LGBTQIA+ and Recovery
It is always important to remember that recovery and the people who seek recovery are not a monolith. The world of addiction recovery is as diverse as the world itself. However, there are many populations who have historically been overlooked when it comes to treatment and recovery. This includes the LGBTQIA+ community and recovery. The good news is that everyone can recover and has the right to recover. The key is finding the right recovery center that utilizes the right means, methods, and modalities.
Addiction and Recovery
Many people don’t realize just how prevalent addiction is in the U.S. and around the world. It affects millions of people daily and kills millions of people yearly. Addiction also keeps millions more in a constant state of despair and depression. This is because addiction is a disease that continues to get worse unless some type of professional intervention takes place.
In this reality, that makes addiction similar to other chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Some people are confused and feel that addiction is some type of choice or moral failure. This is simply untrue. It is similar to the way people have long stigmatized individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community.
The good news is that, as a disease, addiction has a solution. That solution is recovery one day at a time. An individual may have an addiction, but with the right kind of treatment and care, they never again have to be affected by it. However, they must first understand that they have an addiction, and this can only happen if they know the signs and the symptoms to look out for.
The Signs and Symptoms of Addiction
Addiction (and co-occurring disorders) has many distinct signs and symptoms. Now, of course, the signs and symptoms are going to vary based on the individual, but there are some universal signs. The following are just a few of the signs and symptoms of addiction:
- Wanting to drink and use even when there will be consequences
- Drinking and/or using in the morning
- Having a drink or using before an important event
- Not being able to stop drinking or using once started
- Having trouble with sleep cycles, including sleeping too much and not sleeping enough (hypersomnia and insomnia)
- Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
- Isolating away from family and close friends
- Experiencing trouble at work or school
- Loss of appetite and a lack of care regarding physical appearance and wellbeing
- Exhibiting excessive mood swings
- Causing harm to oneself or others
- Having suicidal ideations
As one can see, these signs and symptoms are significant and can even be deadly. This is why reaching out for professional help as soon as possible is vital. Doing so could mean the difference between experiencing short-term side effects and long-term consequences. This is true with all populations and recovery, including the LGBTQIA+ community.
Getting to the Root/Core Causes of Addiction and Mental Illness
It is important to understand that addiction is about much more than simply picking up the drink or the drug. Addiction is about the underlying issues that cause one to pick up the drink or the drug in the first place. This is why many people in recovery often say, “It is about the thinking more than it is about the drinking.”
It is also important to understand that addiction rarely just happens. There are certain aspects that pre-exist that can lead to addiction (as will be discussed regarding marginalized populations). One of these pre-existing aspects is genetics.
Genetics is a major factor when it comes to addiction. According to the peer-reviewed Pathways of Addiction: Opportunities in Drug Abuse Research, “Family studies are important for identifying genetic vulnerability for drug abuse; for example, studies that have investigated generational differences in the transmission of drug abuse revealed that drug use or abuse is elevated among siblings of drug abusers and that there is a direct relationship between parental drug use or abuse and offspring use or abuse. A number of studies have focused on the familial aggregation of alcoholism and illicit drug abuse. Sons and daughters of alcoholics demonstrate a three-to-four fold risk of developing alcoholism.” This is also why individualized addiction care is so important.
Individualized Addiction Care and Recovery
The recovery and treatment industry is now worth multi-billions of dollars. This is great for many reasons, one of which is that there are more opportunities for individuals to get sober. However, with an expanding industry comes predators. These are bad-acting recovery centers that are looking to line their pockets rather than take care of their clients. These are also the types of recovery centers that forgo individualized care in place of “one-note” overarching treatment plans.
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we know that these types of plans rarely work. They don’t take into account the individual and rather just focus on their addiction designation. This overlooks one’s family background, educational and occupational dynamics, and, yes, their LGBTQIA+ status (if that applies). Overlooking this type of individualized care also stops a person from getting the appropriate comprehensive addiction care that they often require.
Comprehensive Addiction Care and Recovery
The best type of addiction care is offered via a multi-angled approach. This means that many modalities are utilized. It may help to look at recovery as a house. That house needs a strong foundation. Now, a strong foundation is rarely formed with one brick. It takes many bricks to create. In recovery, these bricks are the modalities that one uses.
Comprehensive addiction care should consist of modalities from all sections of the recovery realm. This includes psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). ACT can be particularly helpful for those looking to recover from addiction and/or mental illness.
A major part of ACT is accepting that there is a problem. This is also one of the first stages of addiction recovery. According to the peer-reviewed Frontiers in Psychology, “In ACT, acceptance is not just tolerance but a positive, rather than a judgmental acceptance, of the experience in the moment. The aim is to make room for painful feelings, impulses, and emotions and not to try and resist, control, or escape them. The individual should aim to observe them objectively.” This type of therapy can be particularly helpful for marginalized populations who have long been unjustly judged and have thus unjustly judged themselves.
Marginalized Populations and Recovery
So what exactly does “marginalized” mean? According to the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, “There are many marginalized populations. These certainly include the impoverished and the poorly educated, the elderly, and ethnic/cultural minority groups (whichever groups are not in the ‘majority’ in any location). Also marginalized, most unfortunately, are those who are physically disabled, either by birth defects, by accidents, or, more recently, and also extremely evident and disturbing, by military conflict.”
