Meth and gay men

Upon exiting treatment, many find themselves on uncertain ground and in desperate need of sober friendships and networks that support their recovery. While I had been drinking, smoking pot, and dabbling in psychedelics and other drugs since high school, I discovered meth when in college through the gay club scene. Much like at the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the disease of addiction is heavily stigmatized, and too often, we place blame on those who are impacted rather than taking effective action to curb the crisis.

In addition to culturally competent addiction treatment, we desperately need more sober, safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community.

The effects of the drug on the brain and body keep getting exponentially more damaging, and between the physical addiction and the subsequent loss of impulse control, it can be extremely difficult to get out of the cycle of using.

One of the first steps you can take towards recovery is to get help from another person. What’s a better way to keep things going, going, and still going?

It’s not always something that is a matter of will power.

Coming from a tumultuous, repressed, and traumatizing family life, suddenly being in an accepting space with other gay men who encouraged me to be free, feel good, and not hide my sexual feelings was like a dream come true. It can seem scary or overwhelming at first, but if you take it one moment at a time, it’s easier than you think. Quitting meth may require them to cut ties and break contact with people they’ve come to love and care about deeply.

Our LGBTQ+ patients sometimes express fear they won’t be able to experience sex and other activities in the same way once they quit using meth.

Meth worked for me until it didn’t. When I wasn’t on it anymore, something was off and I found it so difficult to contend with regular life, connect with others, and find any joy or pleasure in day-to-day things. Constantly feeling unsafe or unable to live as one’s true self at a young age can have a lasting impact on a person’s mental health and is a risk factor for problematic substance use as a tool to manage shame and emotional pain.

Another complicating factor is that for many queer people, there are few safe spaces, and one of the first ones they encounter is gay bars, where drinking and/or substance use is the norm.

Add to that the fact that meth is one of the most physically addicting substances there is, and it’s a perfect storm of abuse and dependence. So when something can come along and literally strip away those feelings of shame, sadness, not feeling good enough, repression, isolation, etc., it’s no wonder that it’s hard to stop it.

There are recovery groups around, including 12-step groups, that can provide even more structure and tools for living life in a different way.

Ultimately, recovery will require a brave step towards giving up something that once worked for you, but now no longer works and always leads to the same dark, anxiety filled place. Gay men were over four times more likely than straight men to have used meth in the past year.

As a mental health counselor and coordinator of the LGBTQ+ program at River Oaks Treatment Center in South Florida, I know firsthand how devastating meth addiction in this marginalized demographic can be.

Meth is highly addictive, as it increases the brain’s available dopamine, which is a powerful reward chemical.

The rush of dopamine creates intense energy and euphoria, but when the high ends, it creates a “crash,” or feelings of fatigue, lethargy, and irritability.

Meth addiction occurs in virtually every segment of the population.

The clubs felt like a new family had embraced me, and with that I would pretty much try anything that was put in front of me. Originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD), DBT has been expanded to treat many mental health disorders that involve emotional dysregulation, which is something we often see among our patients in early recovery from meth addiction.

The approach functions to enhance one’s capabilities to regulate emotions, practice mindfulness, improve interpersonal effectiveness, and strengthen distress tolerance before practicing these skills and encouraging patients to apply them in their daily lives.

It’s imperative to have some kind of support and structure that can help keep you above water when you feel like you might drown. A high from meth increases feelings of confidence while decreasing feelings of vulnerability.

This increased confidence may appeal to the LGBTQ+ community, as homophobia and other societal issues can decrease confidence and cause other mental health struggles.

For LGBTQ+ people who may be uncomfortable with parties but cannot find a supportive community elsewhere, crystal meth may provide temporary relief from their discomfort.

Meth reduces sexual inhibitions in particular, which is why some gay and bisexual men use it during “chemsex,” or sex under the influence of meth and other drugs.

Some may use meth as a way to deal with any internalized homophobia they may experience during sober sex.

Body Image In Gay And Transgender Communities

Many researchers have studied eating disorders among the LGBTQ+ community, attempting to determine if these populations have a higher risk of these disorders than non-LGBTQ+ peers.

Different studies have revealed different results.

Many of our LGBTQ+ patients also have complicated relationships with their families, who might otherwise form the foundation of their support network in recovery.

These obstacles highlight the importance of specialized LGBTQ+ addiction treatment programs in which patients are surrounded by peers who can relate to their experiences.