Aging isn’t for the faint-hearted, they say, and for LGBTQ+ elders, it can be a maze of complexities even more convoluted than for others. Simply imagine coming out when the world wasn’t so ready for you – then imagine growing old in that same world, still not entirely welcoming to people belonging to LGBTQ+ communities. The invisibility that once seemed like a refuge now becomes a dangerous silence. Yet, in this silence, there lurks an even greater danger – the risk of addiction.
This article will explore the addiction risk factors among LGBTQ+ elders, a subject as intricate as it is urgent. Fortunately, the LGBTQ+ elder communities are becoming increasingly visible, but with this visibility comes the spotlight on the many different risks they face. Let’s take a closer look!
The unsaid facts about LGBTQ+ elders in the US
When it comes to LGBTQ+ elders, there’s a wild undercurrent beneath what most people would assume are placid, post-coming-out waters. One study published by the National Library of Medicine reveals striking insights into their lives and realities.
First, economically, LGBTQ+ elders often fare worse than their heterosexual peers. Imagine retiring with a patchwork of unstable incomes, as discrimination in employment isn’t just a historical issue, something we’ve left behind us – it’s still very much a condition that affects today’s elderly populations. Plus, add in the financial instability from lifelong wage disparities due to orientation or identity discrimination, and you’ve got a reality that’s far from secure.
Then, there’s healthcare. Not the “everybody gets their checkups, and we’re good” kind of healthcare, but a complex situation where affirming providers are harder to come by than anyone wants to admit. Many LGBTQ+ elders still deal with providers who are unfamiliar with many of the health conditions they (LGBTQ+ elders) face. Not to mention the lack of familiarity with their personal pronouns or needs. This neglect can intensify mental and physical health disparities, which leaves the door wide open for a common escape. That’s right, addiction.
Addiction risk factors among LGBTQ+ elders
Let’s dig into it now, the heart of the matter. Addiction in LGBTQ+ elders isn’t the result of a single, glaring factor but a slow build-up of emotional, social, and physical conditions that intertwine over a lifetime (of discrimination).
The burden of loneliness
LGBTQ+ elders often bear a weight invisible to many: chronic loneliness. While aging itself is typically linked with social isolation, elders from LGBTQ+ populations tend to face additional layers of exclusion. Estrangement from biological families, compounded by the loss of chosen family members or friends – many of whom have died during the HIV/AIDS crisis – leaves many people within the LGBTQ+ communities with a social circle shrinking as they age. Grief and loneliness don’t dissipate; they calcify.
In the face of such emotional pain, substances can appear to offer comfort—a temporary reprieve from isolation. However, addiction rarely emerges overnight; it often develops gradually, making early recognition critical. The warning signs of addiction can be subtle at first: a glass of wine to take the edge off loneliness, a routine drink becoming a daily necessity, and an increasing reliance on substances to fill the void. Without awareness and intervention, what starts as occasional relief can spiral into long-term dependency. Therefore, understanding these early indicators is essential, as recognizing them can mean the difference between seeking support in time and falling into a cycle that becomes increasingly difficult to break.
Historical trauma and identity stress
Now, let’s think about a lifetime of stress that’s less about the moment and more about a long, unrelenting grind. Gender-diverse individuals, for instance, experience more gender-based trauma throughout their lives. This long-standing stress due to identity can lead to increased anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress – factors that significantly increase addiction risks.
Just consider a person who has had to live besides laws and social norms that criminalized their very existence in youth, who now, in their elder years, are trying to secure basic respect in healthcare systems. The desire to numb this deep, generational pain is potent, and drugs or alcohol can become a means of coping with emotional exhaustion.
Healthcare disparities, access to affirming care
Another one of the addiction risk factors among LGBTQ+ elders is access – or lack thereof – to proper healthcare. You might imagine healthcare systems as places of healing (as they should be), but they’re often battlegrounds. Many still avoid medical care altogether due to discrimination or fear of being treated differently. That avoidance usually translates to untreated mental health conditions, which increase the risk of substance use.
Affirming care, particularly in addiction recovery, remains scarce, leaving many without the support systems necessary to combat addiction effectively.
General social stigma and substance use
Many LGBTQ+ elders have spent their lives dealing with social stigma – whether for their orientation, their gender identity, or their relationships. The shame tied to addiction in these populations can be uniquely painful; it compounds already-existing identity struggles. That stigma can delay or prevent many elders from seeking help. For those whose lives were marked by secrecy and concealment, the idea of disclosing a substance use problem may feel like a betrayal of personal dignity they’ve earned the hard way. So they remain hidden in plain sight, worsening the addiction that they keep under wraps.
Discrimination-fueled anxiety
Fear of discrimination in retirement homes or care facilities can also drive substance use in LGBTQ+ elders. Being forced back into the closet or having to deal with microaggressions from peers and caregivers can be a trigger for conditions such as anxiety or depression. Many elders will turn to substances as a way to deal with this stress. That is especially evident when their past (healthy) coping mechanisms no longer serve them.
For some, addiction isn’t about escapism but about maintaining some semblance of control in an environment where they once again feel powerless.
Conclusion
In conclusion, addiction risk factors among LGBTQ+ elders aren’t isolated instances of poor choices or bad luck. Instead, they are the compounded effects of lifelong marginalization, loneliness, and discrimination. It’s a story that begins long before the elder years, with conditions rooted in the societal treatment of LGBTQ+ populations at large.
Addiction among LGBTQ+ elders is both a deeply personal and a systemic issue, shaped by forces far beyond an individual’s control. While the narrative is bleak, recognition of these risk factors also opens doors to better care – care that’s not only affirming but also attuned to the specific needs of an aging population long ignored.
And maybe that’s the only hopeful thread we can pull: awareness. Without it, the patterns continue. With it, change – however slow – may come.
Author’s bio:
John Glenn is a passionate blog writer who covers topics such as aging, identity, and the quiet battles people fight when no one’s watching. He likes to say that he doesn’t like easy answers, just sharp storytelling, and the occasional necessary discomfort.
Featured image:
https://unsplash.com/photos/a-group-of-people-holding-signs-and-flags-t9iVMzQsGig
References:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5373809/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8573324/
http://lgbtagingcenter.org/library/item/substance-use-in-lgbt-older-adults/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3288601/
https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2020/june/LGB-older-adults-substance-use.html
