Donna Weinberger Inspire Recovery LGBTQ Addiction Rehab

“Our goal is to create more successful transgender and queer visibility through recovery so that kids and youth growing up see themselves when they look around the society they are brought into.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (PRWEB)
March 31, 2021

Inspire Recovery, a small drug and alcohol addiction treatment center in Florida aims to offer a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ addicts and alcoholics, despite the the high number of anti-transgender legislation in the United States. The treatment center’s specialized recovery programs are designed to cater to unique experiences and trauma related to recovering gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, gender fluid, queer and questioning, intersex and asexual addicts and alcoholics. Programs at Inspire ensure clients’ orientation, gender identity and gender expression are acknowledged and validated by taking a trauma-informed, and creative approach to substance use.

Donna Weinberger, of Inspire Recovery states: “Our mission is to make our trans and queer clients feel as congruent as possible, so the gender dysphoria noise is not as overwhelming as it would be if these vital needs were not being met first. This makes it possible for our clients to feel comfortable, safe and more focused when speaking with their therapist. Helping our transgender and queer clients to meet their basic needs first with interventions such as living with peers, HRT, and healthcare advocacy allows them to have the space and time to begin working on their recovery.”

Professionally licensed therapists, clinicians and staff offer a combination of traditional therapy programs along with trauma-informed treatment plans tailored for clients of all gender identities, utilizing self-discovery guides such as Dara Hoffman-Fox’s guide “You And Your Gender Identity, A Guide To Discovery.” Inspire Recovery serves as a gateway to 12 step recovery, Refuge Recovery, and other free Recovery Communities clients may relate with. Inspire Recovery provides holistic treatments such as nutrition, meditation, yoga and tai chi. Inspire also provides all-gender rooming and housing accommodation, including sober living homes housed by LGBTQ recovering addicts.

As well as providing services to their own clients, Inspire Recovery also offers a Human Experience workshop for outside therapists and clinicians, with the aim of educating on how to best approach and understand lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex and asexual clients during their journey to recovery. The workshop includes a breakdown of common terminology used within the LGBTQ community, detailed explanations of sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expression, and sexual expression and anatomy as well as the best practices when treating trangender and queer patients.

In the state of Florida, a republican-sponsored bill that would have criminalized doctors treating transgender minors with hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery went into workshop earlier last month. Although it was later announced that the bill is likely not to receive its first hearing, and therefore be made dormant, as of March 13th 2021, a total of 82 anti-transgender bills have been filed on a state-level in other parts of the country, making 2021 a record year for anti-transgender legislation. Florida is also currently among at least 25 states with proposals to pass a bill that would restrict young transgender athletes from participating in school teams.

A 2018 study by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that LGBTQ patients enter into treatment with more severe Substance Use Disorders when compared to their cis-gendered, heterosexual counterparts. LGBT clients are also more likely to have co-occurring mental health issues, with transgender minors more likely to have a severe form of depression than non-transgender patients. However, the same study also stated that gay and bisexual men who took part in a specialized addiction treatment were more likely to have a better outcome than those who did not take part in a specialized treatment.

With today being Transgender Day of Visabilty, it’s important to bring great light to place like Inspire Recovery where Donna Weinberger states “Our goal is to create more successful transgender and queer visibility through recovery so that kids and youth growing up see themselves when they look around the society they are brought into.”

Sources:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article239914173.html

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-bills-target-transgender-athletes-in-school-sports-11901724

https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/breaking-2021-becomes-record-year-for-anti-transgender-legislation

https://www.hrc.org/news/these-are-the-states-trying-to-stop-trans-kids-from-playing-sports

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