The BEST of Lifelube - "Let's Take a Glass Together" - The Podcast is Served From Tuesday, July 29, 2008

"Let's Take a Glass Together" - The Podcast is Served

UPDATE 7/30 - Chicago Gay Examiner blogger Michael Lehet - a new and wonderful pal of LifeLube and Project CRYSP - attended our forum last week and took copious notes, basically a transcript or "live blog" - capturing pretty much the entire discussion. Check it out.








Last Wednesday (7/23), Project CRYSP and LifeLubeteamed up with the Feast of Fools, Sidetrack, the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse* and four PHENOMENAL speakers to put on a community forum addressing our relationship to alcohol - with a wide ranging discussion from how to avoid a hangover, to how to tell when your use may be slipping to abuse, to our collective responsibility to care for ourselves and one another. About 80 folks joined usfor a really great conversation - perhaps the first of its kind, but definitely not the last.

Click here for the Feast of Fools podcast. Download it and listen while you work out, work it, work your voodoo, or just work.

Enjoy LifeLube's photo set from the evening.

Enjoy the Feast of Fools' photo set (some of which are featured in this post - thanks Rick and Fausto.)

ENCORE - Crystal Meth Uncensored: What the DEA and the Gay Media Won't Tell You

The most addictive drug is the one
you are addicted to.

Way back in June of 2007, the Chicago Crystal Meth Task Force (now the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse) hosted meth expert Susan Kingston for a talk at the Center on Halsted.

Susan is an Educator Consultant with the Drug Use and HIV Prevention Team at Public Health – Seattle & King County and the former Director of Prevention at Stonewall Recovery Services. For ten years, she has worked primarily with gay and bisexual methamphetamine users as both a drug use and harm reduction counselor and as the coordinator of the region’s largest HIV prevention program targeting methamphetamine users. Currently she consults on several research, community intervention and treatment expansion projects related to methamphetamine in the Seattle area and guides lgbt substance use programming at Public Health. She is also a consultant to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on efforts regarding prevention of global methamphetamine abuse.

Her (remarkable) remarks begin here (Section 1 of 5), on LifeLube.

Click here for the 2nd installment

Click here for the 3rd installment

Click here for the 4th installment

Click here for the 5th and final...

Click here for her full remarks, all in one place (PDF). 


There has been a titch of renewed  hysteria (and lots of discussion) regarding crystal meth use - so LifeLube thought it a good time to share Susan's remarks again.

NEW: Ask Peter for Pointers!

Peter Pointers is more than just a pretty face.

Backed up by a team of Chicago experts from Project CRYSP agencies and beyond, Peter can answer your questions around physical health, mental health, sexual health and spiritual health - anything a gay guy might want to know, with a Chicago focus.

Check in with Peter now, and don't be shy. He will make it worth your while :)

Peter Pointers is a brand new, deluxe feature on the LifeLube mothership. Beyond asking Peter for pointers, you can find a whole host of info there on Sex&Drugs, Physical Health, Spiritual Health, Relationships and Emotional Health.

"Let's Take a Glass Together" - The Podcast is Served

UPDATE 7/30 - Chicago Gay Examiner blogger Michael Lehet - a new and wonderful pal of LifeLube and Project CRYSP - attended our forum last week and took copious notes, basically a transcript or "live blog" - capturing pretty much the entire discussion. Check it out.









Last Wednesday (7/23), Project CRYSP and LifeLube teamed up with the Feast of Fools, Sidetrack, the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse* and four PHENOMENAL speakers to put on a community forum addressing our relationship to alcohol - with a wide ranging discussion from how to avoid a hangover, to how to tell when your use may be slipping to abuse, to our collective responsibility to care for ourselves and one another. About 80 folks joined us for a really great conversation - perhaps the first of its kind, but definitely not the last.

Click here for the Feast of Fools podcast. Download it and listen while you work out, work it, work your voodoo, or just work.

Enjoy LifeLube's photo set from the evening.

Enjoy the Feast of Fools' photo set (some of which are featured in this post - thanks Rick and Fausto.)

