Stepping Stone, San Diego’s GLBT drug and alcohol recovery center, is developing a groundbreaking program aimed at reducing the number of relapses in those recovering from drug abuse, due to dangerous sexual behaviors. Often drug use is associated with what many consider to be high-risk sexual behavior, and for members of the recovery community who don’t know how to separate the two or avoid these potentially situations, it could spell disaster.

“People many, many times relapse over sexual behavior situations. Over and over again through the years we have seen this happen and we’re unable to do anything about it,” Cheryl Houk, Executive Director of Stepping Stone, explained. “It’s very common in the field to ‘don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t do.’ We are totally uncomfortable talking about [sex] and [those in recovery] are totally unprepared when a sex situation arises.”

Whether in the club scene or online, where the term “PNP” or “party and play” has become commonplace, there is always a temptation for people who are in recovery. Stepping Stone hopes their program will teach people in recovery how to deal with those temptations.

“Now they can identify potential problems and learn boundaries, … they can change their behavior so they don’t get in a situation where they are exposed to that,” said Wayne Back, a board member who went through the program ten years ago. “It’s like going to a barber shop — eventually you are going to get your hair cut.”

The program was born out of a recommendation from Douglas Braun-Harvey, a therapist who works with Stepping Stone’s residents. Braun-Harvey proposed the idea to the staff and board to develop a sexual behavior relapse program after recognizing that several of his clients were reporting sexual situations as the reason they began using drugs again. Stepping Stone’s board soon realized that to properly address the issues would require a lengthy process and the creation of a new program.

“We are in the process of developing it.” Houk said. “It does not exist and my peers in the field and other recovery homes are waiting for this to happen, because they have the same problem. We have a higher rate of a problem here because we are the only program in town to put men in with men and women in with women — and that’s who they have sexual relationships with, so the problem is more exposed here.”

Stepping Stone has received a $420,000 three-year grant from the California Endowment to develop the program, which will be evaluated by Jim Zians. Zians will be tallying data from the program and monitoring its success.

The California Endowment is a private philanthropic organization that focuses on multicultural issues and the reduction of disparity in healthcare.

“Oftentimes, even though we have a broad definition of culture and community, our programs reflect differences in race and ethnicity and we are always interested in bringing forward programs that can push those definitions or those perceptions, [through] looking at cultures of age or disability or the LGBT community,” said Stacy Amodio, a program associate with the San Diego regional office of the California Endowment. “This particular program is compelling, not only because it addresses and helps disparity, but because they use the talents, expertise and input, not only of the staff, but of the clients here at Stepping Stone, which is something we find really important.”

If successful, the first of its kind program could become the model for other recovery centers around the county.

“The problem is killing people and we are over it,” Houk said. “We want to give people the best tools we possibly can in recovery and this is an issue that we are willing to take on.”

For more information about Stepping Stone or its programs, call (619) 295-3995.