IT’S HARD, IN A GOOD WAY –
Dec. 29, 2023 – Chris Uhl poses outside of Metro Gallery on Dec. 28, 2023. He quit drinking a year and said, “Cutting alcohol out of my life was one of the best decisions I ever made.” Uhl is among what many say is a growing number of LGBTQ people who have decided to stop drinking. In addition to the physical challenges and mental strains that come with giving up alcohol, LGBTQ people, who already struggle with isolation and social ridicule, must also adjust to eliminating a behavior that is very much intertwined with socialization in their community. There seem to be some folks who can separate the alcohol from the socialization, and others who cannot. But everyone is on their own journey with their relationship to alcohol, and I respect that,” said Joseph W. Ritsch, 54, who identifies as non binary. Ritsch stopped drinking on Jan. 1, 2023.
