Alcohol and drug usage can be related to experiences of abuse or physical violence, and it is often utilized as a method of handling the mental traumatization triggered by these experiences.

In 2018, almost 3 in 10 (29%) intimate minority victims reported that that they had utilized medications or alcohol in the last 12 months to handle their lifetime experiences of punishment or physical violence, nearly triple the proportion of heterosexual victims (10%). In general, other health-risk behaviours such as for instance binge drinking, non-medicinal cannabis usage and drug that is non-prescribed were also more frequent among intimate minority than heterosexual Canadians. (mais…)