It’s time we had a grown-up talk about gay men, drugs and sex

[GachiMuchi]

 

Almost 1 in 4 who engage in chemsex know someone who died after a chillout

Nearly two thirds suffer from depression or anxiety because of getting ‘high and horny’

5 Guys Chillin'

Theatre show 5 Guys Chillin' looks at the world of chemsex

14 September 2017    15:39 GMT

Jamie Wareham and David Hudson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost a quarter of people who engage in chemsex know someone who died after a party and play scenario.

‘Chemsex’ is using drugs for sex. And growing numbers of gay and bi men are getting ‘high and horny’.

Gay Star News and social app Blued surveyed 1,117 people in the first global survey into chemsex.

Guys experimenting with chemsex across the world told us:

• Almost 1 in 4 (23%) who party and play know someone who died after a chillout.
• Nearly two thirds (60%) experience anxiety or depression as a result of having chemsex.
• 1 in 10 reports being sexually assaulted in a chemsex environment.
• 1 in 10 has gone to Accident and Emergency, an Emergency Room or needed urgent care because of the chems they’ve taken.
• 23% have overdosed on chemsex drug ‘G.’
• 3 in 10 who get high and horny, do it on their own with porn.
• Over half (53%) say they take more risks with their sexual health when on chems.

This survey was conducted as part of Gay Star News’s chemsex series of articles which is examining the relationship LGBTI people have between drugs and sex.

It was designed to find out about the way people are engaging in chemsex, rather than how many people are having it.

Responding to the survey, David Stuart the Chemsex lead at London’s sexual health clinic 56 Dean Street says ‘These results are consistent with the stories I hear from gay communities I visit around the world.’

Read: Chemsex is creating a rise in gay men being criminalized 

What drugs are gay and bi men using for sex?

The majority indicated that G (the common term for gammahydroxybutyrate, GHB, or gammabutyrolactone, GBL) was one of several drugs used during their chemsex session.

When asked ‘which of the following drugs have you used for sex in the last year?’ Half said they used G, closely followed by ‘Tina’ (crystal meth) at 48%.

Monty MoncrieffChief Executive with London Friend the LGBT Health and Wellbeing charity that runs drug service antidote refers to the popularity of G, crystal meth and mephedrone as the ‘unholy trinity’ of chemsex drugs.

Gay Star News and Blued Global Chemsex Survey – Answers to ‘Which of the following drugs have you used for sex in the last year?’

Other drugs in the mix also included ecstasy, cannabis/weed and viagra. Poppers are the common name for isopropyl nitrite – which remains a legal substance in many countries, including the UK.

Read: What you need to know about the drugs gay men are using to chill out and have sex

Apps are powering chemsex

The survey shows that apps are one of the main ways gay and bi men connect to have chemsex.

Four in five (82%) said they use apps in the planning of getting high and horny, buying drugs and finding parties.

Gay Star News and Blued Global Chemsex Survey – Answers to ‘What role do hook-up apps play in facilitating your chemsex life?’

We also know that nearly two thirds have their own drug dealers, while 16% are using apps to seek out dealers. Those that don’t have their own dealer, rely on a partner (46%). And, alarmingly, 7% swap drugs for sex.

How often are people high and horny?

Half of the respondents engage in chemsex at least once a month.

For 16% of the respondents it’s just once a month, however both twice a month (15%) and every weekend (14%) had similar rates. A smaller number (4%) got high and horny daily.

For the rest, chemsex seemed to be a more irregular experience. A quarter said it was just a few times a year, and 3% said they only took chems on public holidays.

Actors from the play 5 Guys Chillin’ by Peter Darney

Is everyone party and playing?

The often sensationalised chemsex parties are only part of the story for some of those engaging in chemsex.

Our survey found that only a third went to chemsex parties. Others played alone with a sexual partner – either someone they’d just met or a long-term partner.

Gay Star News and Blued Global Chemsex Survey – Answers to ‘Who do you most commonly take chems with?’

Chemsex can also be a solitary experience. The results show 30% are taking chems on their own and watching porn.

Liam McClelland is one person who gave a personal account of this to Gay Star Newsas part of its chemsex series.