Unfortunately, the reality is that many of these populations do not receive the same type of attention when it comes to addiction and addiction recovery. They are marginalized, stigmatized, and often overlooked. The same is true with the LGBTQIA+ population and recovery.
LGBTQIA+ and Recovery
The fact of the matter is that people struggling with addiction in the LGBTQIA+ population are more vulnerable. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “Research has found that sexual and gender minorities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people (LGBTQI+), have higher rates of substance misuse and substance use disorders than people who identify as heterosexual. People from these groups are also more likely to enter treatment with more severe disorders.” Also, “People in LGBTQI+ communities can face stressful situations and environments like stigma and discrimination, harassment, and traumatic experiences.”
It is also true that addiction issues may start younger in the LGBTQIA+ population. According to the peer-reviewed journal Addiction (Abingdon, England), “Several decades of research have shown that there are high rates of substance use and substance use disorders in lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults, and recent evidence suggests that these higher rates may have their origins in adolescence. For example, some large, well-designed studies with representative samples show high rates of substance use in LGB youth compared to heterosexual youth.”
The good news is that many LGBTQIA+-centered recovery centers and recovery groups are now available. Most reputable treatment centers also have programs that focus on the LGBTQIA+ population and recovery. This is why we here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, always focus on the individual client and their individual needs, including our clients who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Community, Meetings, and Recovery
There are now many recovery meetings and groups that are LGBTQIA+-centric. This includes 12-step recovery, which has long been inclusive. 12-step recovery has always been about helping anyone and everyone recover regardless of how they identify (it has been very progressive in this manner).
Working with others has always been a key component of 12-Step recovery. The primary text of 12-Step recovery even has a chapter entitled, “Working With Others.” The chapter states, “Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking [and using] as intensive work with other [people in recovery]. You can help when no one else can.”
It also helps to be seen and to identify in recovery. This is why being around other people in the LGBTQIA+ community can be so helpful. However, it is also important to note that no one should be singled out based on how they identify. So, any recovery center that does not welcome everyone with open arms, regardless of how they identify, should be taken with a large grain of salt.
Psychotherapy and Recovery
Now, as previously mentioned, psychotherapy can be particularly helpful when it comes to recovery. This is because it gets to those previously mentioned underlying issues that can be so troublesome. Often, these underlying issues have to do with trauma (especially within the LGBTQIA+ community).
Many people don’t realize just how common trauma is both in the U.S. and abroad. According to the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Medicine, “Understanding who is at risk for exposure to TEs [traumatic events] is consequently of considerable interest…. General population studies have shown that a large proportion of people in developed countries have been exposed to at least one TE in their lifetime (estimates from 28 to 90%), with the most common events being the unexpected death of a loved one, motor vehicle accidents, and being mugged.”
The good news is that there are many ways to help with these underlying traumatic issues. Yes, psychotherapy is one way, but there are also other ways. This includes participating in experiential therapies like surf therapy and horticulture therapy.
Experiential Therapy and Recovery
Experiential therapy is about the experiences one has rather than the discussions one has with one’s therapist (though this can be a crucial part of it, too). There are also many types of experiential therapies.
One type of experiential therapy is nature-based experiential therapy. This can be highly effective because it is now widely understood how beneficial nature can be.
According to the United States National Park Service, “5 minutes walking in nature improves mood, self-esteem, and relaxation. Frequent exposure to nature reduces anxiety and depression while promoting a sense of well-being and fulfillment.” Also, “Physical activity in a green space can reduce stress and lower cortisol levels by 15%.” These benefits can also be gained via surf therapy.
Surf Therapy and Recovery
A mere 15-minute journey from our 30-acre luxury property sits one of the best surf breaks on the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii. Here, one can enjoy all of the benefits of surf therapy and the beautiful nature of Hawaii’s Big Island and the Pacific Ocean.
Surf therapy offers a myriad of benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public, “Carefully planned water activities tailored to the needs of the individual can contribute to correct psychosocial and cognitive development. The International Surf Therapy Organization summarizes the benefits of adequately indicated surf therapy as follows: improved physical health and mobility; improved mental health, including reduction of specific symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress and depression; improved well-being (strengthening of trust and confidence, encouragement of independence, resilience and protective coping strategies) and improved social skills.” Another effective experiential therapy is horticulture therapy.
Horticulture Therapy and Recovery
When one walks onto our luxury 30-acre property, they are met with some of the most amazing fruits and vegetables growing on our lush landscape. This includes magnificent coconut and citrus trees, vibrant vegetable gardens, and packed pineapple patches. Many of these fruits and vegetables are also cultivated via horticulture therapy.
The benefits of horticulture therapy are vast and varied. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public, “People’s interactions with plants, through goal-orientated horticultural activities in the form of active gardening, as well as the passive appreciation of nature, could be therapeutic to people with mental disorders in many ways. First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people to reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability.” It also offers an essential sense of belonging that many people in marginalized communities have been robbed of.
LGBTQIA+, Recovery, and Success at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe that everyone has the right to recover. This is why our recovery plans are individualized and comprehensive, focusing on the future.
It is important to remember that recovery is about the journey, never the destination. There is perhaps no better place to start that journey than right here with us on the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. Recovery is out there for everyone. It is time to go get it.
The LGBTQIA+ population is at a higher risk for addiction and other types of mental illness. The good news is that more recovery options exist for marginalized populations than ever. The key is to find the right recovery center that understands the diverse needs of its clients. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about recovering as a member of the LGBTQIA+ population, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.