Each June, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated to bring awareness, recognize, and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Month was initially established to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, an event that took place in New York City and was a turning point in the Gay Liberation Movement throughout the United States.
Throughout the month of June to celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month, communities throughout the country will offer events and initiatives meant to recognize the contributions that members of the LGBTQ community have made to society, honor those members of the LGBTQ community that have lost their lives to hate crimes, suicide, or HIV/AIDS, and to celebrate the accomplishments of the LGBTQ community. Additionally, Pride Month offers a platform for the ongoing need to further advance the fight for rights and equality of the LGBTQ+ community in states throughout America.
The LGBTQ+ community is also one hit disturbingly high regarding mental health and addiction. The LGBTQ+ community suffers from mental health and substance use disorder issues at a higher rate than other groups, often due to fear of disclosing who they are, hatred and discrimination from others, and ongoing societal pressures that make them vulnerable. An estimated 20% to 30% of members within in the LGBTQ+ community suffer from substance use disorder or addiction, a much higher proportion than the general population as a whole. Often, members of the LGBTQ+ community turn to substances to deal pressure or fear, and the self-medicate. The LGBTQ+ community also deals with mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts at a higher rate than the general population. Especially vulnerable within the LGBTQ+ community are individuals who identify as transgender, due to discrimination, loneliness, isolation, and an ongoing negative stigma perpetrated by many in power based on fear or ignorance. Therefore, the LGBTQ+ population is consistently vulnerable and susceptible to mental health issues and challenges with drugs and alcohol.
During LGBTQ Pride Month, it is important that those who can celebrate our love for the LGBTQ+ community, advocate for them as they advocate for themselves, and work together to find love and equality. Discrimination has no place in American society, so Pride Month is an opportunity for everyone to support those in the LGBTQ community who have made tremendous advancements in society and who are living their authentic selves.
Here at Innovo Detox, we see patients every single day from the LGBTQ+ community who vocalize the challenges they have faced, and the impact that addiction has had on their lives and on the lives of their families and loved ones. It is our opportunity to offer a safe space, where hope abounds, and healing can begin. Just as addiction can impact anyone, it impacts those in the LGBTQ+ community. These individuals deserve to be loved, treated with dignity and respect, and offered a place to begin a journey of recovery. We celebrate them and their courage, and the entire LGTBQ+ community during Pride Month in June, and every month throughout the year.
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorders, please give us a call. Innovo Detox offers the latest in evidence-based medical, psychiatric, and clinical care for those in need of detox and medical stabilization in Pennsylvania and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or a loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a detox, rehab, treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (717) 619-3260 or email our team at info@innovodetox.com. For more information on our company or services, please visit our website at www.innovodetox.com.