Health

Crystal Meth: How to Ask for Help

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Crystal Meth: Asking for Help

If you think you’ve got a problem with meth , recognizing that you have a problem is the first step in getting help.

A lot of people think they can kick meth and other drugs on their own, but that’s not going to work for most people. To get started, you need to find someone you can trust to discuss your problem with.

A friend or loved one can be a good option at first, particularly if you think they can help you without being judgmental or trying to use your problem to control you. A supportive and understanding person outside of your family or friends may be your best option, especially if that person has faced a problem with meth before. If you can’t talk to your significant other, a siblingor a parent, you may want to approach a counselor, a doctor, a religious leader, a former user on the road to recovery, or a hotline operator.

So, how do you ask for help? Try nine simple words “I have a problem, and I need your help.”

Practice those words over and over until you can say them to the person you want to turn to for help. If your intended helper doesn’t know you use meth, or even if he or she does know, you need to continue: “My problem is meth.” Saying it is very powerful-you take your problem out of your head and puts it where others can help. There! It’s not a secret anymore, and you’ve asked someone for help. Now, to make certain that you get the help you need to deal with your problem, here are some things you can do to make getting help for you easier on the person you asked.

Have a vision of what “help” means to you right now .

  • If you still need to talk with someone to figure out what that “help” is, ask your helper to help you find and show up for either a Crystal Meth Anonymous meeting or a counselor. You can start by looking at www.crystalmeth.org .
  • If you just want to get your use to a level where it isn’t running your life, tell your helper that you want to learn to use less. Let them know that you want to cut back on your use and ask them to help you find a “harm reduction” program or specialist. In the DC area, a monthly harm reduction group takes place at the DC Center.  Find out more at 202 682-2245.
  • If you want to stop using completely, tell your helper that you want treatment to stop using and what type of insurance you have, if any.  Don’t let a lack of money or insurance stand in your way, though. Let your helper know that there are lists of treatment centers available online  or by calling 1-800-662-4357.

Have this guide handy when you ask for help, too . If emotions keep you from saying too much, you can always point to words on the page to ask for help and to describe the help you need. The website at the bottom of this page can help your helper and you, too!

Overcoming a drug problem is not easy . Quitting drugs is probably going to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but it will be one of the things you’re most proud of having done, too. It’s not a sign of weakness if you need professional help from a trained drug counselor or therapist. Most people who try to kick a drug or alcohol program need professional assistance or treatment programs to meet their goals.

Once you decide start a treatment program–whether inpatient or outpatient or through 12-step meetings (CMA)–try these tips to make the road to recovery less bumpy:

  • Tell your friends about your decision to stop using drugs. Real friends will respect your decision. But also keep in mind that you may need to find new friends who will be 100% supportive. Unless all of your friends get off drugs together, you won’t be able to hang out with the buds you got high with before. It may hurt like hell to give up your friends, but you’re choosing the life you want for yourself, not they life that they want you to have.
  • Ask your friends or family to be available when you need them. You may need tocall someone in the middle of the night just to talk. If you’re going through a tough time, don’t try to handle things on your own – accept the help your family and friends offer.
  • Accept only invitations to events that you know won’t involve drugs. Going to themovies is probably safe, but you may want to skip a Friday night party until you’re feeling more secure. Plan activities that don’t involve drugs. Go to the movies or to museums, try bowling, or take a class with a friend.
  • Have a plan about what you’ll do if you find yourself in a place with drugs. The temptation will be there eventually, but if you know how you’re going to handle it, you’ll be OK. Establish a plan with your friends and family so that if you call home using a code, they’ll know that your call is a signal you need to get out where you are fast.
  • Remind yourself that having a drug problem doesn’t make you bad or weak. If you slip up and use a bit, talk a counselor or someone in your treatment program as soon as possible. There’s nothing to be ashamed about, but it’s important to recognize the slip quickly so that all of the hard work you put into your recovery is not lost.

If you’re worried about a friend who has an addiction, use these tips to help him or her, too. For example, let your friend know that you are available to talk or offer your support. If you notice a friend using again, talk about it openly and ask what you can do to help. If your friend is going back to drugs and won’t accept your help, don’t be afraid to talk to a counselor. It may seem like you’re ratting your friend out, but it’s the best support you can offer.

Above all, offer a friend who’s battling a drug problem lots of encouragement and praise. It may seem corny, but hearing that you care is just the kind of motivation your friend needs.

