigma, discrimination, and structural barriers to services persist, causing health disparities and, in some cases, a diminished sense of well-being.
Viewing MSM as a uniform category is an oversimplification. Even within subgroups of MSM, the degree of stigma and social factors related to race, ethnic group, and culture vary, and each of these factors influences substance use and related risk behaviors.
In addition, the pattern and context of substance use among MSM vary and are related to the ensuing harms. Substance use may be intermittent or regular, it may or may not occur during sexual encounters, and it may or may not be part of a typical addiction phenotype.
The substances used may be licit e. Population studies have documented increased rates of drug use among MSM and most other sexual and gender minority groups , though reference populations vary among studies, sometimes including all other men and sometimes including only men who are sexually active exclusively with women and excluding men who are not sexually active. All measures are for the previous year except heavy drinking and nicotine dependence, which are for the previous month.
Thus, the estimates presented in the figure do not capture the prevalence of substance use or substance use disorders among the full range of subgroups of men who have sex with men. With these data and other nationally representative U. One study involving college students showed that men with both-sex partners were less likely to engage in binge drinking than men with only opposite-sex partners.
