National Institutes of Health estimated that in the LGBTQ+ community, 20 to 30 percent of people abuse substances compared to nine percent in the general population.
NEW ORLEANS — There’s a new initiative launching this weekend at Southern Decadence.
It’s designed to support and celebrate sobriety within the LGBTQ+ community during this Labor Day weekend event.
And it’s hoped to start some on a new health journey.
It was 2015 when Austin Addison came from his home in New York City to his first Southern Decadence celebration. That’s when he fell in love with New Orleans.
“And I had an amazing, amazing, and adventurous time. I saw that the city was really vibrant. It’s one of the things that inspired me to actually move here,” said Austin Addison, 35, who works in digital marketing and advertising.
But Austin was a different person back then.
“I was drinking. I was taking street drugs. I was, I was hooting, and …