*For more info on the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse, contact co-chairs Simone Koehlinger or Jim Pickett. The Task Force meets the third Wednesday of every month at the Chicago Department of Public Health (333 South State, 2nd floor), from 4:30pm to 6:00pm, and is open to all. You are welcome to join us at any time. The group also operates a listserv with over 100 members to share the latest in research, news and local events of interest.

Taking a Glass at Sidetrack - Community Forum on Alcohol Draws 80

UPDATE 7/29/08
Click here for the freshly loaded Feast of Fools podcast.

Approximately 80 absolutely delightful people participated in the "Let's Take a Glass Together" community forum held last night at Sidetrack (July 23, 2008), thoughtfully examining the role of alcohol in the LGBT community - on the individual level, organizational level, societal and structural levels.

Click here for our flickr photo set.

The event featured a dynamic panel Tom Andrika - bartender manager from Minibar, Paul Davis - bartender from Sidetrack, researcher David McKirnan, Ph.D., and Lisa Rivitz, LCSW, CADC of Howard Brown Health Center. The event was hosted and moderated by the fabulous Feast of Fools who taped the proceedings for an upcoming podcast.


Sponsors of the evening included yours truly - the gay, sexy, health website and blog - LifeLube, Project CRYSP (more than crystal prevention, promoting healthy community), and the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse. Simone Koehlinger, of the Office of LGBT Health, pulled the whole thing together flawlessly. Special thanks also to Sidetrack who worked their magic to ensure a seamless evening.

LifeLube here thought the event was very engaging, and would love to hear what YOU have to think about the proceedings. The big take away message for us was that the LGBT community is strong, resilient and healthy - and when we are confronted with alcohol abuse in our lives, or the lives of our friends and lovers, many of us have the courage and the capacity to address the problem directly. This is not to say that all is hunkydory in the LGBT ghetto - let's toss a few back and and toast to our good fortune... It's more that, ya know, despite the negative messaging coming our way from all corners, including our very own, we really do care about ourselves, each other, and have found loving, creative ways to provide the support and services we all need.


This is only the beginning of the conversation. We would love for you to comment here on what you found interesting at the forum - or not - and what YOU think the community should be doing on every level to make sure we foster healthy, non-abusive relationships with alcohol. All are welcome to share - whether you were with us at Sidetrack last night or not.

And stay tuned to this space - we will share media coverage of the forum, and let you know when the Feast of Fools podcast is uploaded.

So, comment, check out the other pix, and keep talkin'.

How can we talk about drinking without pointing fingers?

Limited capacity - RSVP for this free event now.

Sidetrack
Chicago
Wednesday, July 23

Be part of a fabulous Feast of Fools podcast!

click to enlarge

What does "drink responsibly" mean?

Limited capacity - RSVP for this free event now.

Sidetrack
Chicago
Wednesday, July 23

Be part of a fabulous Feast of Fools podcast!

click to enlarge

Alcohol - Use or Abuse?

[via Windy City Times]

“Can we have a healthy relationship with alcohol? It's not a question of can we... we must. These are things that are part of our world.”

For a community that tends to drink and drug at higher rates, what exactly is the LGBT community's relationship to alcohol, and is it a healthy one?

The connection between alcohol and the LGBT community will be the subject of discussion at an upcoming podcast forum, “Let's Take a Glass Together,” organized by LifeLube, Project CRYSP, the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse, Sidetrack and Feast of Fools. Featured speakers include local bartenders, UIC professor and researcher David McKirnan and Howard Brown Health Center's Lisa Rivitz.

What's the problem?

Several small studies over the years indicate that LGBT people have higher rates of alcohol dependence than their straight counterparts.

A 2001 Urban Men's Health Study, which surveyed MSM ( men who have sex with men ) from four cities, including Chicago, found a prevalence of heavy and problematic alcohol and drug use. A majority of men—85 percent—reported recreational drinking. Roughly 12 percent reported three or more alcohol-related problems and 8 percent reported alcohol abuse, which is slightly higher than the national average for men, according to 2001-2002 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism data.

