Would you have bareback sex under the influence of drink or drugs? This survey says you might
A survey has found that gay and bisexual men are far more likely to have bareback sex after using drugs or while drunk.
GT (Gay Times) magazine surveyed 1000 gay and bisexual male readers, and found that three-quarters use drugs recreationally.
The survey found that respondents who admitted to using recreational drugs were far more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviours.
Two thirds of gay and bisexual men have had sex whilst under the influence of recreational drugs, and 60% said they were more likely to have sex with a stranger whilst on drugs.
More than half (55%) said they were more likely to have group sex, while 10% said they did not know their HIV status.
30% admitted that taking drugs had led them to having bareback sex and 54% confessed to undertaking bareback sex whilst drunk.
More than half of respondents admitted to consuming cannabis, one third to taking cocaine, MDMA/ecstasy, and 11% consuming crystal meth.
One in 20 admitted to injecting drugs or ‘slamming’.
The publication reports that the youngest respondent to first try recreational drugs was just 9, while the oldest was 50.
GT editor Darren Scott said: “The GT drug survey came about because we were bemused at the amount of news stories in the mainstream media about gay and bisexual men and drugs.
“It seemed, to me at least, that this had become an accepted misconception of gay lifestyle with little fact to back it up.
“Was the term ‘chem sex’ actually a real thing? Had it just become ‘real’ because it was mentioned so often?
“We set out to ask our readers to be as frank as possible about their lifestyle choices so that, at last, there would be some facts to either backup or debunk the many notions that are frequently alluded to.
“What we found was fascinating, and sometimes upsetting, but if just one person now takes extra care when mixing sex with addictive substances in future, then we know we’ve done something right.”
The latest issue of GT is available to buy now from gtdigi.co.uk, and in shops from August 6.
Watch GT journalist Benjamin Butterworth discuss the findings below:
