The LGBTQ+ community experiences elevated rates of substance use and addiction compared to the community at large. Further, many people within the community experience more barriers to finding effective substance use treatment, which means that many go for years without getting the help they need to break free from addiction.
However, no matter the obstacles you face, there are evidence-based methods to help you overcome your addiction. This is where treatment centers that provide supportive and safe environments designed to foster recovery in the LGBTQ+ community come in.
Rates of Substance Use in the LGBTQ+ Community
Substance use disorders can be debilitating, life-changing conditions that impact your ability to live life as you see fit. While addiction affects people of every age, race, gender, and sexual orientation, research has continually found that members of the LGBTQ+ community face disproportionately higher rates of substance use disorders than their cis-gendered or heterosexual peers.
In a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, prevalence rates of substance use disorders between 2021 and 2022 showed that among men:
- 32.2% of gay men had a substance use disorder
- 32.4% of bisexual men had a substance use disorder
- 20.7% of straight men had a substance use disorder
Rates were similarly elevated for sexual minority women. Within this group, the report showed that:
- 26.5% of lesbian women had a substance use disorder
- 32.2% of bisexual women had a substance use disorder
- 13.8% of straight women had a substance use disorder
A separate study investigating the rates of substance use disorders in transgender individuals found triple the rate of nicotine addiction, double the rate of alcohol addiction, and over triple the rate of illicit drug addiction compared to cisgender populations.
While these studies did not investigate the direct cause of these discrepancies, it’s clear that members of the LGBTQ+ community can be at a higher risk of developing substance use problems.
Factors Driving Substance Use
Substance use and substance use disorders in the LGBTQ+ community appear to be amplified not only due to the unique stressors that people in the community encounter, but also because of distinct cultural norms that may promote substance use.
Stigma, Discrimination, and Abuse
Sexuality- or gender-related stigma, discrimination, and abuse can all cause members of the LGBTQ+ community undue stress. Studies have reported that over half of the LGBTQ+ community experienced some form of discrimination in the past year and that members of the community are up to four times more likely to be victims of crime.
As a result, many people turn to substance use in an attempt to cope with their mental health stressors. Drinking or using drugs to cope is a common pathway to addiction in any community. While it may provide some short-term relief, using substances to cope can quickly lead to the development of a substance use disorder, ultimately resulting in even greater stress and more personal challenges.
Gender and Identity Formation Stressors
Identity formation is a difficult part of life for anyone during adolescence or young adulthood, but studies have shown that it can be substantially more challenging for members of the LGBTQ+ community. People can feel intense self-stigma, conceal portions of their identity from others, or experience rejection when they express an LGBTQ+ identity to others.
All of this contributes to your overall psychological stress, which is directly associated with an increased risk of developing a substance use disorder.
LGBTQ+ Cultural Norms
The LGBTQ+ community has a thriving sense of culture and community identity. While this can be an incredibly powerful tool for finding social support, friendship, belonging, and interconnectedness, the culture can also promote substance use and risky drinking behavior that may contribute to the development of a substance use disorder.
For example, many members of the community primarily socialize at LGBTQ+ bars or nightclubs. These tend to be environments saturated with drug and alcohol use and may contribute to the feeling that you need to use substances to fit in.
Recovery in the LGBTQ+ Community
Despite the challenges that many people struggle with when starting their path to recovery, there are effective options for treatment that can reduce these barriers to getting help. Recovery in the LGBTQ+ community is possible, and there are a few simple tools that help make the process more approachable and available for everyone.
Gender-Affirming Care
One of the most important elements of creating effective paths to recovery in the LGBTQ+ community is providing gender-affirming care for transgender or nonbinary individuals. The stress and discomfort of being misgendered, stigmatized, or harassed for your gender identity can lead to people avoiding treatment altogether.
Gender-affirming care can help relieve this stress and pair you with clinicians and peers who understand the challenges that transgender or nonbinary individuals face.
LGBTQ+ Support Groups
In addiction treatment, group therapy and peer-to-peer support groups can be incredibly powerful tools for helping people along the path to recovery. These groups are designed to bring people with a common set of challenges together to share their stories, help each other overcome substance use cravings and symptoms, and provide ongoing support for your recovery.
But the very best of these groups are made up of individuals who share a common set of experiences. In a group with an LGBTQ+ focus, not only are your peers on the same path to substance use recovery as you are, but they also understand the challenges that so many people in the LGBTQ+ community face.
Dual-Diagnosis Treatment
Just as with substance use disorders, the prevalence of mental health challenges is higher among people in the LGBTQ+ community as well. The same factors that contribute to heightened rates of substance use can lead to experiencing more mental health symptoms as well.
