Assistance is always available.
This is why, especially on International Drug Overdose Awareness Day, LGBTQ+ In communities, members disproportionately experience substance use.
While there are many reasons for this disparity, one of the main causes is likely “the negative messages LGBTQ people receive on a daily basis,” said LGBTQ Community Director Kaylee Hovey. Pride Research Institute.
“LGBTQ people are exposed to negative messages from the media, friends and family, and they internalize those messages and begin to believe them themselves,” Hobby said. lawyer“They start to believe that there’s something wrong with them, or that they’re a bad person, about the people they love or their identity.”
This trend, known as “minority stress theory,” holds that people from marginalized groups feel extra stress from discrimination and prejudice, which can have negative effects on their health. To cope with that stress, many turn to drugs.
“As they go through life, they seek out positive emotions to numb or counteract the negative emotions that these messages cause them,” Hoaby explains. “LGBTQ people often turn to drugs, like opioids, to give them a euphoric feeling that they don’t get in their everyday lives.”
Hoaby also points out that “LGBTQ people often don’t have strong support systems in their personal lives, which can lead to them being alienated by family and friends after coming out,” leaving queer people “looking to connect” with typically only one option: to find love.
“So much of the LGBTQ scene revolves around drugs and alcohol,” Hoaby says. [queer people] They go looking for places where there are people like them and they find LGBTQ bars. They then meet people at these bars who offer them drugs or they take drugs so they feel more comfortable talking to people who might be interested.”
“It’s really essential and important for the community to have a non-alcoholic space where people can go and meet with lifelong members of the community,” she continues.
One way to remove yourself from an alcohol or drug environment is to “get on the internet and look for sobriety-themed events,” but Hoaby said even something as simple as “having a small community that you can go to a coffee shop and hang out with” can provide a “positive support system.”
There are also resources available to offer support to members of the LGBTQ+ community as they deal with substance abuse. Pride Research Institutewas founded in 1986 and is the first drug rehabilitation center in the United States to serve the LGBTQ+ community. It currently offers gender-neutral services for adults 18 and older, including residential programs, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient programs.
In Minnesota, where the Pride Institute is based, the state government Behavioral Health Foundation; This would allow people who earn below a certain annual income to receive help paying for treatment for substance use disorders.
“One of the big ways that the government system impacts people’s lives is by recognizing that oftentimes these people don’t have enough resources,” Hoaby says. “They can’t afford care themselves, so any way that the government can step in and help is huge.”
Governments also have a responsibility to consider how they talk about drug use, because “it’s essential that we reduce the shame and stigma around addiction.” Hoaby says this can be done by “starting conversations and educating people to understand unfamiliar concepts,” or by changing how and to whom that information is presented.
“This really can happen to anyone,” she said. “It’s not just people living on the streets, but doctors, lawyers and people who are considered prominent in society can be affected by addiction.”
Even if you haven’t yet taken your first steps on the road to recovery, there are resources available to help you stay healthy. Hovey stresses that “always get tested for drugs” if you plan to use, because “the drug landscape is constantly changing.” Some places are “promoting harm reduction” through testing and programs like “syringe exchanges where you can get clean needles.”
“If people want to use it more safely, there are a lot of great programs out there to help them do that,” Hoaby said. “If that’s what you want to do, there are ways to reduce the harm that can happen to someone.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, SAMHSA National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7 service for people struggling with mental health and substance use disorders that can help you find treatment near you. The Pride Institute can also help. Further resources can be found here.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
