Summary: A people’s greatest madness is usually hidden from them. So it is with America’s war on drugs. Generation after generation it goes on at vast cost — both in terms of money and the damage it does to our society. Much like prohibition, and so shows our FAILure to learn. Today’s post describes a new book about treating the casualties, written by one of the smartest people I know. {2nd of 2 posts today.}
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Paths to Recovery
for Gay and Bisexual Drug Addicts:
Healing Weary Hearts
By Paul Schulte (2015). Excerpt from the preface.
Homophobia puts many lesbian, gay and bisexual youth at risk for suicide, chemical abuse, dropping out of school, verbal and physical abuse, homelessness, prostitution, HIV infection, and psychosocial developmental delays.
This book discusses how we can prevent young adults from having to endure this path without opting out of life — literally and figuratively. It is about how gay and bisexual adult men in recovery (those noble weary hearts that have seen so much death and discrimination) can heal from the scars of early abuse, HIV/AIDS trauma, stigmatization, victimization, and discrimination. Moreover, it addresses ways that they can deal with the homophobia of family, society, and church as well as their own internalized homophobia.
It tells the stories of young men and women today (gay or bisexual and white, Latino and African American) in their twenties and thirties who are dealing with these same issues in a freer and more accepting environment but who still deal with PTSD, crystal meth addiction, alienation from the self and the family, and an absence of heroes or mentors to guide them through difficult times. This book is about how to stay clean from substance abuse as moral, psychological, physical and childhood wounds are healed.
Reviews of the book
From the publisher’s website.
“Schulte’s book weaves together a sensitive synopsis of gay life, history, and the prevalence of substance abuse in our subculture. He masterfully highlights issues pertaining to trauma and dual hiding. …”
—Rick Miller (PhD, LICSW; bio here), author of Unwrapped: Integrative Therapy with Gay Men… The Gift of Presence.
“In Paths to Recovery for Gay and Bisexual Drug Addicts, Paul Schulte artfully combines a clear scientific understanding of the challenges gay and bisexual addicts face along with an intimate depiction of the human suffering involved. Filled with practical implications and useful information, this book is an invaluable resource for these men struggling with addiction, their families, and the professionals who serve them.”
— Diane R. Gehart (Assoc Prof Marriage and Family Therapy, California State University at Northridge; bio here).
About the author
Paul Schulte is currently a Senior Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and his own security research firm. He also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Paul Schulte’s career in equity and fixed income research spans 25 years on both the buy and sell sides covering the Asia and Emerging Markets. He frequently has been ranked in the 5 positions in Euromoney, Asiamoney and Institutional Investor.
Prior to his career in finance, he served as an economic advisor to the Minister of Finance in Jakarta, Indonesia. Before that, he worked for the National Security Council at the White House in Washington. MA in Political Economy from Catholic University and a MALD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He received certification as a Counselor in drug and alcohol addiction from Loyola Marymount U. See his full bio here.
You can see sample research at his firm’s website. Also see his guest posts on the FM website:
- All about deflation, the quiet killer of modern economies.
- BRIC building: the future of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
His other books are Cravings for Deliverance: How William James, the Father of American Psychology, Inspired Alcoholics Anonymous
For More Information
If you liked this post, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more about the war on drugs — our longest war — see these posts:
- Nixon declared war on drugs, a major investment of America in itself – but one that’s gone bad.
- National Drug Threat Assessment 2010.
{Comment deleted for use of white supremacist hate speech, and so a violation of the comment policy.}
A good and valuable contribution to the canon on this subject. Particularly timely in the context of Monica Lewinsky’s brave stand against bullying, cyber shaming etc. Too often in the past gays, lesbians and transgender folks have received “treatment”, and I use that term advisedly, that did not take into account their own unique issues. Deadly as addiction is, it is exponentially amplified by trauma, shame and stigma. Our brave new cyber world continues to feast on these or any others signs of weakness…..