Rehab is a lonely place for a gay man like me

Too many services assume people are straight. Tailored, more inclusive approaches are critical – and a civil and human right

It all started with a drink. For millennium celebrations I was in Cape Town with a group of friends. One day at lunch I had what I now know to be a panic attack. To settle my nerves I drank some wine and, as if by magic, all was well. It’s at this point that my social relationship with alcohol shifted – to self-medication for acute anxiety.

How could this happen to me? I was raised in a supportive and loving environment, had an arts degree and was the director of a contemporary art gallery. Not bad for a working class lad from Oldham. But all was not this surface of perfection.

Related: ‘On foot, in vans, we find crack houses’: how peer support is changing addiction services

Related: Gay men are battling a demon more powerful than HIV – and it’s hidden | Owen Jones

Continue reading... December 11, 2017 at 04:00PM