They had a threesome. This was the first time Mattia, who was 33 at the time and now in his 40s, engaged in chemsex. The practice, which is also called party and play or wired play, involves using drugs, typically illegal psychoactive substances, to enhance sex.
Sometimes, I could go three days without sleeping, rarely one month without using. Wake up, smoke crack, watch porn, scroll on the dating app Grindr and masturbate. Don't forget to turn on notifications! Again and again. Money wasted, unhealthy behaviours, my mind was flipped out. Even while having sex with an escort, Mattia, between hits of crack cocaine, would load up escort websites and ask others to join.
More and more. Chems can create an instant, false sense of trust and invincibility, says Ignacio Labayen de Inza, the founder and CEO of the support group Controlling Chemsex. If you need information on how to get help or support, you can email or call Talk to Frank on You can also text via or join the live chat online between 2pm to 6pm.
As euphoric people can feel, however, chemsex is associated with an increased risk of acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases as well as depression, anxiety, weight loss and paranoia. Neither are the practices and beliefs that fuel it. Hook-up apps make finding chems — and men to use them with — fast and easy, adds de Inza. Health leaders identified chemsex as a health priority a decade ago. But a lack of understanding , research, funding and access can make rehabilitation tricky for some, experts say.
Take Adam not his real name. He was 30 when he first tried meth in He was having sex with a man he met on Grindr when the man took out a pipe for them to smoke. It felt like an explosion all these people back out, life starting again. This was their only existence. Like Mattia, Adam says his days were spent waiting to leave work so he could go on a bender — and then another.
