GLBT Addiction Treatment
 

Research has demonstrated that a higher incidence of drug abuse, alcohol abuse and depression exists in the GLBT community than the heterosexual community. In most cases the drug abuse and alcohol abuse was a means to cope with issues as; internalized homophobia, prejudice, alienation, coming out, high risk behavior or depression. Unfortunately, the drug abuse and alcohol abuse gave birth to drug addiction and alcoholism creating additional challenges to resolve. The question to address now was “which addiction treatment program or drug rehab will provide the best opportunity for long term recovery?”

When choosing a drug rehab or drug addiction treatment program there are many factors to consider. When looking for addiction treatment program or drug rehab where sexual preference (gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender) could be an issue, additional addiction treatment factors might need to be considered.

Which is the Best Type of Drug Rehab Program for the GLBT Community?
 

Let us first say, there is no one drug rehab that is perfect for everyone. That being said, we would suggest there are certain aspects of addiction treatment to consider before choosing a drug rehab for the GLBT community. We would be remiss and naïve to ignore the challenges a gay person faces or has faced. When looking for a drug rehab, we want to minimize issues such as discrimination, prejudice and homophobia as much as possible. In an effort to do this, we would first encourage you to ask the question as to whether the drug rehab is a gay friendly drug rehab or gay friendly addiction treatment program. Now, what do we mean by “gay friendly”.

In the world of drug rehabs, when we refer to a gay friendly drug rehab we mean; the addiction treatment or drug rehab staff is properly trained to deal with issues such as coming out, the gay lifestyle, HIV, internalized homophobia, the drug rehab staff  has dealt with their own issues surrounding homophobia, a drug rehab that creates a comfortable setting for the GLBT client, remembering people are people.

Another important aspect of effective addiction treatment to consider is the issue of drug detox or alcohol detox. Does the drug rehab or addiction treatment program have a medically based drug detox program within the confines of its addiction treatment facility? The importance of a medically based drug detox program is found in its ability to provide 24 hour nursing care, 24 hour addiction treatment staff and a physician trained in addiction medicine (ASAM certified).  As for the drug detox program or alcohol detox program, being located within the drug rehab, this will allow for a seamless transition into the actual drug rehab program. This is significant in that the vast majority of people that complete drug detox, but DO NOT, go on to inpatient drug rehab end up in relapse. Don’t confuse a drug detox program with a drug rehab rehab program. Drug detox provides medical stabilization, while a drug rehab maintains the gains made in drug detox and works towards emotional stabilization and continued recovery.