National drug and alcohol policy has increasingly recognised the LGBTQI+ community as an at-risk group, requiring targeted prevention and early intervention responses to address their specific needs. This report, which was funded by the Department of Health in support of the National Drug Strategy, draws on data from Being LGBTQI+ in Ireland, a national study of the well-being and mental health of LGBTQI+ people in Ireland, to address the following research questions:
Q1: What proportion of sexual and gender minority young people (14-30 years) use drugs?
Q2: What types of drugs are most prevalent amongst sexual and gender minority young people (14-30 years)?
Q3: What are the reasons sexual and gender minority young people (14-30 years) give for using drugs, including location of use?
Q4: What proportion of sexual and gender minority young people (14-30 years) use alcohol?
Q5: What is the association between socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and area living) and drug and alcohol use amongst sexual and gender minority young people (14-30 years)?
Q6: What is the association between life experiences (e.g., experiencing/ witnessing bullying in school, experiencing/ witnessing online hate speech, parental support) and drug and alcohol use amongst sexual and gender minority young people (14-30 years)?
Q7: What is the association between drug and alcohol use and other mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, stress, suicidal distress (suicidal thoughts, suicidal behaviour), non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH), happiness, self-esteem and resilience?

Data collection - An online survey collected demographic information; life experiences; well-being and mental health status; and drug and alcohol use. Data were collected via a series of closed-ended questions, including the use of validated tools, namely the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10).