Welcome to Drug and Alcohol Treatment
| ||
Flint Drug Alcohol Treatment Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Flint Drug Alcohol Treatment. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
from:
Dual Diagnosis Treatment Services are Ineffective for the GLBT Population in a Drug Rehab
By Jonathan Huttner
Most drug rehab services, including alcohol treatment programs, are geared towards serving a white, heterosexual, male, client. Unless great effort has been put into awareness training, developing knowledge about the experiences and circumstances of minority groups, and the establishment of programs to deal with the special needs of different groups of oppressed people, services will simply perpetuate institutional discrimination.
Gay Alcohol Treatment Programs Not Adequate
U.S. researchers Lohrenz et al (1978) found that 37% of homosexuals experienced discrimination from alcohol treatment program staff while Fifield, De Crescenzo & Latham (1975) discovered that 75% of homosexuals who are recovering from alcoholism believe that mainstream drug rehab and alcohol rehab program are not geared to treating homosexuals and do not provide an accepting and supportive environment. Because of discrimination homosexuals are less likely to attend an alcohol treatment program and drug addiction treatment program unless, that is, they are 'passing.' In this case, if the clinician does not bring up the subject, one of the major causes of their problems will be ignored. Rofes (1989) says: By ignoring the special problems that a lesbian alcoholic, for example, presents, an alcohol treatment program will be doing a service to no one. Their alcoholism treatment of the individual will be less than adequate and may tend to intensify the woman's feelings of isolation and 'difference.' Only by bringing the issue into the open and addressing the woman's lesbianism as an aspect of her life which she needs to feel positively about, will the program be truly effective.
Avoiding Coming Out
Shernoff & Finnegan (1991) discuss the case of a lesbian who is hiding her sexuality, then stress: It is the responsibility of each alcoholism treatment counselor to take the lead in this area the same way alcohol treatment counselors routinely question early family history, dynamics of shame, denial and spirituality. By omitting questions about sexual orientation, or the more subtle questions about sexual or affectional feelings or fantasies for a person of the same sex, the counselor is not obtaining information about all the possible contributing factors for achieving and maintaining sobriety. While Hellman et al (1989) note: Therapists may fear causing anxiety by asking patients about sexual orientation because of discomfort with the subject. However, this questioning can be essential in helping to overcome the secrecy and denial that are hall marks of the struggle with both alcoholism and homosexuality. Of course, if a worker is ignorant about homosexuality s/he is likely to make the situation worse:
Problems Faced In Gay Alcohol Treatment Programs
American surveys, referred to by Hellman et al (1989), reveal a list of complaints about mainstream provision ranging from
· heterosexual bias in alcoholism treatment and evaluation (including either focusing primarily on sexual orientation when inappropriate or ignoring important factors linked with sexuality)
· ignorance about lesbian/gay issues and discomfort at approaching matters of sexuality
· ignorance about the inter-relation of homosexuality and alcohol abuse
. Neisen & Sandall (1990) worked at a program designed to offer alcohol treatment to chemically dependent lesbians and gays. They list their clients' experiences of non-gay drug rehab or non gay alcohol rehab, which include:
some were forced to disclose their sexual orientation
as soon as their sexuality was known, some were discharged
some said that after disclosure the alcohol treatment they received was different due to an atmosphere of condemnation
some feared that if their sexual orientation was known about this would receive more emphasis than their chemical dependency
some addiction treatment programs were not happy having their partner attend a family program.
Citing Morales & Graves (1983) and Hellman, Stanton, Lee, Tytun and Vachon (1989), O'Hanlan (1996) notes:
· the majority of detox and drug rehabilitation and alcohol rehab programs were insensitive to issues of sexual orientation and did not, generally, encourage its disclosure
· homophobia limits the success of recovery and alcohol treatment for lesbian substance abusers (Hall, 1990; de Monteflores, 1986)
· failure to acknowledge sexual orientation makes relapse more likely (Cabaj, 1992)
· lesbians were more likely to attend alcohol treatment program services which address lesbian social issues and provide lesbian counsellors (Hall,1986, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994; Morales & Graves, 1983).
Family Treatment In Gay Alcohol Treatment Programs
Inclusion of families in addiction treatment and alcohol rehab program is now an acceptable way of supporting those coming off alcohol dependency (Nardi, 1982; Shernoff & Finnegan, 1991). This would be problematic for the homosexual client, partly because many will have been rejected by their families and those families who do not reject their offspring rarely want to discuss anything connected with homosexuality. Yet it is the ignorance and lack of acceptance of families which is one of the main reasons why homosexuals are vulnerable to alcohol abuse and drug abuse. Alcoholism treatment does work!
