CQ Community and Teen Addiction
Talk Recovery RadioTalk Recovery Radio
This week on Talk Recovery Radio we have 2 amazing guests, first on the show Jeremy Long founder of CQ Community who helps Queer people with access to the tools in safe Queer spaces to do the deep inner work, that empower people to create Fierce and Fabulous lives. Second on the show Dr. Gayani DeSilva MD a child and adolescent psychiatrist who is the author of “Psychiatrist’s Guide: Stop Teen Addiction Before it Starts”. Catch it all LIVE on Talk Recovery Facebook’s page from 12-1pm PST.
CQ Community
The LGBTQ2+ community face specific challenges that cannot be escaped, undone, or magically removed. The lived trauma, pain, wounding, marginalization, oppression, sexual stigma, isolation, and overall disconnection are a pretty serious reality. We are not responsible for this reality – but we are responsible for how we manage ourselves and for the change that needs to happen in order to move forward in our lives!
The CQ Community’s Vision is a world where all Queer people are able to wake up to fact that life isn’t meant to be spent in survival mode. That regardless of our pain, we can cultivate confidence and choice, by acknowledging where we feel helpless and weak, and being supported on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Together, we learn to identify beliefs and patterns that are no longer serving us, taking responsibility for what we can control, and committing to a life of healing and growth in a community of like minded conscious queer people.
Visit CQ Community Website Here
About Jeremy Long
For most of my young life, I had a chip on my shoulder, feeling frustrated at the cards I had been dealt in life. Resentful that my experience felt so hard, having become deeply aware of the trauma of my childhood, I was angry, and envious of those around me who made life look easy. I carried that mentality into my adulthood, and felt like the world owed me something, that it wasn’t fair, and I was greatly convinced that I lacked the confidence to be capable of anything great. Although it felt bad, I maintained that mentality, as it served me in seeking validation from others, until it stopped working.
There came a time when I started to become sick of my old story, of my own complaints, as I watched people succeed and grow around me while I still felt stuck and low – bound by my own negativity. I am wanted more, to feel comfortable, and purposeful. I wished to be free of the mindset that I was helpless and lacked choice and control in my own life. Even with a university degree, a decent job, and a handful of good friends, I still felt like I wasn’t good enough and suffered painful moments in my self esteem and in intimate relationships – I knew something needed to change.
Through a series of rock bottom moments, and some amazing coaches, mentors and intense coach training, and powerful group support spaces – I was challenged to change, to grow, to improve my outlook on life, to heal, acknowledge and release the helpless part of me that needed to be let go. What once had served me, was now killing me. Of the many trainings in coaching and mental health, experiences in therapy, and with my commitment to self development, I have done some deep inner work to grow and change. Of that work, joining a Men’s group was one of the most impactful. The Men’s work movement speaks to healing and growing the modern man, to help him find balance in the masculine and feminine energy. and to become the man he was not taught how to be, by way of Men’s talking circles.
My journey in Men’s work has given me powerful transformation. With the support of great people, I have seen that my trauma, pain, shame, and deep emotions are not the burden I once thought they were. I have learned to be close with other men in a healthy and powerful way – owning my vulnerability and growing my courage and confidence. As a gay man who always feared relationships with men, both straight and gay – this is a great feat!
Dr. Gayani DeSilva
Gayani DeSilva, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, obtained her medical training at Albany Medical College, internship at Brown University, and residency at Harvard University. She holds numerous awards and citations and currently is in private practice in Laguna Beach, CA. In addition to private practice, her previous work includes Juvenile Justice and Foster Care. She was even Koko’s (the gorilla who learned sign language) doctor.
Dr. DeSilva has spent over 15 years as a Psychiatrist, specifically enhancing the mental health of children and adolescents. Much of her work consists of the complex array of needs with adolescent and young adult criminal and violent offenders to understand the interplay between mental illness, societal factors, and interpersonal issues. Gayani dedicates her psychiatric practice to improving children’s health and wellness. Straight talk and practical expertise are her tools of the trade to address the mental health needs of children and their families. She wields not just her expert medical opinion; she advocates to achieve wellness for the entire family.
“Psychiatrist’s Guide: Stop Teen Addiction Before It Starts”
A Psychiatrist’s Guide: Stop Teen Addiction Before It Starts outlines how addictive substances and activities hijack the teenage brain to create an addiction. This book demystifies addiction from a neurological and psychological perspective, explaining the way the brain changes in response to addictive stimuli and in response to psychological factors. The teenage brain and psyche are particularly vulnerable to developing addictions, because during the teen years, the brain is in a phase of rapid and profound development. Moreover, more than half of all suicides were with people who were intoxicated. With a non-judgmental approach, Gayani describes family dynamics and parenting choices that inadvertently promote the development of an addiction. Armed with knowledge about how addiction develops, Dr. DeSilva coaches parents on how to optimize their parenting strategies to help their children avoid getting addicted.
Listen and Subscribe
Talk Recovery airs live every Thursday at noon on 100.5 FM, Vancouver Coop Radio. The Last Door produces this weekly radio show discussing the many pathways to addiction recovery. To end stigma we must continue to talk about recovery. Talk Recovery is in its 7th Season, Hundreds of guests, thousands of listeners, thank you. Show ideas? Email community@lastdoor.org
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