Using Drugs to Mask Confusion about Sexuality
Growing up in a family or community that is homophobic can keep a LGBT person from being honest with about his sexuality. A person may see LGBT people being persecuted which can cause him or her to avoid accepting an alternative sexuality. Internalizing issues with your own identity will often lead to depression and anxiety. Without being willing or able to talk openly to family or peers, this can go on for years and lead a person to turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to cope.
Repressed Sexuality during Adolescence Can Lead to Drug Addiction
A family history of addiction can cause children or grandchildren to develop an addiction. While this is due in part to inherited genes, the behaviors that cause and result from addiction often have repercussions aside from genetics. If a child grows up with angry and neglectful parents, this in turn can cause feelings of guilt and low self-worth that lead to drug abuse.
Similar issues often happen to young LGBT adults. Many parents realize or assume a child is gay before he or she does and may go out of their way to force what they think is appropriate behavior onto this child. Hearing your parents, peers or religion call your gender identity wrong can have drastic effects on how you perceive yourself. This can lead to addiction in adulthood.
Being harassed at school or in their community can lead people to draw inward and be less likely to bond emotionally with friends or loved ones. They may feel pressure to act a certain way and date people of the opposite sex to appear heterosexual, even to the point of engaging in sexual intercourse that they are uncomfortable with. These situations can add to a person’s anxiety or depression and lead to drug abuse.
Pressure to Conform to Sexuality Expectations Can Cause a Person to Use Drugs
Efforts to change innate sexuality, whether self-induced or forced on a person, can result in lasting psychological damage to LGBT individuals. This kind of pressure often comes from unsupportive relatives and the cumulative effect of hearing gay slurs and negative commentary in public or in the media. Serious mental disorders can develop, which can then drive a person to abuse drugs or alcohol as a form of self-medication.
While homophobia comes often from the heterosexual majority, there is pressure to conform even within the gay community. Bisexuals are often treated as less legitimate than “real” gays and lesbians, which in turn can leave them with no place to turn for support. There are often expectations within gay and lesbian communities to conform to certain roles and labels. This can put a lot of pressure on individuals and make it harder for someone to find his own unique identity, leading to substance abuse for relief.
Get LGBT-Friendly Treatment for Addiction
There are many rehab centers available that are LGBT-friendly. Trained counselors can help you deal with any guilt regarding your sexuality, and they can help you gain self-esteem. Call our 24 hour toll-free helpline today to learn about treatment options.