Staying Clean

Recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction doesn’t end with a 6-week treatment program. It’s a lifelong process. Many people find that joining a support group can help them stay clean. There are support groups specifically for teens and younger people, too. You’ll meet people who have gone through the same experiences you have, and you’ll be able to participate in real-life discussions about drugs that you won’t hear elsewhere.Many people find that helping others is also the best way to help themselves. Your understanding of how difficult the recovery process can be will help you to support others -both teens and adults – who are battling an addiction.If you do have a relapse, recognizing the problem as soon as possible is critical. Get help right away so that you don’t undo all the hard work you put into your initial recovery. And don’t ever be afraid to ask for help!

Originally created by the DC Crystal Meth Working Group which is not currently active.

Crystal Meth: Asking for Help
Crystal Meth: Asking for Help

DC Prep Campaign Partners with Trans Latinx Community

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Trans Latinx Prep Campaign

According to a 2017 report by the DC Department of Health (DOH) HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Administration (HAHSTA), 12,964 people residing in Washington D. C. live with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

For that reason, HAHSTA is launching the “Pledge to be PrEPared” campaign this month to educate the transgender community living in Washington D. C. about the importance of taking Preexposure Prophylaxis or PrEP.

PrEP is a pill taken once a day, and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that can prevent the HIV infection. Taken daily, PrEP is safe and over 90% effective at preventing HIV.

This unique campaign was created with the close participation of the Latin transgender community in Washington D. C. and Alexa Rodriguez, the Director of Trans-Latin@ DMV. It was developed based on HAHSTA’s ability to recognize the way the transgender community has been perceived in the past. The transgender representation is important to allow this community to communicate their values, their role in society, as well as their needs.

The transgender community participation in the campaign took place from the strategic planning and focus groups to the inclusion of real transgender Latina women in the promotional materials. This resulted in trusted messages in hopes of building trust among this community when deciding to take PrEP, as well as understanding its benefits.

“It’s important to educate the transgender community, as well as to break barriers and taboos about taking PrEP, and understand the real benefits of taking it, especially to prevent HIV,” Alexa said. She added that “the DC Department of Health’s efforts to benefit the transgender community are a big step, but there is still a lot to be done.”

Michael Kharfen, HAHSTA’s Senior Deputy Director, agreed with Alexa’s statement, adding: “At DOH we are pleased to introduce this campaign created in collaboration with the transgender community, but we understand these are just the first steps, and that there is more to do in order to fulfill our commitment and dedication to supporting this significant community residing in Washington D. C.”

To participate in this important campaign and get more information, visit #PrEPpledge, PrEPpledge.com or cdc.gov/hiv/risk/prep/index.html.

Is Smoking the Greatest Threat to People Living with HIV?

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Tobacco kills more HIV-positive D.C. residents than AIDS

Smoking is killing our community. Every year, tobacco-related diseases take more than 30,000 LGBT lives. In Washington, D.C., smoking is responsible for approximately 800 deaths every year, with a disproportionate number of those deaths coming from the LGBT community. Nearly 25 percent of LGBT adults in the United States smoke, compared to only about 17 percent of straight adults.

Among those living with HIV/AIDS, tobacco use is even more prevalent. It is estimated that as many as 40 percent of people living with HIV Smoke, a rate more than twice that of the general adult population in the United States.  Smoking is now more likely to kill people living with HIV than the virus itself.

Because HIV hinders the body’s ability to fight off infection or disease, smokers with HIV are more prone to both HIV-related infections (such as Thrush, white mouth sores, and pneumonia) and fatal tobacco-related illnesses (such as COPD, heart disease and stroke, and cancer). In fact, the life expectancy of a 35-year-old smoker with HIV is cut by nearly eight years because of smoking.

Smoking also negatively impacts anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for HIV patients. According to a study published in AIDS, smoking doubles the risk of death for someone with HIV on ART.

Higher rates of smoking in the LGBT community can be attributed to a wide range of factors, including coping with the added stress of societal prejudices. Unfortunately, many of the places meant to be safe havens for LGBT individuals and those with HIV are actually the main battlegrounds for fighting smoking. The tobacco industry has targeted LGBT individuals and people with HIV for 25 years, advertising at LGBT community events, including Pride, and even giving money to both national and local LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations.

Surveys have found that two-thirds of smokers with HIV want to quit, but they need more resources to do so long-term. With the highest rates of HIV in the country, the District should take heed.

This year, the D.C. Tobacco Free Coalition, the D.C. Department of Health, and more than 40 community organizations are coming together to battle smoking as part of D.C. Calls It Quits Week, Sept. 19-25. But more help is needed to help D.C. smokers quit and save LGBT lives from tobacco-related diseases.

First, policymakers and providers should make every effort to reach out to the LGBT community to work with them to raise awareness about the connection between HIV and smoking. Better education for the LGBT community on the specific dangers of smoking while being HIV positive would help discourage tobacco use among patients.

