Gay men and meth

Though crystal meth is by far the most popular party drug, a lot of gay men and women combine their meth use with other drugs. A few of the substances commonly combined with meth include Special K, Poppers, Viagra, GHB and Ecstasy. For many gay men, though, meth is first posed to them as a form of sexual enhancement or a way to extend the party, with some men reporting that they first tried meth without even knowing.

Meth has long been associated with gay men. The lost inhibitions induced by the drug are in such contradiction to the lifetime of suppression that most gay men have to adopt, that the appeal is magnetic. The Stonewall uprising and the declassification of homosexuality as a mental illness gave American gay men in particular a more cohesive political identity and the desire to bond through drugs in discos, bars, bathhouses and bedrooms.

Meth proved perfect for a community relentlessly stigmatized by societal homophobia. Crystal methamphetamine, better known as crystal meth, has been a health concern for the LGBTQ community since the late s, when it became a popular party drug among gay and bisexual men in New York City.

In the s and early

1 The statistics on crystal meth use in the gay community are worrisome. People assigned male at birth who belong to a sexual or gender minority group were twice as likely to use methamphetamine following an HIV diagnosis, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Because previous research has shown a link between lowered dopamine signaling in HIV and the potential for substance use, Mustanski and his collaborators set out to investigate the connection further.

In the current study, investigators analyzed instances of first-time methamphetamine use among gay and bisexual men and transgender women who are part of the RADAR project, the largest longitudinal study of this community. Participants in the study with a prior HIV diagnosis were twice as likely to report first-time methamphetamine use or have a positive urine toxicology result than study participants without HIV, according to the findings.

Cocaine and cannabis use were also associated with greater odds of starting methamphetamine use. Study participants who had heightened levels of C-reactive protein, a measure of systemic inflammation, were also more likely to start using meth, regardless of HIV status, according to the study. Launched in , the RADAR study is designed to provide insights into risk and protective factors for HIV and drug use among young men who have sex with men and transgender women.

Specifically, RADAR seeks to understand the connections between HIV, substance use, and social factors over time, with the ultimate goal of identifying barriers to implementing strategies to end the HIV epidemic. More than 1, study participants from the Chicagoland area have been recruited and more than scientific publications have been published since the study began.

Disease Discoveries. By Olivia Dimmer. Diversity Medical Social Sciences Research. Latest News.