Addict gay

Substance abuse among gay men can be a reaction to the high-levels of stress related to social discrimination, discouragement from seeking help for treatment, and marketing efforts exploiting sexual preference and substance abuse. From looking at the “gay bar” as a safe space for LGBTQ gatherings to cultural pressures that can leave people in this community particularly susceptible to substance use disorders, it’s a.

Rates of drug abuse and addiction in the LGBTQ community are much higher than in other groups. Find out how to get LGBTQ-specific treatment. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals are more likely to use drugs and alcohol due to homophobia, rejection from families, and a history of trauma.

Findings from recent research suggest that lesbians and bisexual women are at greater risk for alcohol and drug use disorders and related problems, and that gay and bisexual men are at greater risk for illicit drug use and related problems. Schedule Your Free 15 min. Greg is a therapist at the Gay Therapy Center who specializes in sexual compulsion and addiction. Geolocating social apps, messaging apps, and videoconferencing have made finding and having sex easier than it used to be.

For some, this has been a great improvement — a faster way to meet new people, explore fantasies, and have lots of sex. For others the sexual digital age has started or worsened a problematic relationship to sex. He pulls out his phone and looks at Tinder, Grindr, Blendr, Growlr or one of the many other available apps, depending on his preferences. Minutes turn into hours as John searches for the right person, maybe someone downtown for a lunch hookup.

He also feels guilty for wasting his whole morning. There is no moral judgment about John looking for sex with his phone. It is about avoiding and numbing difficult feelings, and, for better or worse, technology has made it easier for people to do so. Sex is a tricky thing. How can you have too much? I find it most helpful to not think of it as an addiction to a substance like cocaine or alcohol, but rather as more akin to an eating disorder.

Both sex and food are good, healthy, and pleasurable.

But it is possible to have an unhealthy relationship to food and for this relationship to have a negative impact on your life. Sex works the same way. I mean obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that you find difficult to control. You have a compulsive need to pull out your phone, search the hookup apps for something new or check your messages. Or you might have dinner with a friend but then need a quick exit because there is the possibility of sex with somewhere else.

You could also be having more serious legal, financial, or health issues because of your behavior. That hole could be feelings of sadness, loneliness, shame, or worthlessness or perhaps the result of past traumatic events. You may be OK sometimes but then the hole opens and you need to avoid dealing with it.

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So you pull out your phone, start your pursuit, and forget your feelings for a moment. In fact, there can be a sense of euphoria or numbing from searching a hookup app that seems more pleasurable than the sex itself. Maybe you find the hookup, or the Skype session. In fact, self-criticism can often start the cycle up again.

Take a gentle approach with yourself if you can as you begin to seek out some help. Often the first and most important work is to come up with a behavioral plan to slow down, stop, or change the compulsive behavior, including how you interact with your devices. Learning how to introduce healthy sexual behaviors back into your life is also part of this process.

There are also outpatient and inpatient treatment centers that offer more intensive services. This is the longer, deeper and important work of therapy. Making contact with the painful feelings, thoughts and other internal experiences, dealing with past traumas, and addressing these on a deeper level will lead to a different relationship to sex and a different way of dealing with pain.