Addiction and the LGBTQ Community
Addiction hits the LGBTQ community at much higher rates than within the heterosexual community environment. Gay men face stigma on multiple fronts from both the larger culture as well as closer to home by way of intra-community biases based on idealized standards of status, race, masculinity, and physical perfection. Harmful effects on esteem contribute to the addiction cycle and erosion of coping skills. Alienation and deterioration of relationships and family bonds occur. But all too often, the addiction cycle is actually a response to pre-existing conditions in all three said dimensions due to the marginalization and social stress gay men experience throughout their development. These increased challenges to addiction recovery within the LGBTQ community prompted us to focus on the establishment of a gay men’s addiction recovery group.
New York Pathways Is Proud to Introduce a Gay Men’s Addiction Recovery Group
There is a great need for gay men to have their own space to process issues while recovering from chemical and process addictions. Gay men need new choices and direction in navigating a healthy and adaptive reentry into 
experiencing their community. New York Pathways’ latest group program, Gay Men’s Addiction Recovery Group, will help them achieve this goal.
We take the view that although there are cardinal rules to maintaining sobriety for all populations, certain sensitivities need to be respected when treating the LGBTQ population. Under the framework of the gay men’s addiction recovery group, clients will experience growth in their interpersonal skills and cultivate use of sober support through the group process and community resources. Experiential exercises will be incorporated into the addiction recovery group format designed to promote intimacy, empathy, and positive self-regard.
The Gay Men’s Addiction Recovery Group Team at New York Pathways
We understand that treating the LGBTQ community requires more than just conceptualizing addiction recovery treatment through a heteronormative lens. And our clinical team is committed to upholding this standard. Christopher M. Shea will be the facilitator of New York Pathways Gay Men’s Addiction Recovery Group. He is a member of the recovering LGBTQ community and an experienced clinician in treating their mental health needs. He has facilitated gay men’s addiction recovery groups in both chemical and sex addiction and is also trained in treating sexual identity issues.
Our gay men’s addiction recovery group is open to gay men recovering from sexual compulsivity or substance abuse addictions. It will be an open ongoing process group. If you have clients that could use group support in the New York City area, the New York Pathways Gay Men’s Addiction Recovery Group could be the perfect fit. We are centrally located just a block away from Penn Station in the New Yorker/Wyndham Hotel. Coordination of care with referring clinicians will be a crucial component for all referrals, as will be promoting optimal gains for group members.
If you have any questions or wish to discuss prospective clients then please feel free to use the contact information below. We look forward to working together.
New York Pathways
[email protected]
212-244-4447
Additional Reading for Clinicians and Clients:
Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men by Robert Weiss