A gay alcohol treatment program, drug rehab or gay friendly dual diagnosis treatment program, can be found at a web site located at www.lakeviewhealth.com or you can call the dual diagnosis national helpline at 1-800-511-9225 to locate a dual diagnosis treatment program in your local area.
Jonathan Huttner is a principal with Lakeview Health Systems, which treats drug addiction and alcohol addiction in a gay friendly environment. Lakeview also operates a nationally recognized dual diagnosis treatment program.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Huttner
http://EzineArticles.com/?Dual-Diagnosis-Treatment-Services-are-Ineffective-for-the-GLBT-Population-in-a-Drug-Rehab&id=385778
Flint Drug Alcohol Treatment Specific links
Flint Drug Alcohol Treatment News
District court news - Midland Daily News
District court news Midland Daily News 1, $950 fines and costs, nine months probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, attend counseling as directed, attend Alcohol and Other Drugs program (H). Michael John Dugger, 28, West North Union ... |
Corunna High School students receive cash for tips about classmates with drugs ... - The Flint Journal - MLive.com
 The Flint Journal - MLive.com | Corunna High School students receive cash for tips about classmates with drugs ... The Flint Journal - MLive.com By Sarah Schuch | sschuch@mlive.com View full sizeSean Work | The Flint JournalA poster promoting the "Fast $50" program hangs in the cafeteria at Corunna High School on Feb. 8. The program gives students a $50 cash reward for tips on drugs or weapons ... |
Kan. nurse gets 3 years in drug tampering case - Dodge City Daily Globe
Kan. nurse gets 3 years in drug tampering case Dodge City Daily Globe US District Judge Richard Rogers on Friday sentenced Wendy Parmenter to three years in prison under a plea deal that will allow her early release if she successfully completes a residential drug treatment program. As part of her agreement, ... |
Kan. nurse faces sentencing in drug tampering case - El Dorado Times
Kan. nurse faces sentencing in drug tampering case El Dorado Times Federal prosecutors are recommending that Wendy Parmenter receive a three-year term when she's sentenced Friday, in a deal allowing for early release if she successfully completes a residential drug treatment program. The plea agreement bars Parmenter ... Kan. nurse faces sentencing for diluting painkillers for Topeka nursing home ... Kansas Nurse Sentenced To Three Years In Drug Tampering Case |
Homeless people being counted in Genesee County - The Flint Journal - MLive.com
 The Flint Journal - MLive.com | Homeless people being counted in Genesee County The Flint Journal - MLive.com By Khalil AlHajal | The Flint Journal FLINT, Michigan — Alvon Lathan spent five years of his life homeless and addicted to drugs before seeking the help he needed to get clean, find housing and secure a job. View full size(Matt Dixon | Flint Journal ... |
Flint could get more police, job training with governor's public safety plan - The Flint Journal - MLive.com
 The Flint Journal - MLive.com | Flint could get more police, job training with governor's public safety plan The Flint Journal - MLive.com He suggested more funding for drug courts or drug-treatment programs in addition to more police officers on the streets. “We have to deal with some of the things that cause the uptick in crime and the persistence of crime in our community,†he said. |
Grand Blanc child Kendall Groves copes with Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron ... - The Flint Journal - MLive.com
 The Flint Journal - MLive.com | Grand Blanc child Kendall Groves copes with Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron ... The Flint Journal - MLive.com By Orrin Shawl | The Flint Journal GRAND BLANC — A rare brain disorder has imprisoned 8-year-old Kendall Groves inside her body, unable to walk, eat or talk. But the physical disabilities haven't stopped Kendall from learning, and a new computer ... |
Police and Fire: Monday, Jan. 30 - Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Police and Fire: Monday, Jan. 30 Sault Ste. Marie Evening News Huyck and Binger, along with Hannah Perkins, 12, of Cedarville, were all conveyed to War Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries which were not considered to be life-threatening. Chippewa County Sheriff Deputies report a pair of recent arrests ... |
Courthouse roundup: Plea set in emergency room assault case - Midland Daily News
Courthouse roundup: Plea set in emergency room assault case Midland Daily News A charge of possession of the controlled substance Suboxone -- which is a medication used to treat addiction to heroin and other opiates -- previously was dismissed. Beale levied $1250 fines and costs, three years probation and six months of driver ... |
How to look younger without the knife - ABC15.com (KNXV-TV)
 ABC15.com (KNXV-TV) | How to look younger without the knife ABC15.com (KNXV-TV) Dr. Patti Flint is a paid advertiser of Sonoran Living Live Who wouldn't want an option to look younger without undergoing surgery? Even though I am a plastic surgeon, I certainly have studied and personally taken advantage of non-invasive methods to ... |