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Addiction in the Transgender Community

by | Nov 8, 2024 | Mental Health

Transgender Awareness Week

November 13-19 of each year is set aside for Transgender Awareness Week. This is a time to raise awareness about transgender people and the issues they face in society. The week wraps up with Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on November 20, when trans people who have lost their lives to violence are remembered at vigils and similar events. The suffering trans people experience places them at higher risk for mental health concerns and addiction. At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, we provide the best possible care for mental health and substance use issues, while affirming a patient’s gender identity.

A Glossary of Trans-Related Terms

Around 44 percent of American adults and 50 percent of Americans under 50 say they have met someone who was trans. If you have never met someone who was trans, you may not be familiar with the following concepts:

  • Gender identity – A person’s own description of their gender. A cisgender person sees their gender in the same way it was assigned at birth. A transgender, nonbinary, or intersex person sees it differently.
  • Transgender – Someone whose assigned gender, usually based upon their visible genitals at birth, does not align with how they see themselves. 
    • AFAB – “Assigned female at birth,” a term that is sometimes used to describe transgender men or nonbinary people who were born with a vagina but who don’t see themselves as female.
    • AMAB – “Assigned male at birth,” a term that is sometimes used to describe transgender women or nonbinary people who were born with a penis but who don’t see themselves as male.
    • Nonbinary – This person may consider themselves to be under the trans umbrella, but they may not see themselves as male or female, or they may be some combination of the two.
    • Gender fluid – A person whose gender feels different from one day to the next.
    • Intersex – “Hermaphrodite” is an outdated term that was once used to describe people born with ambiguous genitalia or genitalia that is both male and female, but intersex is now the preferred term.
  • Gender expression – The gender a person was assigned at birth and their internal perception of their gender can also be different from how they present themselves. Their decision to wear dresses, make-up, long hair and/or a beard, speak in a higher or lower voice or use body language that is typically expected of a man or a woman is how they express their gender, but it may not align with expectations society has for their biological sex or their gender identity. Cisgender people also sometimes engage in gender expression that is not how society prescribes their gender be presented, like when cisgender women wear suits that are considered menswear and cisgender men wear fashions more closely associated with women.
  • Gender transition – Though hormone replacement therapy or surgical procedures can be part of a person’s gender transition, this term can refer to a number of different changes that people make when they begin to live according to their gender identity. Age may determine what a person’s transition can include, since some permanent types of transition are not available to minors. A person’s gender transition might include only one or two of these examples, while other people might do all of the things listed:
    • Changing their hair or fashion choices
    • Choosing a new name that reflects their gender identity 
    • Updating vital records, like their legal name, birth certificate, driver’s license, and social security card
    • Taking puberty blockers to delay sexual development
    • Taking hormones like estrogen or testosterone to alter their body’s appearance
    • Having surgery to make their body align more closely with their gender identity 
  • Gender-affirming care – Medical or mental health care that actively accepts and supports a person’s gender identity. At a minimum, this involves using a person’s preferred name and pronouns and ensuring staff are trained to be culturally competent when dealing with trans and nonbinary individuals. It can also include medications or surgical procedures that assist a person in their transition.

Factors That Place Trans People at Higher Risk for Substance Misuse

Transgender people face more adversity just for being who they are. This adversity can be horrifically traumatic. Trauma has been repeatedly linked to an increased likelihood of substance misuse and addiction. Some examples of potential trauma faced by trans and nonbinary people include

At Safe Harbor Recovery Center, we believe in providing compassionate care without judgment. We offer evidence-based, trauma-informed care for patients with substance use disorders. Our treatment plans address the mental, physical, medical, and spiritual needs of each patient we serve.