Health professionals often fail to accommodate folks in the LGBTQ+ community, especially in regards to mental health support and substance misuse challenges. JUST Living Recovery, a sober living facility in Lakewood, offers specialized treatment aimed at uplifting those in marginalized communities, specifically those in the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities
Stress from social stigmas, lack of family acceptance, and a plethora of unique challenges impact LGBTQ+ folks markedly different than their heteronormative counterparts. Pressures and discrimination that are placed on marginalized groups can negatively impact mental health and increase substance misuse in such communities.
The American Addiction Center announced that LGBTQ+ folks are more than two times more likely to have a substance use disorder compared to their straight and cis counterparts. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) have continued to assert this statement; in their 2021 and 2022 survey they found that queer folks are two to three times more likely to engage in substance use than straight and cis counterparts, and in those 2020 survey its was reported that the percentage of alcohol use disorder in sexual minority adults (sitting at 21.8 percent) is nearly double that of their counterparts, which sits at 11 percent.
The needs of the queer community vary from straight folks struggling with substance use disorders. Addiction treatment programs offering specialized groups for gay and bisexual men showed better outcomes for recovery than those that didn’t. But the NSDUH reported that only 7.4 percent of programs offered specialized services for LGBTQ+ patients.
Grace, the program manager at JUST Living Recovery, says “I think it is difficult to remain sober when you are experiencing so much discrimination and hate from all corners of society. And I think we are seeing that people are struggling to remain sober as more laws and policies are put into place across the country that are making people fight for everyday freedoms.”
Although the historic discrimination of queer folks has resulted in a lack of research, resources, and recovery, there are addiction recovery facilities that aim to reduce this inequality. JUST Living Recovery aims to bridge this gap and provide marginalized folks proper treatment. Founded in 2018, the facility values “community, empathy, bravery, safety, capacity and diversity” and inclusion is at the heart of their approach.
One prior resident says the JUST Living community, “…are (a) family here and we all care about each other. JUST Living has opened my eyes and heart to so much in my life and I have learned that there is so much more to life than addiction of any kind.”
The facility is first come, first serve and implements an holistic anti-racist approach to aid recovery from alcohol and illicit drug misuse. JUST Living Recovery uses “evidence-based treatments and therapeutic intervention” in a “resident-run intentional sober-living recovery community” to provide care for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC folks in recovery. They are a level two CARR certified facility that prioritizes offering affordable care to those who need community most.
With anti-LGBTQ+ legislation becoming a near normal, this continued pressure only amplifies mental health concerns and substance misuse within the queer community. Outreach, financial/emotional support, and societal acceptance are key to uplift those in need of assistance for mental health and substance misuse disorders.
JUST Living Recovery is not only creating a safe-space for recovery for LGBTQ+ folks, but also initiating new approaches and methods to benefit such marginalized communities.
If you or a loved one is facing challenges with substance misuse, especially those struggling to find support in our heteronormative society, JUST Living Recovery welcomes you to find safety and community in their recovery program. And if you have the means and would like to donate, the program is always in need of funds to further elevate their facility and offer more accommodations for their patients.
You can find more information about JUST Living Recovery at their website.
If you or a loved one are facing challenges with substance misuse or mental health, you are not alone, you are loved, and there is help. If you are in need of immediate help you can call the National Substance Hotline at 866-210-1303, Colorado Crisis Services at 844-493-8255, or the National Suicide Hotline at 988. You can also visit Envision:You to find more resources to support your wellbeing.
