Having an LGBTQ friend that is addicted to drugs can feel overwhelming. You may sincerely desire to assist them to overcome addiction but not know how to help or what exactly to do. If you bring the wrong attitude or say something wrong, they can easily feel hurt. That’s because most LGBTQ people are super volatile.
However, the concern and fear of not providing support are real. Ultimately, if your friend needs help to overcome addiction, you should provide it because substance use disorder will destroy their life completely if they don’t get assistance.
Therefore, knowing the right action to take and the words to use is very important. Today, a specialized gay rehab can offer the help that these people need to overcome addiction. If you have a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning friend that is addicted to drugs, help them seek treatment in these centers. These facilities offer customized services that meet the special needs of the LGBTQ people with the drug addiction problem.
Why LGBTQ People Are Vulnerable to Addiction
Individuals that identify themselves as LGBTQ are likely to face verbal harassment, social stigma, and social rejection than individuals that identify themselves as heterosexual. Family members, friends, and loved ones can be the source of rejection or judgment in the lives of the LGBTQ people. This can easily cause mental health issues, stress, anxiety, and even substance abuse.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that members of the LGBTQ community struggle with drug addiction and alcoholism more than the general population. According to these centers, LGBTQ adults are twice likely to abuse drugs and alcohol when compared to heterosexual individuals.
Here are statistics that reveal the truth about the drug addiction issue among the members of the LGBTQ community:
- 20-30% of LGBTQ individuals abuse substances.
- 25% of LGBT individuals abuse alcohol.
- Transgender and gay individuals smoke tobacco up to 200% more than non-transgender and heterosexual people.
- LGBTQ teens are 6 times more likely to have depression symptoms than the general population.
The society is slowly trying to improve equality for all people including the LGBTQ community. However, members of the LGBTQ community still face discrimination, social stigma, and prejudice at school, workplace, and in their interpersonal relationships.
Ways to Help Your LGBTQ Friend Overcome Drug Addiction
Most members of the LGBTQ community have difficulty seeking help with drug addiction due to the fear of discrimination and judgment even from people that can assist them. However, there are LGBT-friendly rehab centers where these people can seek help without this fear. Therefore, if your LGBTQ friend is ready to seek help with drug addiction, guide them in finding one of these facilities. If they are not, try the following.
Develop a Positive Relationship
It’s important to create an environment that enables your LGBTQ friend to open up about their addiction problem. This will make them feel comfortable to share their problems with you. Therefore, establish a positive relationship and make your friend comfortable to share on any topic with you.
Talk about things like:
- Gender identity and sexual orientation.
- Alcohol and drug use.
- School or work experiences.
- Stressors that you both may be facing in life.
Such conversations will make your LGBTQ friend feel supported. They will trust you and feel that you are ready to listen and assist them in overcoming challenges that could have led to their addiction. Regular check-ins can make monitoring the behavior of your friend easy.
Help Your LGBTQ Friend Deal with Stressors
Be active in helping your friend deal with the stressors they are experiencing in life. Lack of LGBTQ-inclusive resources, negative school or work experiences, and harassment can lead to drug abuse. Understand that the LGBTQ community members experience extensive discrimination in both the public domain and personal relationships. Research has shown that LGBTQ persons that have experienced different types of discrimination are 4 times likely to develop a substance abuse disorder.
This can be attributed to factors like:
- Exclusion from social activities and groups.
- Physical abuse by partners or family members.
- Rejection by spiritual community or family.
- Los of job, child customer, and other forms of public discrimination.
- Violence based on gender identification or sexual orientation.
- Peer rejection and ridicule.
- Sexuality discrimination in combination with other types of discrimination like race, gender, and religion.
If such stressors are the cause of substance abuse and addiction for your LGBTQ friend, help in addressing them. For instance, you can work with their school to help in the creation and implementation of anti-bullying policies and supportive resources for the LGBTQ people. You can also suggest organizations that your friend can join to interact with LGBTQ people.
Stage an Intervene
Whether your LGBT friend agrees that they have a drug addiction problem or not, it’s your responsibility to help them. If they agree that drug addiction is a problem they need assistance for, connect them with a reliable LGBT rehab. This will offer treatment in an LGBTQ-friendly environment and eventually connect them with a broader support network.
But if your friend does not agree that they have an addiction problem, let them know that you won’t stop trying to help them. You can talk to their family members or friends that you trust and confront the addicted friend together. Plan how to do it carefully so that the addicted friend doesn’t feel like you are attacking them. Remember that a wrong approach can make the person abuse drugs even more and ruin your friendship. If they eventually agree to seek assistance, look for an LGBT drug rehab that suits their addiction treatment needs.
Just like addiction treatment for heterosexual people, most LGBTQ addiction treatment programs start with detoxification. This helps with the elimination of problematic substances from the body of the patient. Therapies, counseling, and other forms of treatment follow to help the patient recover from addiction and lead a drug-free life.
The Bottom Line
Many factors lead members of the LGBTQ community to drug abuse and subsequent addiction. If you have an LGBTQ friend that is addicted to drugs, there are ways you can help them overcome the problem. Start by developing a positive relationship with them to ensure that they can open up and comfortably talk about the causes of their addiction. Advise them to seek assistance and if they don’t agree, stage an intervention. Once they agree to get help, find a rehab that provides LGBT addiction treatment that suits their recovery needs.