Are you concerned about your drinking? Is booze an unavoidable part of queer culture? What about the hangovers? From glossy advertising to chucking out time, a cold beer or a fruity cocktail, alcohol is a central part of gay life. But, in the light of new laws that will relax pub and club opening hours, we want to know: are gay people drinking too much? A panel of GaydarNation members answered our call.

“Yes, gay people are in love with drinking. It makes us feel brave when we're scared, makes us feel grown-up and in control. Where would queer culture be without the gin-sodden queen, or the rowdy bar dyke? No one seems to think that they have a problem with drinking, although the idea of going out without a drink seems absolutely ridiculous. What does it mean? There's probably a couple of generations of us who will die of alcohol-related illnesses. It's sad but it's true.”
Karl, 27, Esher

“Are you Kidding? You must be! Drinking is a British problem not a gay culture problem.
According to the National Drugs Help line, over 1,000 people under the age of 15 are admitted to hospital each year with alcoholic poisoning and all require emergency treatment. Go to any straight pub or club and you can see tons of hette's, I mean straights, stagger all over the place. I like to have some drinks when I'm out and about but I never drink excessively. Some of my gay mates drink a lot but some of them hardly drink at all and I sometimes don't drink for weeks, so, to assume that the gay population has an alcohol problem is far fetched. I think it is a general problem in densely populated areas where people tend to feel alone due to the lack of healthy relationships. You will probably find a lot more people that drink a lot when you take a random 1,000 Londoners compared to a 1,000 randomly picked people from the country site. I therefore want to say: being gay/lesbian/bi or transgender does not equal alcohol abuse.”
Michael P. Vauxhall, London

“Gay people drink too much, but it's not surprising given that the only places where you can go and meet people are in bars, pubs and clubs. I wish there were more social spaces that didn't revolve around drinking. I think that the community has to start taking responsibility for its drinking, so much sorrow and heartache comes from it! If I was in charge, I'd start by banning advertisements for vodka and other alcoholic drinks in the gay press, but then, could those papers afford to continue without the financial support of the drinks manufacturers? It's a vicious circle.”
Deepak, 22, London

“I am actually a recovering alcoholic and I've seen first hand how drinking can screw up your life. Things are getting better for me now, and I think that I would have been a problem drinker even if I wasn't a lesbian. But I sometimes wonder if I would have found help sooner of my drinking hadn't been masked by all the other heavy drinkers I used to know on the scene in London.”
Kate, 30, Gloucestershire

“Everyone knows that gay people drink too much, it's our dirty little secret. But it's nothing compared to the drugging that goes on.”
Jonny, 39, Bangor

“No, I don't think that it's true that gay people drink too much. You only have to look at the young straight kids tearing up our city centres on a Saturday night to see that binge drinking affects everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. Gay or straight, we live in a drinking culture and I don't think that'll ever change. “
Elisha, 33, Birmingham

“A problem with drinking? No love, the only problem is not being able to get enough. As a student I just can't afford it. Ah well, I'm sure my liver will thank me one day.”
Win, 19, London

What do you think? Send your thoughts to feedback@gaydarnation.com.

NEXT WEEK: What Do You Call Yourself?
Would you like to be one of GaydarNation's Vox Poppers? Sure you would! To take part, simply answer the following question:

Some people think that labels are for jars, not people, whilst others think that it's important to claim an identity for yourself. Some people use words like 'gay,' 'lesbian,' 'dyke' and 'poof' proudly, whilst others find them restrictive, or even offensive. But what do you think? Send your answers to: feedback@gaydarnation.com and we'll publish the best of the bunch.

Get Augusten Burroughs' hilarious account of becoming clean and sober, you won't regret it. Buy Dry online and save some money!

If you are worried about how much you drink contact the Alcoholics Anonymous Lesbian And Gay Group (2nd Floor, Jacob House, 3 Cynthia Street, London N1 9JE). Call 02090-422909 or visit www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk for details of your nearest regional group.