Schuetz

When a person thinks of the state of Texas, they think big everything. Unfortunately one thing they are not big on is inpatient addiction treatment for the GLBT population. In cites such as Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston or Abilene, there is a growing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population. As with any population growth comes a need for certain healthcare services, in this case, we are speaking of gay friendly addiction treatment or gay friendly drug rehab programs in Texas.

Cant Gay Men and Lesbians Go to Existing Drug Rehab Programs in Texas?

The answer is yes they can. For gay men and women who are secure in their sexuality, sexual preference and the issues that surround them such as internalized homophobia, homophobia, coming out and others, then any drug rehab, alcohol rehab or addiction treatment program may suffice. Unfortunately, that is not usually the case. Most drug rehabs or alcohol rehab programs are not gay friendly, which means having the addiction treatment services and addiction treatment staff necessary to address the issues mentioned above. Without a gay friendly environment or gay friendly addiction treatment staff, the gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender will probably experience attitudes similar to that of discrimination, prejudice and feelings of being judged.

What Are the Advantages of a Gay Addiction Treatment Program in Texas?

In gay addiction treatment programs or gay drug rehabs, the environment is gay friendly. What that means is that the alcohol rehab or drug rehab will have an addiction treatment staff free of homophobia and judgmental attitudes. There will be addiction treatment services specific to the GLBT population, with a staff dedicated to the same. While the internal healing takes place, the GLBT population still participates in addiction treatment services with the rest of the drug rehab.

If you need help locating a gay friendly drug or alcohol rehab, call the national addiction treatment helpline at 1-800-511-9225 or go to www.gay-rehab.com. If you happen to have a psychiatric problem along with a drug addiction or alcohol addiction go to www.lakeviewhealth.com

Jonathan Huttner is a partner in a gay friendly addiction treatment center called Freedom Rings. Part of Lakeview Health Systems, freedom Rings is dedicated to providing state of the art treatment to the GLBT community.