My only "i must have" is my sigarets, and yes i know they are adictive, boy do i know, i have tried to give up but they just wont let me go! But thats as far as i will go. For the rest of the drugs, no thankyou and if saying no makes me a looser, then atleast i will die a happy drug free looser.
I have tried drugs before, coke to be exact and i did it twice, the first time the bubbles tickled my throat and the second time the ice cube got stuck in my nose :(
I wanted to see just how bad the scene became regarding drugs in gay clubs and social events, and what i found made my yaw drop to the floor. I have seen drug use myself at various clubs with a "no drugs" policy, but never in my life did i think that it was this bad.
Young gay men are much more likely than straight men to take
drugs, including ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana, according to two
studies in Britain and America.
Nearly one-third of men surveyed in the United States who had sex with other men said they used drugs at least once a week, and lifetime use of cocaine was nearly twice as high as that of the general age-group. Two out of three of the men said that they had used drugs in the previous six months.
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, included 3,492 young men aged between 15 and 22.
'The
people that we spoke to were in an environment that was surrounded by
drugs,' said Linda Valleroy, an epidemiologist and one of the report's
authors. 'There were synchronised epidemics of HIV, drug use and
depressive behaviour.'
New research by the mental health charity Mind showed that the trend is replicated in Britain with drug use consistently higher among gay men and lesbian women.
'The gay scene is bar and club orientated,' said Monty Moncrieff, project co-ordinator at Antidote, a drugs service for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. 'That is where people go to meet other gay people and there is a lot of cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine and GHB around. It is a hedonistic culture and often the lifestyle and recreational drug use go hand in hand.'
Jason, 23, is a gay man living in London who spends most of his weekends partying. On Saturday nights he dances until the early hours among a throng of sweaty bodies and then carries on till the afternoon at one of the city's trendy after-club parties.
He is usually in a haze of euphoria slipping between the highs of ecstasy and cocaine, the surreal nature of ketamine and the lull of marijuana. 'We'll do it again on Sunday,' he says. 'The weekend isn't over until well into Monday.'
By the end of this weekend Jason will have taken a cocktail of five different drugs.
'It is still a hangover from the ecstasy house music boom which did to some extent start in the gay clubs of London,' says David Smith, a senior health promotion officer for gay men.
'It may be because their social life is a very important part of identity - certainly compared to heterosexuals. Gay men also continue to take drugs for much longer than heterosexuals, long after others have chosen to settle down with a family.'
But while much of the drug use is club-related, with recreational drugs being taken as a lifestyle choice, there are concerns that drug use among gay men can be a form of escapism from difficult lives. 'Many people may feel repressed in everyday life,' said Moncrieff. 'They may have to hide their sexuality in the week.'
The study by Mind shows that gay, lesbian and bisexual people are more likely to suffer psychological stress than straight people, with gay men 13 per cent more likely to harm themselves and lesbians 6 per cent more likely.
How accurate these studies are i can not say, but you have to admit that its shocking and i have a feeling not too far from the truth.
Another widely used "drug" and i am using the term drug loosely is poppers, we all now what poppers do, we all know that feeling when used, but did you know that abuse and constant use of poppers can cause cancer?
It’s well known that many gay men use poppers to relax whilst having anal sex, especially for the first time. Younger gay men or those just coming out are therefore much more likely to find a use for poppers, not only for the pleasurable and relaxing affects making anal sex more comfortable but also to allay fear and anxiety associated with their first gay sexual encounters. Unlike with alcohol and cigarettes, the relatively unregulated and discreet nature and convenience offered by by sex shops, saunas and internet mail order services ensures that any age restriction on the sale of poppers to under-age customers would be difficult to enforce. HIV is now at it’s highest rate ever, particularly amongst the current generation of young gay men in our big cities, many of whom failed to received adequate sexual health education at school.
Nearly one-third of men surveyed in the United States who had sex with other men said they used drugs at least once a week, and lifetime use of cocaine was nearly twice as high as that of the general age-group. Two out of three of the men said that they had used drugs in the previous six months.
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, included 3,492 young men aged between 15 and 22.
New research by the mental health charity Mind showed that the trend is replicated in Britain with drug use consistently higher among gay men and lesbian women.
'The gay scene is bar and club orientated,' said Monty Moncrieff, project co-ordinator at Antidote, a drugs service for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. 'That is where people go to meet other gay people and there is a lot of cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine and GHB around. It is a hedonistic culture and often the lifestyle and recreational drug use go hand in hand.'
Jason, 23, is a gay man living in London who spends most of his weekends partying. On Saturday nights he dances until the early hours among a throng of sweaty bodies and then carries on till the afternoon at one of the city's trendy after-club parties.
He is usually in a haze of euphoria slipping between the highs of ecstasy and cocaine, the surreal nature of ketamine and the lull of marijuana. 'We'll do it again on Sunday,' he says. 'The weekend isn't over until well into Monday.'
By the end of this weekend Jason will have taken a cocktail of five different drugs.
'It is still a hangover from the ecstasy house music boom which did to some extent start in the gay clubs of London,' says David Smith, a senior health promotion officer for gay men.
'It may be because their social life is a very important part of identity - certainly compared to heterosexuals. Gay men also continue to take drugs for much longer than heterosexuals, long after others have chosen to settle down with a family.'
But while much of the drug use is club-related, with recreational drugs being taken as a lifestyle choice, there are concerns that drug use among gay men can be a form of escapism from difficult lives. 'Many people may feel repressed in everyday life,' said Moncrieff. 'They may have to hide their sexuality in the week.'
The study by Mind shows that gay, lesbian and bisexual people are more likely to suffer psychological stress than straight people, with gay men 13 per cent more likely to harm themselves and lesbians 6 per cent more likely.
How accurate these studies are i can not say, but you have to admit that its shocking and i have a feeling not too far from the truth.
It’s well known that many gay men use poppers to relax whilst having anal sex, especially for the first time. Younger gay men or those just coming out are therefore much more likely to find a use for poppers, not only for the pleasurable and relaxing affects making anal sex more comfortable but also to allay fear and anxiety associated with their first gay sexual encounters. Unlike with alcohol and cigarettes, the relatively unregulated and discreet nature and convenience offered by by sex shops, saunas and internet mail order services ensures that any age restriction on the sale of poppers to under-age customers would be difficult to enforce. HIV is now at it’s highest rate ever, particularly amongst the current generation of young gay men in our big cities, many of whom failed to received adequate sexual health education at school.
“Both human and animal studies indicate that poppers use significantly suppresses the immune system.” US Toxicology-Clinical Study
Life is so much better when you can see the whole picture guys, dont miss out on what is around you. Have fun at that party or the braai with your friends, but do it in a responsible way. You are alive and you do not need anything to enhance your life or the way you live it. You can enjoy anything while being sober or not on a high, its your choice no one can make that choice for you.
If you meet this cute guy and he wants you to have some "fun" and make the sex better then you dont need to be with that guy, find one that will let you be you, dont give in to your believes just because everyone else is doing it.
Just because it looked cool on queer as folk and many other tv shows does not mean that you have to be a drug addict or try it to be cool, being cool in my mind is the one person that have the balls to say NO THANKYOU
Love
MG
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