He described to GSN how making the the decision to slam (inject drugs), ‘unlocked a side of chemsex that was destructive.’ He eventually ended up slamming on his own; feeling isolated through anxiety attacks and just seeking to escape.

‘Chemsex is destroying lives’

This is a phrase GSN has heard from many people while putting together its chemsex series.

The statistics in this survey make that even more clear.

Almost 1 in 4 (23%) who party and play say they know someone who died after a chillout.

When nearly two thirds (60%) experience anxiety or depression as a result of engaging in chemsex, it is clearly having a detrimental affect on many who experiment.

Beyond this, it’s hard to separate the incidence of sexual assault (reported by nearly 1 in 10), from the numbers who says they have overdosed on G – nearly a quarter of respondents.

This powerful drug is a depressant and notoriously easy to overdose on. Too much sends people into ‘G sleeps’: actually a type of coma. We’ve heard accounts throughout this series of people waking up from a G overdose and find themselves being fucked by someone.

Gay Star News and Blued Global Chemsex Survey – Answers to ‘Think about the choices you make about sexual health while using chems. Which of these statements do you most identify with?’

Alongside this, 30% of people who took part in the survey were HIV positive. One in 10 of the respondents say they contracted the virus while using chems for sex. And 37% say they caught another STI.

Ultimately, as summed up in the final question of the survey, over half admitted they were taking more risks with their sexual health while high on chems.

Read: What you can do if you think your drug use is problematic

Gay and bi men in London are taking more risks

The largest proportion of respondents came from London, nearly a quarter. When you examine just Londoners, you see dramatic increases in risk taking.

Of course the results pool is smaller, however, it shows there are higher uses of the ‘unholy trinity’ of drugs. People are more likely to know someone who died and there are more overdoses:

• G use rises from half to 7 in 10.
• Mephedrone use doubles to two-thirds reporting use of the drug (from 32%).
• Crystal is used by 58% of Londoners compared with 48% globally.
• More people go to chemsex parties, 45% compared with 35% globally.
• G overdoses are much more common, 35% in London report having one.
• And 35% of London chemsex users know someone who has died (23% worldwide).

The trend indicates London’s gay and bi males are taking more risks on the chemsex scene. Narrowing down the results to the UK capital, 60% say they take ‘more or greater risks’ when using chems. This is higher than the global average of just over half (53%).

Read: Sexual assaults double in London in chemsex environments

How does our community respond?

56 Dean Street is a global leader in chemsex support. Stuart himself coined the term ‘chemsex’ in 2001.

He says he feels ‘flush with unmanageable emotions’ at the results of this survey.

Stuart adds: ‘We must get angry, we must not accept these harms as normal recreational hazards. Overdoses, sexual assaults, psychosis, deaths must not be normal parts of our pursuit of sex. Or our pursuit of pleasure and connection.’

Read David Stuart writing for the series: Chemsex will define a period of our gay history

Starting the debate

Blued says: ‘Our app is focused on health promotion and making our platform and our community safer. We want to inform and facilitate sexual health education and take on important topics like this.

‘We hope this survey and content over the coming weeks will get people to think how to improve their safety.

‘We’re looking forward to discussing the issues in more detail in our event with Gay Star News at the end of the month.’

Gay Star News editor Tris Reid-Smith says: ‘We believe everyone is free to make their own sexual choices. Stigmatising people doesn’t help and we won’t be doing so.

‘But while some people appear to be managing the relationship to chems, others clearly are not. And sometimes the consequences are devastating.

‘People volunteered to do our survey, so it’s not scientific. But it does take a global snapshot of the chemsex phenomenon for the first time. We wanted it to inspire further research and get our community talking.

‘But the stats are only one part of that effort. We have gathered a wealth of personal stories, expert analysis, video interviews that we’ll be sharing over the coming days.

‘We hope people will find the information helpful as they try to protect themselves and others.’

This article is part of the Gay Star News Chemsex Series. Read more stories, support and see the videos on our chemsex section.

 

 

[GachiMuchi]

It’s time we had a grown-up talk about gay men, drugs and sex

Crystal meth, GHB and mephedrone … too many lives are being screwed up to avoid talking about gay men and drug use

5 Guys Chillin'

Theatre show 5 Guys Chillin looks at the world of chemsex

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gay men using drugs is nothing new. We’ve been doing it for decades and will be doing it for years to come.

