Do things get better? Perhaps, but for LGBTQIA teens and young people struggling with drug and alcohol abuse, it might be difficult for them to see brighter futures when their current worlds might be so dark.
LGBTQIA stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer, intersex, and asexual. In the 2000s, things are better for people who identify in those groups. We see media depictions of people who belong to these groups and more visible help is available for LGBTQIA people who are struggling.
But just because things are better doesn’t mean that they’re great. Perhaps young LGBTQIA people belong to families who don’t understand or accept these identifications. Maybe they live in geographic areas that might not have the resources that larger, more populous areas might offer. The Internet is making information, advice, and other help more available, but navigating life can still be difficult for such young people.
It might not be surprising, then, that some LGBTQIA youth turn to alcohol and drugs to cope. After all, alcohol and drugs can alter people’s mental states, and some teens and young people might think even drunk or intoxicated states are preferable to their current miserable and confused states.
But people can only be drunk or intoxicated for a limited amount of time. Drugs and alcohol wear off, so young people might use more and more drugs and alcohol to feel these ways. This type of repeated use could lead to the young people and teens to become dependent on drugs and alcohol. Dependency could lead to physical and mental additions on drugs and alcohol, states in which people need such substances not to feel better, but not to feel bad.
As troubling as drug and alcohol are, they’re not hopeless, helpless conditions. Hope and help might come in the form of programs that welcome all people. This inclusive approach addresses substance use disorder problems. It also helps clients psychologically, because it explores the reasons why people turn to drugs and alcohol as coping mechanisms.
This approach also helps people accept and embrace themselves and build their self-esteem. Higher self-esteem might help people avoid turning to substance use disorder as a way to solve their problems.
Treatment and help is available for people of all identifications, people of all ages, and all people in general. It can can help us remember that while life can be difficult sometimes, it does indeed get better.
