LGBTQIA+ Affirming Addiction Treatment in Los Angeles
Breathe offers LGBTQIA+ affirming care at every level of treatment, from medical detox and residential care through outpatient. Same clinical team, same standard of care, and nothing to explain about who you are.
In-network with most major insurers
Our admissions team verifies your specific benefits and explains exactly what's covered, before you commit to anything.
We do not accept Medi-Cal or Medicare.
Verify my insuranceWhy LGBTQIA+ Affirming Treatment Matters
Recovery takes enough energy without also managing how you're perceived. For many LGBTQIA+ people, drug and alcohol use is tangled up with rejection, minority stress, or trauma, and treatment that skips over that part tends to miss what's actually going on.
When you have to correct your name, defend your relationship, or decide how much of yourself is safe to share, that energy comes straight out of recovery. Affirming care takes that work off your plate so you can put it where it belongs.
Breathe has particular expertise and cultural competency in serving the LGBTQ+ community, while providing inclusive, affirming care for anyone experiencing chemsex or sexualized drug use, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
What Affirming Care Means at Breathe
Affirming care is part of every level of treatment here, not a separate track added to a program built with someone else in mind. Breathe is open to everyone and fully supports every client, regardless of gender identity or expression, biological sex, sexual orientation or race. Our team includes LGBTQIA+ people and allies, and every client is held to the same standard of care.
Correct names and pronouns
From the first phone call, not after an adjustment period. It shouldn't be something you have to ask for twice.
Clinicians trained in minority stress
A team that includes LGBTQIA+ people and allies, trained in the minority stress model and the trauma pathways common in LGBTQIA+, trans and nonbinary experience.
Gender-appropriate facilities
Access to gender-appropriate facilities and living arrangements is part of how care is structured on campus.
Chosen family welcomed
Partners and chosen family are valid participants in family therapy and the in-person 3-Day Family Workshop, open to clients in PHP or IOP with therapist approval.
Our Approach, Treatments and Modalities
Affirming care runs through the full continuum, so moving from detox to residential to outpatient never means starting over with a new team or explaining yourself again.
Trauma-Focused Therapy
Care shaped around how trauma actually presents, including the identity-related trauma many clients carry.
Gender-Affirming Care
Shapes how every therapy is delivered, from the name on your chart to how your family is involved.
CBT, DBT and Motivational Interviewing
Practical skills for cravings, emotions and relationships, built in process groups, skills-based groups and psychoeducation, then applied to the stressors in your actual life.
Somatic Therapy
Body-based work for stress and trauma that talk therapy alone doesn't always reach.
Family Program
For clients in PHP or IOP, with therapist approval: family therapy in person or online, plus the in-person 3-Day Family Workshop, with chosen family included.
Experiential and Holistic
Yoga, mindfulness, breathwork, sound baths, art and music alongside clinical care, for the parts of recovery that aren't about talking.
Chemsex and Sexualized Drug Use
Chemsex is substance use that has become tied to sex, intimacy or hookup culture, most often involving methamphetamine. It is its own clinical issue, and Breathe does not treat it as sex addiction.
Our dedicated chemsex track is compassionate, nonjudgmental and sex positive, with three chemsex groups each week at every level of care. It works alongside affirming care and is open to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Learn About Chemsex Treatment
Why Choose Breathe for LGBTQIA+ Affirming Care
LGBTQIA+ Affirming Care at Every Level
Gender-affirming, identity-affirming clinical care, clinicians who understand minority stress and staff who use your pronouns without being asked twice.
Staff Who've Lived It
Many of our team members, from the front desk to clinical leadership, have personal recovery experience, so you're not being treated only by people who studied it from the outside.
Chosen Family Welcome in Programming
Once you step down to PHP or IOP, family therapy and an in-person 3-Day Family Workshop, with room for chosen family, not only family of origin.
Your Privacy, Protected
Confidentiality built into every part of how we operate, care that respects who knows you're here, on your terms.
Rated 4.1 on Google
4.1 · 155 Google reviewsEvery journey looks different, yours will be built around exactly what you need.
Our location
A secluded campus in the heart of Laurel Canyon, close enough to reach, private enough to heal.
Questions about LGBTQIA+ affirming care
Straight answers about who Breathe treats, gender-affirming care, family, chemsex and coverage.
Is Breathe only for LGBTQIA+ clients?+
Breathe is a drug and alcohol detox and residential treatment center open to everyone. We fully support every client, regardless of gender identity or expression, biological sex, sexual orientation or race. LGBTQIA+ affirming care is part of every level of treatment, and every client is held to the same standard of care.
What does gender-affirming care actually look like day to day?+
Correct names and pronouns from the first phone call, not after an adjustment period, and access to gender-appropriate facilities. You won't have to explain, educate anyone about, or defend who you are. Staff support you in keeping your medical appointments, and you're encouraged to wear your clothes, hair and nails in a way that's true to you. Staff are trained in the specific weight of being LGBTQIA+ in addiction and mental health treatment, not just in general. More on gender-affirming care.
Does 'family' in your programming mean my biological family?+
Partners, chosen family, and community are valid participants in family therapy, our 3-Day Family Workshop, and every other part of how we involve the people who matter to you. The family program begins once you step down to PHP or IOP, with your therapist's approval. During residential care, your care team keeps them informed.
Will I be treated by staff who understand LGBTQIA+ experience specifically?+
Yes. Our team includes LGBTQIA+ people and allies, and staff here are trained in minority stress and the specific weight of being LGBTQIA+, not general sensitivity training applied to every population.
Is chemsex treatment part of this, or a separate thing?+
Chemsex and Sexualized Drug Use Treatment is a dedicated track that runs alongside affirming care. It is open to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Does insurance cover this the same way as standard treatment?+
Yes. In most cases, we're in-network with most major providers and verify your specific benefits before you commit to anything. We do not currently accept Medi-Cal or Medicare. If that's your coverage, call us, we'll tell you straight away and point you toward a resource that can help.