Indeed, many thousands of gay – and straight – people across the world will do so without any problems.

However, the use of certain drugs has caused renewed concern among health experts.

Here in the UK, the rise in ‘chemsex’ on the gay scene has been linked to a rise in risky sexual behavior, drug-related overdose, and deaths. The drugs most commonly associated with this are GBL/GBH, crystal meth, and mephedrone.

Chemsex

The UK’s government of national statistics releases data each year on the number of drug-related deaths in England and Wales. The figures paint a stark picture.

In the last five years, opiate-related deaths rose each year from 1,290 in 2012 to 2,038 in 2016.

• Cocaine-related deaths rose each year from 139 in 2012 to 371 in 2016.
• Amphetamine-related deaths rose each year, from 97 in 2012 to 160 in 2016.
• Deaths from ‘any new psychoactive substance’ (which includes GHB/GBL) rose each year, from 55 in 2012 to 123 in 2016.

These are significant rises. And the problem is worse on the gay scene. A 2012 studyfound that gay people are seven times more likely to take drugs than their straight counterparts.

Research from Imperial College London revealed that deaths related top GHB/GBL had more than doubled between 2014 and 2015, while deaths related to ecstasy fell by 10%.

Of all G-related deaths between 2011 and 2015 in London, all but one were men, and over three-quarters were at private residences. A third of them were HIV positive.

In short, many of these G-related deaths were gay men, either taking it to chill out at home or at private parties, with or without sex involved.

One agency only too aware of the problem is London’s leading sexual health clinic, 56 Dean Street.

Dean Street sees a great number of London’s gay and bisexual men come through its doors. One in nine of the UK’s HIV diagnoses are made at the clinic. From snap surveys of clients, it estimates that just over 40% of the 7,000-8,000 men who comes through its doors each month have used drugs, with the most popular being GHB, crystal methamphetamine and mephedrone.

And yet, any talk of chemsex provokes a mixed reaction – both within and outside of the gay scene.

Taking the moral high ground

Not all gay men take drugs. Some of those who don’t can be quick to take the moral high ground or judge those they regard to be ‘letting the side down’.

Some people believe that if they have no desire or attraction to drugs, others also shouldn’t.

They think people who take drugs are ‘weak’.

At the other end of spectrum, others can adopt a devotee attitude towards drug taking. Moralizing can only harden their stance.

‘I’m fine and I know what I’m doing.’

For them, it’s a matter of personal choice.

In such an atmosphere, reasoned discussion about the pros and cons of drug taking, and how best to reduce risk, becomes difficult.

Why are gay men turning to chemsex?

Gay men take drugs for many reasons. It can be peer pressure, a desire to maximize the joys of sex or a weekend of partying, an escape from life, or a solution to dealing with everyday homophobia – both external and internal.

It can simply be to pick us up when we feel down, or to alleviate boredom. Maybe the hot guy you’ve got a crush on offers you some and you don’t want to say no in case he thinks you’re boring. No two people will have exactly the same reasons.

However, talking to gay men, some common threads emerge. Some talk of wanting to find friends, companionship or intimacy. Some talk of the enjoyment of that feeling of finally finding their tribe.

Other turn to drugs when they hit crisis points in their life: a split from a life partner or a HIV diagnosis – an event that’s left them feeling they’re at rock bottom and need some help.

Again, some pass through a drug phase without incident, but for others, it can become problematic. And increasingly, at least here in the UK, it’s turning deadly. David Stuart, Substance Abuse Lead at 56 Dean Street. estimates that two gay men in London each month are dying from chemsex-related drug overdoses.

Read: Chemsex will define a period of our gay history

The elephant in the room

What makes this situation harder to talk about is the secrecy that often surrounds it. Whether it’s from sensitivity to the man’s family, or because coroners can often take weeks to rule on a cause of death, gay men dying as a result of drug use often doesn’t make the news.

You simply hear of men dying. Messages of condolence are exchanged on social media without any mention of the elephant in the room.

And it cuts across age, race, social class and background.

