Addiction treatment program and alcohol addiction programs have been available for the heterosexual community in New York and New Jersey for well over 30 years. These addiction treatment programs have been of high quality and either, private, not for profit, federally funded, inpatient addiction treatment or outpatient addiction treatment. There has been addiction treatment for almost any kind of drug addiction or alcohol addiction. You can find addiction treatment programs for the elderly, adolescent, men or women, but what about the GLBT population (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender). Where do those with a different sexual orientation go and feel comfortable? Where do the GLBT go where they can receive addiction treatment without being judged?

Gay Addiction Treatment History Historically, the GLBT community suffering from drug addiction or alcoholism, were expected to fit into primarily heterosexual drug rehab or alcohol rehab programs. Can you imagine being heterosexual and being asked to fit into a gay addiction treatment program, gay drug rehab or gay alcohol rehab program. Think maybe you might feel a little uncomfortable, have trouble fitting in or experience the result of internalized homophobia. What do you think your addiction treatment experience would be like? That is correct, you would never receive the greatest possible benefit from you addiction treatment experience. Because of this the possibility of relapse would be quite high.

Today, the approach to treating the GLBT population has begun to change. You can find drug rehab or alcohol treatment programs such as Lakeview Freedom Rings that has designed addiction treatment for the GLBT population within the structure of a state of the art addiciton treatment program. Addiction treatment programs such as this, have begun to emerge, but on a limited basis.

What is the Clinical Structure Within the Addiction Treatment Program The gay addiction treatment component is almost a program within a program. While the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender certainly have their own set of specific issues, people are people and addicts are addicts. Any quality gay addiction treatment component will have its own addiction therapist trained in meeting the recovery needs of the GLBT population, the staff at the addiction treatment center will receive sensitivity training and education to reduce and sometimes eliminate any homophobic attitudes and the GLBT patients will participate in clinical services with the rest of the population outside of their component.

NY and NJ Gay Addiction Treatment Services

Unfortunately there are not many addiction treatment centers in New Jersey or New York with "true" gay addiction treatment or gay alcohol treatment components within the confines of the drug rehab or alcohol rehab. When looking for a New Jersey Gay Drug Rehab or New York Gay Alcohol Rehab you might want to call 1-800-511-9225, a gay friendly addiction treatment helpline or go to ................................... www.gay-rehab.com.

Jonathan Huttner is one of the founders of Lakeview Health Systems, which operates an addiction treatment program which is gay friendly and has a gay addiction treatment component within the drug rehab program called Freedom Rings.