Findings from a 2000 National Alcohol Survey of all 50 states suggest that alcohol dependence differs by sexual orientation, especially among women.

The Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women Study, also known as CHLEW, is an ongoing study of lesbian health. Although the study is not completed, preliminary findings show higher rates of drinking among lesbian and other sexual minority women than the national average. Popular settings for heavy drinking include lesbian and gay bars and LGBT events. Lesbians reported more alcohol-related problems and tend to show less age-related decline in their alcohol consumption than their straight counterparts, preliminary findings also indicate

“We, as a community, in general, tend to drink more and abuse drugs more,” said Simone Koehlinger, director of the Chicago Public Health Department's Office of LGBT Health. Koehlinger said that alcohol is “one of the biggest problems” in terms of substance use in the LGBT community.

According to Lisa Rivitz and Kurt Mohning of Howard Brown Health Center's Recovering with Pride program, they see an increasing number of individuals—many of which are older males—coming in for alcohol abuse, though the increases could be a result of new marketing techniques. Many of the clients they see use a number of substances in addition to alcohol.

Read the rest.

Join LifeLube and friends at the "Let's Take a Glass Together" forum next Wednesday.

"We are all Hussein"

Listen to LifeLuber Jim Pickett chat it up with the Feast of Fools in their latest podcast - #800 for the boys! - pimping out the next FREE LifeLube forum on alcohol - "Let's Take a Glass Together" - "magical negroes", HIV/AIDS in the south, unsafe sex Taiwanese style, prevy cops in Flint, satire and the not so loving embrace of big pharma. And lot's of other stuff. Like Pickett's new middle name... The comments have already begun - and so far so zesty! Hop over there now.

What role should alcohol have in our lives?

Limited capacity - RSVP for this free event now.

Sidetrack
Chicago
Wednesday, July 23

Be part of a fabulous Feast of Fools podcast!

click to enlarge

How can we all have a healthier relationship with alcohol?

Limited capacity - RSVP for this free event now.

Sidetrack
Chicago
Wednesday, July 23

Be part of a fabulous Feast of Fools podcast!

click to enlarge

Poppers, Tina and Viagra - Oh My!

Please join us for a very special presentation by Task Force member Dr. David Ostrow, who will present - Poppers, Tina and Viagra - Oh My!

David's talk will cover poppers and their interactions with stimulants (such as crystal meth) and erectile dysfunction drugs (such as Viagra, Cialis, Levitra.)

At the next Chicago LGBT Task Force on Substance Use and Abuse meeting

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Chicago Department of Public Health
333 S. State Street, 2nd Floor
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Read more about poppers.

Read more on sex and drugs.

"Let's Take A Glass Together"

When was the last time we all talked about the role of booze in our community?
[when was the first time?]

Just what does "drink responsibly" mean?

What role should alcohol play in our lives?

Join LifeLube and the Feast of Fools for our next live podcast forum - this one tackling the subject of alcohol and the LGBT community. We are holding at a bar - Sidetrack - because it aint gonna be the same ole same ole.

Wednesday, July 23 - see you there.

The event is FREE and you must RSVP.

Click flyer to enlarge and read the rest of the details.

Click for the PDF of the flyer.

Blog about it. Let's get the discussion started now.

Rock Bottom - June 19 Screening at The Center

Thursday - June 19

Center on Halsted

RSVP to Jason McVicker

click to enlarge

Special Screening of Rock Bottom

Thursday - June 19

Center on Halsted

RSVP to Jason McVicker

click to enlarge

Presentation - More than Crystal Prevention, Promoting Healthy Community for Gay Men

Yesterday (June 4, 2008) in Des Moines, Iowa, LifeLube's Jim Pickett gave the following presentation at the "Unity and Diversity: Challenges for Change" conference. As promised to our many new Iowan pals - here are those slides.

A number of the pretty pictures had to be removed due to size constraints on Google - but the info is all there.

Non-Iowans - feel free to enjoy as well!