June 24, 1986: the gay struggle with drugs.

Eighteen years ago gays and lesbians were struggling with drug abuse for many of the same reasons as are reported in the story on crystal methamphetamine in tiffs issue of The Advocate. Depression, low self-esteem, compulsion 'all were issues for gays abusing drugs.

But unlike today, the medical establishment in 1986 was only just beginning to address health problems specific to gays and lesbians. "The emerging focus on substance abuse in the gay community is part of our increased attention to health issues in general," Lawrence Mass, MD, cofounder of Gay Men's Health crisis in New York City, told The Advocate. And much like today, the connection between drug dependency and the AIDS epidemic was directing a lot of attention to the problem. In the absence of gay-specific treatment centers, however, many gay people faced homophobic recovery professionals.