Former San Francis meth lord speaks out about dg addictn the gay muny

Contents:

• METH HAS VASTATED THE GAY MUNY FOR S. A NEW TREATMENT OFFERS HOPE.
• GAY MEN ARE DYG FROM A CRISIS WE’RE NOT TALKG ABOUT
• WHAT IS IT ABOUT GAY MEN AND CRYSTAL METH?
• FORMER SAN FRANCIS METH LORD SPEAKS OUT ABOUT DG ADDICTN THE GAY MUNY
• EXPLANATNS FOR METHAMPHETAME E AMONG GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN NEW YORK CY
• THE DIRTY LTLE SECRET OF GAY MEN AND METH

METH HAS VASTATED THE GAY MUNY FOR S. A NEW TREATMENT OFFERS HOPE.

Rearch published JAMA September documented a spike after the first wave of ernment shutdowns the e of meth, e, fentanyl and hero among those diagnosed wh or at risk of substance e and the gay munyMeth has st a heavy cloud over the gay muny particular for s.

The Natnal Survey on Dg Use and Health timated that 2015, past-year meth e prevalence was more than four tim higher among gay men pared to straight men — at 4.

Rearch also suggts that for people who are livg wh HIV, like Roger, meth exacerbat the vis's harm to the, who said he first started takg meth at gay "circu" parti, said his e of the dg led him to stop gog to the doctor and qu takg his HIV treatment a ago. Mangia ns a work of muny health centers Los ANGELES — I me of age as a gay man Greenwich Village durg the late 1980s when the AIDS epimic was ragg. But took far too many aths to get, the gay muny is facg another crisis that we’re not talkg about and that elected officials are once aga ignorg.

GAY MEN ARE DYG FROM A CRISIS WE’RE NOT TALKG ABOUT

Crystal methamphetame has bee a popular temptatn for gay men, leadg many to addictn. One explanatn for this uld be that gay men stggle wh acceptance ways straight men don’t have to. Growg up gay and beg forced to keep that a secret for fear of fay rejectn or neighborhood bullyg n create huge securi and issu wh bt iend was rejected by his fay for beg gay and was beaten the streets of his hometown Mexi.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT GAY MEN AND CRYSTAL METH?

He sought out men on gay apps, and he end up fallg for a handsome young man who was addicted to meth.

In realy, ’s g untls are many unrlyg reasons gay men start g meth — and those reasons mt be ’s an unfortunate realy that certa sid practic and beliefs are upheld wh gay male culture that put all of danger of adoptg risky behavrs.

Pl, while society is signifintly more acceptg than was even 10 years ago, many gay men still stggle wh discrimatn, vlence and our own ternalized homophobia, which means dgs n be an pe for many.

FORMER SAN FRANCIS METH LORD SPEAKS OUT ABOUT DG ADDICTN THE GAY MUNY

I’ve watched gay men suffer om meth addictn for over 20 years — and ’s only gettg worse. He relapsed after two years of sobriety and eventually died on the one the gay muny is immune to the impact of crystal meth addictn. If we want to ntue growg as a muny, we mt immediately provi fundg and support for gay men who are the work of muny health centers I lead South Los Angel, an overwhelmg majory of patients we treat our substance abe programs are addicted to crystal meth.

Bee meth addictn disproportnately affects gay men, hasn’t risen to the level of prry and terventn of other addictns. Elected officials, gay lears, health re centers and muny centers mt velop fundg and programmg to rpond to this crisis.

Countls gay men suffer om this cripplg addictn — and we nnot lose even more of our fay members.

EXPLANATNS FOR METHAMPHETAME E AMONG GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN NEW YORK CY

A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 27 of the New York edn wh the headle: Gay Men Are Dyg From Another Crisis. Jake is a therapist at the Gay Therapy Center. As a gay man g of age the early 2000’s, of urse would make sense that a fairly short time-ame I would cross paths wh the darkns known as crystal meth.

THE DIRTY LTLE SECRET OF GAY MEN AND METH

While I had been drkg, smokg pot, and dabblg psychelics and other dgs sce high school, I disvered meth when llege through the gay club scene. Comg om a tumultuo, reprsed, and trmatizg fay life, sudnly beg an acceptg space wh other gay men who enuraged me to be ee, feel good, and not hi my sexual feelgs was like a dream e te.

Meth has long been associated wh gay men. The lost hibns duced by the dg are such ntradictn to the lifetime of supprsn that most gay men have to adopt, that the appeal is magic. Growg up a largely homophobic society, we n’t help but velop wh feelgs of shame about who we are, and even ternalized homophobia.

I believe that the batn of meth’s extremely physilly addictg quali, along wh the unique feelgs that a gay man grows up wh terms of how he feels about himself, sets up a perfect marriage between gay men and meth e, and explas why the dg is so rampant our muny. I’ve seen gay men lose their mds, kill themselv, go to jail, steal or hurt others, and I’m humbled to acknowledge how close to ath I probably me my age.