Our Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) continues to work with our LGBTIQA+ communities to promote social connection between peers, build positive relationships and self-identity, and educate participants on alcohol and other drugs (AOD) harm.
Our current Community Action Plan (CAP) is focused on creating a series of short videos which focus on lived experience, primarily of accessing AOD help/services including the barriers and enablers to access. The resources will also contain lived experience of AOD harms, and protective and risk factors for harms from AOD.
These videos will support our local LGBTIQA+ community to access services when needed and increase knowledge about AOD and AOD harms. The videos will also help service providers to better understand the barriers LGBTIQA+ community members face when seeking help and the solutions that providers can implement to be more accessible and inclusive.
We’d love to have you involved! Get in touch via LDAT@gvpride.org or have a chat to us at an upcoming pride event.
Our LDAT partners include Greater Shepparton City Council, Primary Care Connect, Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health (CERSH), Uniting’s Diversity Project, Thorne Harbour Country, Goulburn Valley Alcohol and Drug Service, Goulburn Valley Health and Wise Well Women. Thorne Harbour Health has a fantastic AOD information resource called Touchbase.
The CAP (Community Action Plan) activities will be delivered by a strong partnership network with a deep understanding and passion for improving LGBTIQA+ health outcomes.
Focus: Alcohol, Vaping, Cannabis
Background:
We know that the risk from alcohol, tobacco and other drug problems can be greater for LGBTIQA+ people. The 2022-23 NDSHS reported that use of e-cigarettes among lesbian, gay and bisexual people increased from 7.1% in 2019 currently using e-cigarettes to 21% in 2022-23. Lesbian, gay and bisexual people were also 1.2 times as likely to consume alcohol at risky levels compared to heterosexual people. Lastly, illicit drug use also increased to 47% of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in 2022-23 compared to 40% in 2019.
We also know that the LGBTIQA+ community continue to experience social isolation and stigma in various settings compared to the general population. Our LDAT recently completed a type 1 CAP where we consulted with young people, middle aged, and older LGBTIQA+ community members. Of the 42 people we consulted, over half reported consuming alcohol in the previous 12 months (57%) and just under half of those consuming alcohol used more than one drug, most commonly cigarettes, vapes and marijuana. We found that many LGBTIA+ community members engaged had low knowledge of the harms of AOD use particularly of prescription medicines and vapes. Of the group surveyed, 69% reported that they would benefit from resources of information about minimising harms from AOD use.
This LDAT will address these issues by engaging with LGBTIQA+ people through activities that promote social connection between peers, build positive relationships and self-identity, and educate participants on AOD harm.
