Gay Alcohol Abuse and Gay Alcohol Dependency
January 5, 2008
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Gay alcohol abuse and gay drug addiction is a problem for far too many gay Americans. Whether it is inherited or society related, drug addiction and gay alcohol addiction cause tremendous damage to those people that come in contact with the drug addict or alcoholic. Fortunately, there are gay alcohol rehab programs and drug rehab centers across the country that assist addicts, alcoholics and their families with the process of alcoholism treatment and drug addiction treatment.
Different Gay Alcohol Rehab Approaches
Different gay alcohol rehabs and drug rehab programs take different approaches, but the philosophy is usually the same – if you are suffering from alcohol abuse and can not manage to control your drinking, you are probably alcoholic.
Most quality alcohol rehab programs use medications to help the alcoholic and addict manage their alcohol withdrawal or drug withdrawal. Alcohol detox generally takes between five and seven days, depending on how much alcohol you were drinking, how frequent and a variety of other factors. Alcohol detox should take place in a medically monitored alcohol detox unit, within the alcohol rehab program.
Possible Reasons for Increased Gay Alcohol Abuse
January 4, 2008
The difference in alcoholism rates between gay and non-gay populations has been attributed to a number of environmental factors. One factor is that alcohol serves as a method of coping with internal homophobia. Anderson and Henderson (1985) believe that socio-cultural pressure is the most sound explanation as to why alcoholism rates differ between gay and non-gay populations. Overt societal stigmatization of gay men and lesbians can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and powerlessness. As such, alcohol may serve as one way to cope with these negative feelings.
A second reason for increased gay alcohol abuse by gay men and lesbians is the fact that legitimate socialization is often limited to bars or parties serving alcohol. Gay bars promote the use of alcohol in much the same way that nongay bars endorse alcohol use in the heterosexual culture (Israelstam & Lambert, 1984). The major difference between the two, however, is that heterosexuals have a greater range of social outlets from which to choose without fear of recrimination (Colcher, 1982; Finnegan & McNally, 1987).
Most Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Program Services are Ineffective for the GLBT Population
December 19, 2007
Why Most Drug Rehab and /Alcohol Treatment Program Services are Ineffective for the GLBT Population
Most drug rehab services, including alcohol treatment programs, are geared towards serving a white, heterosexual, male, clientel. Unless great effort has been put into awareness training, developing knowledge about the experiences and circumstances of minority groups, and the establishment of programmes to deal with the special needs of different groups of oppressed people, services will simply perpetuate institutional discrimination. U.S. researchers Lohrenz et al (1978) found that 37% of homosexuals experienced discrimination from alcohol treatment program staff while Fifield, De Crescenzo & Latham (1975) discovered that 75% of homosexuals who are recovering from alcoholism believe that mainstream drug rehab and alcohol rehab program are not geared to treating homosexuals and do not provide an accepting and supportive environment.
Because of discrimination homosexuals are less likely to attend alcohol treatment program and drug addiction treatment programs unless, that is, they are ‘passing.’ In this case, if the worker does not bring up the subject, one of the major causes of their problems will be ignored. Rofes (1989) says:
By ignoring the special problems that a lesbian alcoholic, for example, presents, an alcohol treatment program will be doing a service to no one. Their alcoholism treatment of the individual will be less than adequate and may tend to intensify the woman’s feelings of isolation and ‘difference.’ Only by bringing the issue into the open and addressing the woman’s lesbianism as an aspect of her life which she needs to feel positively about, will the program be truly effective.
Alcohol Rehab and Intervention
October 17, 2007
If an alcoholic is unwilling to get help, what can you do about it?
This can be a challenge. An alcoholic can’t be forced to get help except under certain circumstances, such as a violent incident that results in court-ordered treatment or medical emergency. But you don’t have to wait for someone to “hit rock bottom” to act. Many alcoholism treatment specialists suggest the following steps to help an alcoholic get treatment:
Stop all “cover ups.” Family members often make excuses to others or try to protect the alcoholic from the results of his or her drinking. It is important to stop covering for the alcoholic so that he or she experiences the full consequences of drinking.
Gay Alcohol Treatment
October 12, 2007
Finially, Gay Alcohol Treatment !
For many years there was little or no drug addiction or alcoholism treatment for gays, lesbians or bisexuals. Yes, any drug rehab would provide alcoholism treatment for them, but were they getting their clinical and emotional needs met, did they feel safe and secure? The answers to these questions were, no, not in most cases. Most gay alcoholics or gay addicts reported feeling out of place, fearful, unwilling to share their true self when they were in drug rehab which was mostly heterosexual.
Drug Addiction or Alcoholism: Which is Easier to Recovery from?
October 12, 2007
Drug Addiction and Alcoholism, both diseases of the brain which create devastation in the lives of the addict and alcoholic, have often been debated over as to which is easier to recover from. Some say that drug addiction is easier to recover from as alcohol is legal and more prevalent in today’s society, thus creating greater opportunity for relapse in the case of the alcoholic. The other side of this debate would be that illegal drugs and the addict’s “connection” are still present, prescription medication is being prescribed in ever increasing amounts, not to mention, the internet has now made the purchase of narcotics easier than ever before.
Relapse Prevention is equally available for drug addiction and alcoholism
What we are sure of is the addict or alcoholic always has an excuse when they relapse. They tend to blame other people or situations for the reason behind their relapse behavior. If the person recovering from drug addiction or alcoholism would follow a relapse prevention plan, which might include changing their old drinking and drugging buddies for friends in recovery (changing their support system), quit meeting and frequenting places where they drank or used drugs and abstain from participating in unhealthy behavior, there is no difference in the degree of difficulty recovering from drug addiction or alcoholism.
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