Addiction treatment needs more empathy for LGBTQ+ community

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June 24, 2021 – The National Institutes of Health says people who identify as LGBTQ+, scientifically noted as a sexual minority, often face social stigma, discrimination, and other challenges not encountered by people who identify as heterosexual, scientifically referenced as the sexual majority. They also face a greater risk of harassment and violence. As a result of these and other stressors, sexual minorities are at increased risk for various behavioral health issues, the experts explained.

“In 2015, sexual minority adults were more likely than sexual majority adults to be past year users of any illicit drug … Among sexual minority adults, 39.1% used illicit drugs in the past year, or nearly 2 out of 5. Nearly one-third of sexual minority adults (30.7%) used marijuana in the past year, and about 1 in 10 (10.4%) misused prescription pain relievers. In comparison, among sexual majority adults, 17.1% used illicit drugs in the past year, 12.9% used marijuana, and 4.5% misused prescription pain relievers,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Esquivel is worried about a lack of connection for her LGBTQ+ peers.

“If I still didn’t feel like I belong, if I still didn’t feel like I had somewhere to go or people to talk to or people that understood me, I’d probably still be in my addiction,” Esquivel said. “Our safe places are gay bars – places that are surrounded by a substance. If we are able to create something that’s not surrounded by a substance but still provides that same feeling, I think that would definitely help.”

Molly Simpson, the director of clinical services at Hazelden Betty Ford in Newberg, Oregon, said those challenges and risks are often reflected in statistics.