Counseling and treatment to quit smoking should also be integrated into all HIV patients’ treatment programs, including both physical and mental health. We know that smokers with HIV who receive counseling and treatment to quit smoking, in conjunction with ART or mental health treatment, are more likely to successfully quit smoking than when attempting to quit on their own.

Finally, access to resources to quit smoking must be made available for every D.C. resident with HIV. If you are a smoker in D.C., call 1-800-Quit-Now (784-8669).

This article originally appeared in the Washington Blade.

Tobacco kills more HIV-positive D.C. residents than AIDS
Tobacco kills more HIV-positive D.C. residents than AIDS

10 Key LGBTQ Health Advocacy Issues

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LGBTQ Health Advocacy Issues

The National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund and the National Coalition for LGBT Health have published a new guide on health issues important to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. Released in advance of the 2016 presidential election, the “10 Key LGBTQ Health Advocacy Priorities Guide” is intended to educate voters on LGBTQ health priorities the two organizations will continue to focus on during the next administration.

The guide lists the following ten key areas as priorities: advocating for reproductive health, rights and justice; creating an AIDS-free generation, promoting HIV harm reduction, and increasing access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); expanding public education and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and sexually transmitted diseases (STD); supporting LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness; improving transgender healthcare; addressing religious exemptions and nondiscrimination laws; promoting LGBTQ cultural competency; improving access to mental health; expanding access to affordable health care; and ending violence against LGBTQ people.

All of these of course are important issues.   Notably absent, however, is any discussion of tobacco and tobacco related cancers.   Smoking causes more deaths in the United States than HIV, illegal drug use and alcohol use combined, and more than 30,000 LGBT people die each year of tobacco-related diseases.  Members of the LGBT community smoke at rates 50 percent higher than the general population. Some studies indicate that LGBT adults are 1.5 to 2.5 times more likely to smoke than heterosexual adults. And, although most LGBT smokers say that they know smoking is harmful to their health, fewer have tried to quit (75 percent versus 80 percent of all adults).

Both The National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund and the National Coalition for LGBT Health will host workshops, trainings, and informational sessions on these priority health advocacy issues during the 2017 Creating Change Conference on January 18-22 and SYNChronicity 2017: the National Conference on HIV, HCV, and LGBT Health, set for April 24-25.

Download the resource guide here:
10 Key LGBTQ Health Advocacy Issues

LGBTQ Health Advocacy

LGBTQ Health Advocacy

The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them

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The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Fix them

Despite making up more than half of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual population, bisexual people are often overlooked and invisible. Bisexual people are frequently assumed to be gay, lesbian, or heterosexual based on the gender of their partner. Yet when bisexual people are open about their sexuality, they face increased levels of violence from intimate partners; rejection by community, family, and peers; and skepticism from the people and organizations whom they turn to for help, resources, and services.

Consider this: Only 20 percent of bisexual people say that there is social acceptance of lesbian, gay and bisexual people where they live, compared to 31 percent of lesbians and 39 percent of gay men. While these social acceptance numbers are too low across the board, bisexual people are rarely explicitly considered separately from lesbian and gay people. Rather, bisexual people are swept into the greater lesbian, gay, and bisexual population, their specific disparities made invisible within data about the population as a whole.

The Movement Advancement Project and a broad coalition of partners have released a groundbreaking report. Invisible Majority: The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them focuses on the “invisible majority” of the LGBT community, the nearly 5 million adults in the U.S. who identify as bisexual and the millions more who have sexual or romantic attraction to or contact with people of more than one gender. The report shows how bias, stigma, and invisibility lead to alarming rates of societal rejection, violence, discrimination, and poor physical and mental health.

Download the entire report here:
Invisible Majority: The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them

Invisible Majority: The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them
Invisible Majority: The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them

FDA Launches LGBT Youth Tobacco Prevention Campaign

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LGBT Youth Tobacco Prevention Campaign - This Free Life

 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially launched their new This Free Life campaign to shift the conversation about smoking in the LGBT Community.  While smoking is an issue that is not often discussed in our community, it has a profound impact on our community, particularly when we are talking about LGBT Youth.

“We know LGBT young adults in this country are nearly twice as likely to use tobacco as other young adults, says Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products.

On hand for the launch was Dr. Scout from Healthlink, a program of the CenterLink, the National Association of LGBT Community Centers.   Scout provided valuable information to the FDA on best practices with regards to reaching the LGBT Community and was one of many LGBT communty members who provided feedback on the campaign, which was market tested with over 1,000 LGBT Youth.

“There are a number of factors that contribute to the higher risk for tobacco use among LGBT young adults.  The coming out process is a unique tobacco-use risk factor for LGBT young adults due to the actual and perceived social stigma, discrimination and anxiety experienced during this process.  And data show that the coming out process faced by most LGBT young adults can lead to tobacco use and negative health consequences.