Dual-diagnosis treatment is designed to treat both substance use and mental health conditions simultaneously. It can help treat co-occurring mental health disorders such as:
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
By integrating mental health treatment throughout your stay in an addiction treatment center, you can achieve more than just abstinence. You can find truly holistic well-being and recovery.
Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment Approaches
Of course, one of the most critical components for achieving recovery in the LGBTQ+ community is providing targeted, evidence-based addiction treatment options that can help people on the path to recovery. There are several different methods for helping people overcome substance use disorders.
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy provides the most in-depth and personalized approach to helping people learn new ways of living a life free from substance use. There are a number of different techniques that your therapist may use, all of which have substantial evidence supporting their effectiveness in helping people achieve recovery.
This includes therapeutic modalities such as:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Motivational interviewing
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
- Dialectical behavior therapy
These styles of talk therapy focus on helping people understand the root cause of their substance use disorder, how their behavior, thoughts, and emotions can all influence substance use, and what they can do to reduce their risk of returning to substance use.
Group Therapy
Group therapy is guided by a professionally trained therapist but primarily focuses on creating an environment where people with substance use disorders can help one another.
Sometimes, the person best able to help you achieve recovery is someone who has been through a similar experience and reached the next day without returning to substance use.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Many substance use disorders can lead to long-term withdrawal symptoms that affect you both physically and mentally. Thankfully, there are targeted medication options that can alleviate many of these symptoms and help people break through the difficult first stages of sobriety.
Medication-assisted treatment, especially when paired with talk therapy approaches, can substantially increase the likelihood that you get sober, stay sober, and live a happier and healthier life in recovery. It is highly effective at helping people overcome opioid use disorders, alcohol use disorders, and even stimulant use disorders.
While not every substance use disorder has specific medication options available, our team can work with you to find treatment options that help you feel better and stay the course in your recovery.
How Treatment With an LGBTQ+ Focus Offers Better Results
By starting treatment at a facility that offers treatment paths with an LGBTQ+ focus, you’re beginning your journey to recovery in a safer, more welcoming space that provides better results for people in the LGBTQ+ community. Addiction recovery in the LGBTQ+ community is enhanced by several factors, which include the following.
Cultural Competence
Cultural competency is a hallmark of any effective mental health treatment program. By training our staff in cultural competency — and ensuring that we have a robust team of LGBTQ+ individuals on staff as well — you can receive treatment in a more affirming and empathetic environment.
This includes understanding the intersectionality between factors like:
- Mental health
- Ethnicity
- Substance use
- Gender
- Sexual identity
- Income
Cultural competence is of paramount importance in helping people find treatments that work for them and fit with their situation.
Treatment Engagement
No one wants to feel singled out during treatment. By building a community of LGBTQ+ clients and providers alike, the right program can help people feel more engaged in the treatment process and more accepted by their peers, which can foster a sense of belongingness and security.
Treatment engagement is directly correlated with positive outcomes. The more willing you are to engage in substance use treatment, try out new techniques, and actively participate in therapy, the more likely you are to get and stay sober.
Specific Treatment Options
Through specific treatment options designed to help people overcome the effects of trauma, internalized stigma, or external stressors placed upon them because of their gender or sexual identity, you can achieve substantial relief from common challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Start Treatment at APN Lodge Today
Starting treatment to overcome a substance use disorder can be a difficult decision. At APN Lodge, we understand that people face a wide variety of roadblocks to recovery and that each client has a unique set of needs and preferences that should be accounted for along the path to sobriety.
Our team provides a truly individualized treatment experience for each one of our clients and affirming and compassionate care to everyone. To learn more about our addiction treatment options for members of the LGBTQ+ community, or any of our comprehensive addiction and mental health treatment options, connect with us today. Call us at 855.934.1178 or submit our confidential contact form to speak with a skilled member of our team.
References
- “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Behavioral Health.” SAMHSA, www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt41899/2022NSDUHLGBBrief061623.pdf. Accessed 21 July 2024.
- Hughto JMW, Quinn EK, Dunbar MS, Rose AJ, Shireman TI, Jasuja GK. Prevalence and Co-occurrence of Alcohol, Nicotine, and Other Substance Use Disorder Diagnoses Among US Transgender and Cisgender Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(2):e2036512. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.36512
- “Stress, Coping, and Context: Examining Substance Use Among LGBTQ Young Adults With Probable Substance Use Disorders.” DSM Library, dsm.psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596. Accessed 21 July 2024.
