2023-06-30 09:34:58
He chemsex is, according to experts, the explosive combination of sexual intercourse with certain illegal drugs to facilitate, enhance or prolong the sexual act, damaging the physical and mental health of those who practice it.
According to the Ministry of Health, this use of drugs for sexual purposes leads to long and intense sessions of sex that can last for hours and even days.
The practice of chemsex can occur between two people (casual or stable sexual partner) between three or more people through group sex.
Between the most consumed substances in chemsex sessions, there are: GHB/GBL, mephedrone, cocaine, poppers, methamphetamine, ketamine, speed, ecstasy/MDMA and drugs to promote erection.
This phenomenon occurs more in large cities such as Madrid and Barcelona and in coastal cities such as Torremolinos, Sitges or Ibiza, among others. The most common is that it is carried out in houses and private premises, but it can also take place in public places.
On the occasion of LGBTQIA+ Pride month, the theater performance ‘El Gé’ was held on June 23, a monologue that puts chemsex on the table as a matter of public health.
After the performance, the Imagina Más Association, an NGO for equality, sexual health and diversity, organized a colloquium between health professionals, psychologists and artists.
Among the participants stood out Alba Alonso Sociologist, sexologist and expert in attention to the chemsex in Imagine MORE and Angel Ivan Diaz, Emergency physician at Hospital Infanta Cristina and trainer on chemsex who, in addition, in an interview for EFESalud explain how this practice affects physical and mental health.
Chemsex en cifras
the survey European The MSM Internet Survey (EMIS) carried out in 2017 on sexual behavior shows, on the one hand, that in the case of Spain at least the 14% of men who had had sex with other men in the past 12 months had used stimulant drugs and 7.6% had taken them in the last month.
Experts say that these figures have increased significantly after the pandemic.
What reasons can lead someone to practice chemsex?
“There are a number of variables that can occur more generally in this type of patient, such as internalized homophobia, low self-esteem problems, anxiety, depression…”, explains the psychologist and sexologist Alba Alonso.
Despite the fact that the average age of the most active users is around 30 or 35 years, according to the expert, an increase in increasingly younger patients is being noted in consultation.
The use of dating applications is a determining factor within the younger audience. According to Alba Alonso, these APPs facilitate more access to sex and drug use and, consequently, to chemsex.
many patients seek with these substances a greater excitement, disinhibition and feeling of confidence or security. In addition, there are those who consume them to perform sexual fantasies or to reduce the potential pain of more aggressive sexual practices.
How does chemsex affect mental health?
“The most obvious consequence in the mental health of patients who practice chemsex is the development of addictions of all kinds,” says the psychologist.
The main addictions are to the substances that are consumed, to sex or even cross addiction to sex and substance use.
Another possible dependency, stresses the psychologist, is the one that generates excessive use of applications cell phones related to sexual encounters and appointments.
Other important consequences include the distortion of sexual life that happens to be conditioned and determined by the experience of consumption. They are also frequent the generation of anxiety, stress, depression or even psychotic disorders derived from substance use.
PHOTO EFE/Julian Stratenschulte
How does chemsex relate to HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections?
The practice of chemsex has a very close relationship with almost all sexually transmitted diseases.
“When you are under the influence of drugs when having sexual relations, you end up forgetting to use the elements of sexual protection,” says Dr. Ángel Iván Díaz.
The pre-exposure prophylaxis ( PrEP) are medicines that are commonly taken by people who are at risk of developing the HIV (HIV) by being exposed to it through sex.
When practicing chemsex, the doctor affirms that many people forget to use protection methods, believing that with the PrEP It is enough to avoid sexually transmitted diseases.
How do you act from the emergency room before the arrival of a patient with a problem caused by the practice of chemsex?
“When a patient with these problems arrives at the emergency room, the first thing to do is determine the degree of intoxication you have and the severity“explains the doctor.
Once the patient’s condition has been determined, all the needs begin to be raised: if you need to go to the ICU, be intubated…
However, the expert appeals to the lack of a specific referral protocol a posteriori to psychiatric consultations or consultations of the drug addiction care centers (CAR).
“It is up to each doctor to refer the patient to drug addiction care centers (CAR) or to psychiatry”, explains Ángel Iván.
“The ideal would be to establish a protocol with a questionnaire to evaluate more or less from the urgency, how serious the use of the substance is in each patient,” advocates the expert.
People claim the rights of homosexuals /EFE/ Caetano Barreira
What other health risks can chemsex pose for those who practice it?
Dr. Ángel Iván Díaz mainly highlights three levels in which chemsex affects health:
At the level of intoxication of the substance: there may be Death risk, respiratory complications, arrhythmias, cardiac arrestuncontrolled anxiety The effects can vary depending on the amount and type of substance that has been consumed.
At the level of sexually transmitted diseases: having sex under the influence of drugs increases the probability of not use protection.
At a chronic level from the point of view of addiction: the excess of this practice can produce a great drug dependence during sexual intercourse.
Where to go for professional support to address chemsex and related issues?
The doctor has mainly highlighted a few support groups to turn to:
Association You’re welcome: NGO with psychologists and specialized consultations in the treatment of chemsex.
Social security psychology and psychiatry consultations: where the waiting lists can be up to six months, warns the expert.
Drug addiction care centers: They depend mainly on the municipalities.
However, the professional insists that the treatment of this type of patient must be very rigorous and requires very frequent follow-up.
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