'Partying was a great antidote for feeling different and alone - but with that came the negatives'

Walking down Manchester’s Gay Village on any given evening, visitors will be tempted into its many bars, pubs and clubs with signs promoting a large number of drink offers and deals. But Canal Street's thriving social drinking scene has a dark side.

Statistics released today have found that almost three quarters (70 percent) of LGBTQ+ adults in the UK have engaged in binge drinking at some point - compared to 62 percent of non-LGBTQ+ drinkers. The figures from Drinkaware, the UK’s leading alcohol charity, have also found that LGBTQ+ drinkers are more likely to drink in nightlife settings compared to other drinkers.

The charity, which has published its findings today as part of a new report looking into alcohol use and harm in LGBTQ+ communities, said this can lead to members of the community being exposed to risk of harm caused by others’ drinking - with more than half (54 percent) of LGBTQ+ adults reporting encountering at least one negative impact from someone else’s drinking in the past year, in comparison to 40 per cent of other adults.

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Karl Considine, who runs alcohol-free bar Love From in the city centre just opposite from Canal Street, says he is not surprised by the statistics, which have been collated after polling more than 3,000 LGBTQ+ adults in the UK. In fact, they paint a picture of something he has had past experience of.

“When I moved to Manchester from a small-ish rural town, places like Canal Street were an easy place for me to find that community and acceptance,” he explains to the M.E.N. “What comes hand in hand with that is a culture of heavy drinking. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have that safe space for our community but,