GLBT Addiction and Recovery

An interesting conundrum is that a lot of social service agencies, whether they’re community centers or AIDS advocacy organizations or whatnot, they can be fueled by alcohol-related donations. So Absolut Vodka could sponsor an AIDS fundraiser, and a lot of the men and women attending that fundraiser are impacted by alcohol or some other form of addiction. In that sense, it can be tricky to talk openly about addiction and recovery. Plus, there is absolutely a fair amount of exactly what you said – people thinking, We have been squashed down for so long, and we weren’t able to be who we wanted to be, and now we’re free to do as we please, so don’t you dare rain on our parade. We want to have a good time. Again, it can be a delicate balancing act to talk to those folks about addiction and the problems it causes.