Kathy Watt

Entering this profession of Drug and Alcohol recovery specifically in the LGBTQI+ communities in 1988 I have had over nearly four decades to watch the evolution of "treatment". The first decade of my work I would define as navigating HIV/AIDS while working with one the the most highly impacted communities gay men and transgender women. Treatment was evolving for "AIDS" at the time yet there were the many who wanted to achieve sobriety that took unique and patient specific treatment - back then drug and alcohol treatment was largely "cookie cutter" . My next decade was defined by the explosion of crystal meth and very high risk sex which may or may not have meant many were going off of or forgetting to take HIV medications which had progressed to truly life-saving. My third decade has been about helping a "community" of survivors accept the grief that has been a part of so many lives both currently sober and those not yet sober. This last decade has encompassed COVID and keeping a residential drug and alcohol treatment home "open" and insuring we were taking all precautions to remain "COVID Free" - supporting residents with their sobriety who never went to outside meetings, had not experienced "fellowship" - many were two years sober before meetings opened back up.