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Healing, Strengthening, and Advancing the Lives of LGBTQ People Seeking Recovery

Intersectionality Within LGBTQ – Affirmative Treatment

Intersectionality Within LGBTQ – Affirmative Treatment

Intersectionality is an important consideration for LGBTQ-affirmative treatment centers. It is necessary for individuals who treat patients at these facilities to understand intersectionality and its importance in the LGBTQ community as well as its effects on mental disorders and substance abuse. This way, no stone is left unturned and no aspect of a patient’s experience is left unconsidered during recovery. What Is Intersectionality? Intersectionality is a relatively recent word that, while having been present since the 1980s, is becoming more frequently used today. Merriam Webster defines intersectionality as “the complex, cumulative manner in which the effects of different forms of discrimination combine, overlap, or intersect.” Intersectionality asks that people analyze all aspects of discrimination and power as they affect individuals, rather than focusing on one specific trait. Most people do not have one factor of marginalization affecting their lives, and as such, the different traits and their impacts should be considered collectively as well as for how they intersect. Why Is Intersectionality Important When Discussing Addiction in the LGBTQ Population? According to a 2016 study published by LGBT Health, “There is much more to an individual’s identity than their sexual orientation or gender identity. Members of sexual or gender minority groups… are simultaneously members of a multitude of other social groups, each adding to that person’s individuality.” These groups may include but are not limited to • Gender • Race • Religion • Nationality • Ethnicity • Disability • Class As you can see, many people are affected by the different social groups to which they are attached. A person’s race, class, gender, disability, and many of the other factors listed above can also affect their likelihood of forming an addiction, their access to drugs or alcohol, their likelihood of forming comorbid mental disorders, and other effects. Different people are affected differently by drug abuse for a number of reasons, many of them complex and diverse, which means all sides of a person’s experience should be considered in order to provide them with the best help possible for addiction recovery (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Intersectionality Within LGBTQ-Affirmative Treatment LGBTQ-affirmative treatment centers offer a truly special and effective option for addiction recovery to those who are a part of a group more frequently affected by addiction. However, these centers must not simply focus on a patient’s sexual identity in order to offer comprehensive care. Instead, they must consider all aspects of the patient’s personality, experience, and identity in order to create the most effective recovery possible. LGBTQ-affirmative drug rehab centers are more likely than most facilities to focus on every aspect of a patient’s experience and use this knowledge to create a tailored and individualized treatment program. In many cases, these facilities place special significance on other factors such as gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, and disability. Once this kind of tailored treatment begins, patients can not only determine the reasons why they started abusing drugs in the first place but also receive appropriate assistance for the future (for either issues that are directly associated with their addictions or not) and learn to cope with additional issues of marginalization in today’s society. Finding LGBTQ-Affirmative Drug Addiction Treatment Centers Near Me You deserve to find care that takes all aspects of your experience into account, provides you with comprehensive treatment options, and considers the ways in which your life and personal factors have helped to shape and influence you. At our Hollywood Hills rehab center, we take intersectionality seriously and do not simply concentrate on one but rather all aspects of who you are in order to help you achieve the best, safest recovery possible.

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