Drug and alcohol problems: Heterosexual compared to lesbian and bisexual women

This exploratory study compared alcohol and drug use experiences of 19 lesbian/bisexual women and 19 heterosexual women matched according to age, race and socio-economic status. Participants were drawn from a larger study on the relationship between alcohol and family violence among women. The only significant difference found was a higher frequency of use of marijuana by lesbian and bisexual women (t = -0.70, p < .001). Although lesbian and bisexual women did report problems slightly more often than heterosexual women, the differences were not significant. This contradicts earlier reports of more serious drug and alcohol problems among lesbians.