Study finds a third of men who have sex with men have participated in chemsex
A study has found that 30% of men who have sex with men have participated in chemsex – the act of drug use to enhance sex.
The study, compiled by squirt.org, surveyed 22,248 men and asked them about their experiences with chemsex.
The study looked at the types of drugs used, frequency of use and the behaviour of the people engaging in the act.
67% of surgery respondents knew what chemsex was. It found that 39% of the MSM community had previously engaged in it or would consider trying it in the future, with the other 61% stating that they would not try it.
Of the 30% who had done it, they had used either crystal meth (36%), marijuana (19%), cocaine (13%), MDMA/ecstasy (12%), GHB (6%), Mephedrone (6%), and other drugs (9%).
Over half of those who had tried chemsex had done it more than 10 times – with the most popular spot to engage being their own home.
65% of the participants were HIV-negative, and a further 3% were on the HIV prevention drug PrEP.
While participating in chemsex, the majority of people did not use protection for oral sex (93%), whereas nearly half of respondents used protection for penetrable sex.
When it comes to remembering their experiences, 85.5% of those who engaged in chemsex were like to remember everything or mostly everything, while only 4% of people remembered almost nothing.
Dr.Bourne, who commented on the study, said: “Chemsex is something we have to remain vigilant about, but we also have to be wary of drawing simple conclusions without considering the right evidence. Only a small minority of gay men use drugs on a regular basis, and only a minority of those do so in a sexual context.”
