Inclusive Treatment Solution for the LGBTQ+ Community

There is nothing like feeling hopeless and isolated for just being one’s self, unless an individual feels hopeless, isolated, and is addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. Facing challenges with battling a substance use disorder or an alcohol use disorder presents one layer of obstacles. However, feeling marginalized for your sexual orientation or gender is yet another layer.

River Oaks Treatment Center, an American Addiction Center’s treatment facility, is the perfect solution for individuals within the LGBTQ+ community who are battling alcohol or drug abuse.

Located in Riverview, Florida, River Oaks provides a specialized LGBTQ+ treatment program. This program is tailored to the community by supporting their particular needs.

The levels of treatment include:

• Medical detox.
• Intensive outpatient program (IOP).
• Residential treatment.
• Inpatient rehabilitation.
• Partial hospitalization program (PHP).

The unique care that is offered:

• The River Oaks’ team receives training to better identify the needs of an LGBTQ+ individual. For example, when approaching a transgender individual, it’s important that they feel heard, understood, and have a new place to start.
• The team provides a holistic approach to treatment, which means we focus on the whole person. This includes making sure that safety is a priority to the LGBTQ+ individuals.

It takes a lot to achieve long-term sobriety. The foundation to live a healthy and productive life begins in treatment. Battling a substance use disorder or an alcohol use disorder is hard enough, but to additionally be a member of a marginalized group that often gets discriminated against, offers its own share of battles.

LGBTQ+ individuals may not always get the support they need on the job, within their families, or in their neighborhoods. Facing outright discrimination for simply being who they are can be an uphill battle. Because of this, there may be fear in going to a treatment facility to ask for help when the fear of judgement may be so strong and debilitating not only for their addiction, but for their sexual orientation as well.

This can be a deterrent. Many in the LGBTQ+ population need help.

Transgender individuals, lesbians, and gay and bisexual men are more likely to not only use alcohol and drugs, but to have higher instances of substance abuse in comparison to the broader population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the Center for American Progress, roughly 20% to 30% of gay and transgender individuals abuse substances, whereas about 9% of the overall population abuses substances.

Substance abuse may be a reaction to a life riddled with homophobic attitudes, discrimination, or even violence. This can have a negative effect on both the personal and professional lives of those in the LGBTQ+ community.

There are treatment programs that may say they have a program created specifically for those in the LGBTQ+ community, but actually do not have services for them that are different from treatment programs for non-LGBTQ+ individuals. There are only 62 out of 854 treatment programs that provide services tailored to the community.

At River Oaks Treatment Center with American Addiction Centers, we actually do have a program specifically for the LGBTQ+ individuals. We are here to help.