Unique Root Causes for Dependency in the LGBT Community

LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) individuals often encounter physical, social and emotional stressors that can cause anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. As many LGBT individuals attempt to find ways of coping, sometimes alcohol and drug use become ways to deal with buried trauma or overwhelming stress.

Unfortunately, this has led many in the LGBT community to experience a higher rate of chemical dependency issues than the general population, due to daily struggles with unique pressures. In the wake of chronic ignorance, prejudice and ostracization, many LGBT individuals find that drugs or alcohol that initially provide an escape create further problems as chemical dependency sets in. Thankfully, with the help of staff from a compassionate and experienced inpatient rehabilitation center, LGBT individuals can find holistic rehab services that bring healing to the mind, body and soul.

Unique Root Causes for Dependency in the LGBT Community

The LGBT community faces a unique set of pressures from society that unfortunately increase their risk of drug and alcohol dependency. According to recent studies, LGBT youth are almost 200 percent more likely to suffer from drug dependency than their straight peers, and nearly half of gay men experience a drug or alcohol addiction during some period of their lives. Here are just a few of the unique root causes that lead to chemical dependency in LGBT individuals:

• Discrimination
  Unfortunately, many members of the LGBT community face discrimination—even from their families and peers. This experience of ostracization, ridicule and rejection can make the need to escape seem pressing, leading some to cope with drugs or alcohol. The initial attempts to cope or escape via alcohol or drug use often trigger chemical dependency with both physical roots (from prolonged use) and psychological origins (from emotional pain or trauma).
• Coming Out
  Coming out as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered individual can be particularly difficult at any age. Many out individuals in the LGBT community face ridicule, scorn and ostracization from family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and classmates, as well as a loss of emotional and financial security. Because the coming out process can create such genuine anxiety, fear, rejection and emotional pain for LGBT individuals, some members of the community turn to drugs and alcohol in order to escape the emotional pain involved. Additionally, many LGBT teens have a difficult time finding a peer group their own age, and thus spend a lot of time with an older crowd, increasing the availability of and access to drugs and alcohol.
• Depression
  Because of others’ negative reactions to their orientation or preference, members of the transgendered, bisexual, gay and lesbian community often face rejection, bullying, abandonment and harassment. This can lead to the onset of clinical depression, as a result of feeling out of place, or viewing themselves negatively. As a result, LGBT individuals sometimes self-medicate with alcohol and drugs in an attempt to cope with these negative external messages and self views.
• Buried Trauma
  The unfortunate truth is that many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals encounter higher-than-average rates of physical and sexual violence as adults. Those who choose to come out often fear for their own safety. These traumatic experiences can lead to lowered self-esteem, panic and anxiety disorders, or even dissociative disorders in extreme cases, and drugs or alcohol are sometimes used to cope. By healing signs of emotional trauma from physical, sexual or psychological abuse, members of the GLBT community can find freedom from the psychological component of drug and alcohol addiction—and experience greater freedom and self-acceptance in the process.

Related posts:

1. Chemical Dependency Issues in the Transgender Community
2. Alcohol and Drug Use During the Coming Out Process
3. Sexual Abuse as a Root Cause for Dependency
4. Shame as a Root Cause for Chemical Dependency
5. Betrayal as a Root Cause of Dependency
6. Grief as an Emotional Root Cause to Dependency
7. Low Self Esteem as a Root Cause for Dependency
8. Rejection as a Root Cause of Teen Dependency
9. Obscuring Emotional Pain With Dependency
10. Rejection as a Root of Dependency
11. The Relationship Between PTSD and Dependency
12. Dependency as an Attempt at Emotional Balance
13. Five Relationship Issues Bisexual Individuals Face
14. Does Genetics Cause Dependency
15. Mental Disorders Marked by Dependency
16. Can Dependency Be Cured
17. Unearthing Dependency Roots Via Hypnotherapy
18. Reasons Dependent Individuals Engage in PolyDrug Use
19. How to Tell If You Have a Chemical Dependency
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