Research also indicates that many LGBT young adults can find a sense of community at LGBT bars and clubs which sometimes provides environments conducive to tobacco use.

“This Free Life” launches in 12 markets this week using print, digital and out-of-home ads, as well as outreach at the local level to showcase tobacco-free behaviors and attitudes within the LGBT Community.  The $35.7 million campaign is funded by user fees collected from the tobacco industry.

This Free Life
This Free Life

Talking about Suicide and LGBT Populations

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Suicide Prevention

In the past few years we’ve seen more awareness in our community about suicide and LGBT populations, especially LGBT Youth.   Studies like the Youth Risk Behavior Survey -when LGBT data is collected by some states at the local level –  have consistently shown that LGBT Youth are at higher risk for ‘suicidal ideation’ (suicidal thoughts).  This is largely due to minority stress which is the stress your experience from living in a world that is often hostile and discriminatory to LGBT people; and all the little and big things you have to cope with living in that world.

This is an important issue to talk about, of course, but how we talk about it matters greatly.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that suicide is in part, contagious.  People who are considering suicide are already at risk, of course, but publicity about suicides can be a trigger.

There are definitely things to avoid.  This includes discussing the details of the method used in a suicide death, and idealizing suicide victims.

To learn more, read this thoughtful report from the Center for American Progress.

Talking about Suicide and LGBT Populations

Talking about Suicide and LGBT Youth

National HIV/AIDS & Aging Awareness Day

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National HIV/AIDS & Aging Awareness Day

September 18 is National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day. The importance of the annual observance increases as the number of people aged 50 and older who are living with HIV continues to grow. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that people aged 55 and older accounted for 26% of the estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV infection in the United States in 2011.

HIV-related challenges facing older Americans include lack of knowledge about HIV and stigma that discourages them from seeking HIV testing and care. In older adults, HIV is too often diagnosed late in the course of the infection, leading to shorter HIV-to-AIDS intervals.

hivagingsquare

Guides for Newly Insured LGBT Persons and PLWHA

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The Pozitively Healthy coalition and the National Coalition for LGBT Health have produced personal guides for newly-insured individuals living with HIV and LGBT individuals, respectively.

The “Get Enrolled. Get Engaged. Get Empowered.” guides provide information on navigating the enrollment process , engaging with providers and pharmacists, and empowering yourself in finding specialty care and maximizing benefits.

The guides are available to download at www.healthhiv.org or clicking on the covers below. For more information on Pozitively Healthy or the National Coalition for LGBT Health, please visit www.pozitivelyhealthy.org or www.healthlgbt.org.

lgbthealthsquare

LGBT Community Should Call it Quits

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More than a quarter of people in the LGBT community engage in an activity that has significant negative consequences for their health. It can cause debilitating diseases and lead to premature death. It is also something that is preventable—smoking.

Smoking causes more deaths in the United States than HIV, illegal drug use and alcohol use combined, and more than 30,000 LGBT people die each year of tobacco-related diseases.
Members of the LGBT community smoke at rates 50 percent higher than the general population. Some studies indicate that LGBT adults are 1.5 to 2.5 times more likely to smoke than heterosexual adults. And, although most LGBT smokers say that they know smoking is harmful to their health, fewer have tried to quit (75 percent versus 80 percent of all adults).

It is understandable why the smoking rates within the LGBT community are higher. For some, the stress that comes with living in places that may not be accepting can lead them to smoke. At the same time, the big tobacco companies have marketed their products specifically to our community, hoping that slick campaigns entice young, and often vulnerable, individuals to start smoking.

The problem is that some of the most serious health conditions our community has been battling for decades are made that much worse with smoking. Smoking can make it more difficult to fight off infections, and people with HIV who smoke have a higher risk of complications than nonsmokers.

Quitting, while it may be hard, is not impossible.  Research has shown that one of the best ways to quit is with the support of one’s community. The people around you can help keep you motivated and can help you quit for good.

This is why the DC Center for the LGBT Community recently worked with dozens of other organizations on a campaign to help people in D.C. quit. The campaign, DC Calls It Quits, took place the week of Sept. 21 and had the support of more than 40 local organizations, government agencies and health groups.

The goal of the week was to show people that there are a variety of community resources available—including help lines, support meetings and therapies—that can make quitting easier.

Smoking cessation is an important component of LGBT health and wellness. If you need help, join a local support group that specifically focuses on LGBT smoking cessation, try to quit with a friend or partner – do whatever it takes.

(Residents can access free support to quit smoking by calling 1-800-QUITNOW. D.C. residents who call this number can get free smoking cessation aids like nicotine gum or patches. Combining nicotine replacement therapy with such a program will double your chances of quitting successfully.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Blade.