I drank for 15 years. The last 5 years I was passing out more days every week than I was going to sleep, and nobody could have convinced me it was a problem until I couldn't lie to myself anymore.

Drugs and alcohol will always be a problem for some members of ANY community -- addiction does not play favorites. For me I don't think being a closeted homo had as much to do with my alcoholism as family history, a culture that accepted abuse, and the boredom of living in a sparsely populated rural community.

I wish our governments [federal, state, city] would put more emphasis on TREATMENT than on locking up drug users and alcoholics. That might actually help the problem. Putting a drunk in a cold shower does not sober him up -- it just makes him wet and cold. Putting a drug user or alcoholic in jail does not cure the disease -- it just keeps him from moving around freely for awhile.