Emerald Publishing Limited, 2019
This special edition of Drugs and Alcohol Today, entitled “Chemsex – Apps, drugs and the right to pleasure”, acknowledges an aspect of drug taking that is often ignored in the discourse on the “scourge” of drug abuse – that drugs enhance pleasure.
Amidst the pleasure brought on by “chems”, there has been pain. Drug overdoses and deaths fuelled by a prohibition that supports an illicit market of unlabelled, often adulterated drugs and fear that calling an ambulance will implicate you in a crime
Chemsex is a unique phenomenon, requiring unique public health responses. The melding of smart phone apps, spatial data and real time “personal adverts requires a significant re-think and re-design when developing public health responses”.
This issue publishes work from experts that help gay communities to mobilise their own responses. It takes the onus off public health policy to respond, and respectfully recognises the agency and resilience within gay communities, to formulate culturally and contextually competent community responses to chemsex.
Free access to this special issue until March 31st
- Read more of introduction here
- “Chemsex: origins of the word, a history of the phenomenon and a respect to the culture“
- “Chemsex experiences: narratives of pleasure“
- “Yes, has no meaning if you can’t say no: consent and crime in the chemsex context“
- “What is sober sex and how to achieve it?“
- “The psychological roots of chemsex and how understanding the full picture can help us create meaningful support“
- “Too painful to think about: chemsex and trauma“
- “The problematic chemsex journey: a resource for prevention and harm reduction“