Write a Comment
5 Comments
It's a sad state. I know someone who's a full blown addict. One thing I've noticed in the gay community is how it's almost not really seen as meth, but a sex drug. Like poppers. It's meth. It's highly addictive, and a disaster once you become an addict.
But is the increase in use really the young ones? I guess that question requires further research. We can't just assume that our focus should always be on the younger wave. Gay men over 40 who have developed resilience with AIDS and meth recovery should be patting themselves on the back and keeping the focus on their own progress. Recovery is a lifelong pursuit, and youth is not all it is cracked up to be in our community.
Thanks for the call to action Peter. Email Health Commissioner Bassett: mbassett@health.nyc.gov
how can we effectively create the *mechanisms* of community that meth so ably fills for some? acquisition, negotiation, pre-occupation, execution...from sex to work to re-arranging furniture for days to fighting with dealers/customers/moochers/exploiters, meth keeps many guys busy...and interacting with each other, even if it's sometimes robotic. busy means distracted, and more immersed. are a 45 day (minimum) detox, some lectures and training the functional equivalent of giving someone a Community Transfusion? what would it even mean to "build community"? i hope multiple approaches can co-exist, because the prospect of drowning in monoculture has been an Achille's heal of drug/alcohol recovery for a long time. what works for some repulses others. i have never seen meth disappear, but it is certainly on the upswing again. thank you for calling attention to this, Peter.
Hawaii Nei
Early 80s S.F. brief experiences with meth. No pipes, syringes,viagra,or devices.Snorting was it and it hurt. Much stronger too. Issues w/sex had no solutions. Aids just started. That is where it worked for me. In a city gripped by fear,fearless was nice.The crash though. Ouch. It didn't have the faux intimacy/sex that drives the pnp subculture then. Problems are the same physically. Psycho/social no. Fast forward.U=U. Sexy is back. The disconnect,risks, are as scary. Community we had however.
June 25, 2019 • Honolulu Hawaii