Finding the Light in the Darkness
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” – Desmond Tutu
Note: This article was originally written for and published in the March/April issue of Our Lives magazine, a look at the impact of the isolation of the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and a Wisconsin winter on our LGBTQ+ community. I drafted it in February. A link to the March/April issue of Our Lives follows the article.
As I write, it’s -5 degrees. A winter storm, spanning from Texas to Maine, brought rain that turned to sleet, then ice, tornados in Alabama, in Tennessee homes lost power, while blowing snow wreaked havoc in the Northeast. Here in the Midwest, we endured Arctic temperatures. Winter came late this year, and we ask, how long it will linger like a bad mood? Many of us are suffering from prolonged cabin or spring fever, and pandemic fatigue, however, soon spring will arrive, bringing with it hope and light.
Isolation: The Impact on Community & Health
It’s also year two of the pandemic, as we cross the threshold of the third year — between the isolation due to the surge in the Omicron variant plus winter in Wisconsin — many of us are struggling with SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder), and unfortunately, some of us with more serious mental health issues and increased use of alcohol and substances. Isolation for marginalized LGBTQ+ communities can compound the challenges we already face in our everyday lives. When we are separated from our allies and affinity groups, we are often vulnerable and at risk.
Our LGBTQ+ community is not alone in the struggle in how to cope with isolation. People often turn to alcohol, substances, or unhealthy behaviors in an attempt to cope, unfortunately this can lead to deadly consequences. A report by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum found “…alcohol-related deaths in Wisconsin rose almost 25% in 2020.”
When we look at statistics specific to our LGBTQ+ community, collected by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) from the most recent report in 2019 before the pandemic, we see the baseline of mental health, substance, and alcohol use in our LGBTQ+ community, understanding however, that there was a dramatic increase during the pandemic. See charts.
Though many of us in our LGBTQ+ community stayed connected virtually, some of us suffered from pandemic fatigue, skin hunger, and the lack of in-person social activities, events, and support. The OutReach LGBTQ Community Center conducted a survey in 2021 of its community members to measure the impact of COVID-19 and isolation and to gauge their readiness to return to in-person groups and events and asked what kind of activities and support was needed.
The sample size of our survey was small, and respondents didn’t answer every question, however we learned that 74.5% answered yes to the question, “Did you isolate in response to the pandemic?” 60% believed that their mental health or well-being suffered during the pandemic. 74.5% answered that they would attend social groups like potlucks, film, or game nights. Lastly, 43.6% indicated that they’d attend programs or support groups that addressed mental health.
When asked if their alcohol or substance use increased during the pandemic, 62.5% answered yes. Asked if they would attend programs or support groups for alcohol or substance use, 50% said yes.
Clearly, the pandemic and the resulting isolation affected the well-being and health of our community. Compounded by the seasonal isolation common in Midwestern winters, we suffered, sometimes turning to unhealthy ways of coping.
Hope & Recovery for Our Community
Dry January is behind us when some people abstain from alcohol for the month. There are hopeful signs too, as the pandemic hopefully transitions to an endemic, when we’ll be able to return to restaurants and bars and socialize with our community. There are more non-alcoholic options in addition to the growing number of coffeehouses. Sober bars and ‘mocktails’ are a growing trend. LGBTQ+ people have always relied on queer-friendly bars and gathering places to congregate in safe and affirming environments.
In Madison, new businesses have opened, offering alternatives to alcoholic drinks. One example is the Blind Shot Social Club located on Fair Oaks Ave. near the Garver Feed Mill and across the street from Community Pharmacy where you can run a health-related errand while you’re in the neighborhood. Blind Shot co-owners Brent and Michelle Duvall, “There’s so many reasons why people don’t drink, Brent has never drank, and as for myself, I got sober and stopped drinking back in 2014,” Duvall said. “We’ve seen people who are health-focused, designated drivers, pregnant women and even sobriety groups who come in and want to still drink something that’s fun and unique — not just run of the mill.”
If you’re seeking some serenity in nature, Olbrich Gardens is nearby, and the Garver Feed Mill offers many healthy food choices. Down the street on Atwood Ave., is the new home of A Room of One’s Own Bookstore where you can find books on health, recovery, LGBTQ+ themed fiction and nonfiction.
From a 2021 article in Madison Magazine, Erica Krug wrote, “New studies show that alcohol consumption has sharply increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and that heavy drinking, especially among women, has soared. Prevalent in Wisconsin, alcohol use is popular for unwinding at the end of the day and socializing with friends. But it doesn’t have to be that way,” says Nicole Peaslee, one of the founders of New Fashioned Sobriety, a group based in Madison for sober and ‘sober-curious’ women. “I thought drinking was fun, but it turns out sobriety is a thousand times better.”
Many of Madison’s LGBTQ+-owned restaurants and bars have bartenders who will mix you a mocktail or offer alternatives to alcohol. During the pandemic, we missed fundraisers like Camp Bingo and drag shows and burlesque. In response, Club 5 implemented mask mandates and proof of vaccination to ensure the health of their customers. The Dive Inn, a new bar on Cottage Grove Rd. in Madison, launched their own Drag Queen Bingo.
For some, bars are ‘slippery’, not safe places when in early recovery or still drinking. Gratefully, there were recovery and social support groups that met virtually via Zoom during the pandemic and this past winter. Some began hybrid meetings where you had the option to attend in-person or virtually. Many of the groups took a hiatus from in-person and/or hybrid meetings when the Omicron variant surged. If we take a glass half-full look to the future, soon we’ll be able to gather together as a community in-person again in recovery, to recreate, and to celebrate. Many organizations like OutReach are hoping to launch in-person events this summer and fall like the Madison Magic Pride Festival, and its Annual Award Ceremony.
In the meantime, if you’re struggling with mental health and substance-use challenges and behaviors, there’s both help and hope. One of the unintended consequences of the pandemic has been the increased access to mental health and recovery services virtually, for those who are in rural areas or have transportation impediments.
Spring is a time of hope, renewal, and rebirth. Living in Wisconsin, our lives ebb and flow with the changing seasons, sometimes winter is unrelenting and it’s a struggle to get out the door for our-day-to-day lives. We are restored in the spring when the changing weather brings us hope and quells the itchy restlessness of spring fever.
Behavioral Health Resources
OutReach LGBTQ Community Center
A.A. Meetings in Madison (MAICO)
Our Lives Magazine
Linda Lenzke Bio
Linda Lenzke, OutReach LGBTQ+ AODA Advocate
Linda Lenzke (she, her, hers) is the LGBTQ+ AODA (Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse) Advocate for the OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center. Linda is in recovery for over 35 years from alcohol, substances, and behaviors that no longer serve her. She shares her lived experience with the community members that she supports and facilitates LGBTQ+ 12-Step A.A. and Al-Anon meetings. Linda recently completed Wisconsin Certified Peer-Specialist Training. She has contributed to Our Lives in the past and writes for her own blog, https://www.mixedmetaphorsohmy.com/ where she shares stories about her lived experience as a person in recovery, a lesbian, and community-activist.