Death by accidental overdose is not the only concern. Someone incapacitated by drugs puts themselves in a vulnerable position. Rapes and sexual assaults can occur, and often the victims are scared to report this to the police.

Drugs can make people do things they would never consider doing when they’re not high; things they might feel deep regret or shame about when they sober up.

From a survey undertaken by Gay Star News and social app Blued, approximately 60% of LGBT people questioned said their drug use had provoked feelings of anxiety or depression. One in ten said their drug use had ended up with a trip to hospital.

[Garyl]

So? what are we discussing here?

[kjboy]

25 minutes ago, Garyl said:

So? what are we discussing here?

He is telling us, what is chemsex and how to chemsex.

Opps

[Steve5380]

48 minutes ago, Garyl said:

So? what are we discussing here?

 

It seems to be a reminder of how easily one can fall into a horrible addiction  by seeking too much of a good thing.

 

Isn't sex a strong enough pleasure by itself?  What's the need to add even more?

 

[FattChoy]

Conclusion:

1) Chemsex = Deathwish

2) See point #1

[Luke321]

2 hours ago, Steve5380 said:

 

It seems to be a reminder of how easily one can fall into a horrible addiction  by seeking too much of a good thing.

 

Isn't sex a strong enough pleasure by itself?  What's the need to add even more?

 

For some people, its like wasabi on sushi. And they always need a bit more than the last time. 

 

Then one day, its all wasabi and the fish isn't even in the mix.

[Steve5380]

23 minutes ago, Luke321 said:

For some people, its like wasabi on sushi. And they always need a bit more than the last time. 

 

 

No raw fish for me 

 

[thorzguy]

The prevalence of drugs is so so real. Also known as CF, as what most of us have encountered/heard of via friends and apps.

People who fell because of drugs. Career and relationships will be badly affected. Anything involving drugs, think thrice.

[Guest im a gonna]

I was into chemsex in the early 2000. After 3 years of wild sex, i was hiv positive. I was so damn depressed and wonder why im still alive. Now with the hiv data leak, i feel like dying again. I went cold turkey and stayed clean of drugs and sex for 15 years but life was anything but normal. im so tired of life.

[Steve5380]

12 hours ago, Guest im a gonna said:

I was into chemsex in the early 2000. After 3 years of wild sex, i was hiv positive. I was so damn depressed and wonder why im still alive. Now with the hiv data leak, i feel like dying again. I went cold turkey and stayed clean of drugs and sex for 15 years but life was anything but normal. im so tired of life.

 

We don't live forever, and sooner or later this life will end, with all its problems. 

One can rightfully challenge this "life is a gift".  Many people voluntarily turn this gift down.

 

However, there is one thing to consider. And this is the many people who may have feelings for us.

To end our life can mean countless sorrow, grieving, pain for those who want to have us alive.

 

[fourth]

On 2/27/2019 at 4:02 PM, Guest im a gonna said:

I was into chemsex in the early 2000. After 3 years of wild sex, i was hiv positive. I was so damn depressed and wonder why im still alive. Now with the hiv data leak, i feel like dying again. I went cold turkey and stayed clean of drugs and sex for 15 years but life was anything but normal. im so tired of life.

 

i think you have to let go of that sense of shame within yourself. you don't have to stop having sex. i have poz friends whom are having healthy sex lives cuz they aren't transmittable at all. u have to forgive yourself and move on. cheers!

[Guest Try and see]

Sorry, but the only thing that caught my attention in the OP's post was the rightmost guy's crotch bulge  

 

 

Let's just say that I am more of a visual learner  

[Guest no way]

22 minutes ago, Guest Try and see said:

Sorry, but the only thing that caught my attention in the OP's post was the rightmost guy's crotch bulge  

 

Let's just say that I am more of a visual learner  

 

Which tells us that you can't take any discussion for serious.

 

Back to the topic:

I think there is too much hype into that Chemsex.

 

Often it probably has the same reasons for people doing it as it is for common drug users.

To escape from reality.

 

I think it is a mere dream that sexual pleasure would be greater, but I understand the point of peer pressure is real.

 

I don't think using drugs for sex will result in a happier sexual satisfaction or will remove the main issues most of those person have.

 

And searching more intimate interaction doesn't seem to be something realistic as what was described in the article.