Chemsex

As far back as 1999, New York Magazine ran the article “Nightlife ’99: Clear and Present Danger”, which noted that “GHB first became a fixture at raves and gay ‘circuit parties’ in the early nineties.” 

Before the word chemsex was coined, terms such as slamming, PnP, parTy, HnH, and chem-friendly were (and still are) shorthand for gay men using this iteration of drugs. The slang appeared on hook-up apps including Grindr, Recon, Bareback Real Time (BBRT), Gaydar, and Scruff.

Chemsex, as it would eventually be called, was (and is) not the same as popping a pill, snorting a line, or smoking a joint.

Instead, it is a specific form of recreational drug use. Definitions vary, but chemsex is commonly described as the use of specific drugs – crystal meth, mephedrone, and GHB or GBL – to facilitate sexual activity before and/or during sex.

By “specific” and “facilitate”, this means that chemsex drugs are not incidental to sex; they are used to make sex possible, last longer, or feel different, in ways most other drugs are not.

When defining chemsex, it is worth asking why, and for whom: While the chemsex label helps services talk about overlapping issues such as sex, drugs, consent, and health, not everyone agrees with the term or feels it reflects their experience. Phrases like “using any combination of these drugs to help facilitate, enable, or enhance sex” may be useful for professionals, but they often resonate less with gay men themselves.

• Chemsex is primarily associated with gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM)
• Sessions are arranged through hook-up or dating apps and take place in homes (not scene venues)
• Chemsex typically involves long(er) sex sessions with one or more partners
• Crystal meth and mephedrone are uppers speeding up the body’s reactions, while GHB and GBL are downers slowing down the body’s reactions
• Crystal is usually smoked in a glass pipe or injected. GHB and GBL is added to soft drinks in small millilitre (ml) dose amounts. Mephedrone is usually injected

Here’s a range of definitions from organisations which say the same thing but differently:

• “Chemsex means using drugs as part of your sex life, and it’s most common among gay and bi men.” ^{Rainbow Project}
• “Chemsex involves using drugs before or during planned sexual activity to sustain, enhance, disinhibit or facilitate the experience.” ^SH24
• “When you use drugs before or during sex, we call this chemsex.” ^{GGD Amsterdam}
• “Chemsex is defined by the use of three specific drugs in a sexual context … to enhance sex.” ^{NHS Sexual Health Sheffield}
• “Chemsex is a specific form of use and involves using one or more drugs … to facilitate or to enhance sex.” ^Drugs.ie
• “The ‘chemsex context’ refers to … using drugs before and/or during sexual activity with the facilitatory aim of sustaining, enhancing or disinhibiting sexual experience.” ^{College of Policing}
• “Chemsex can simply be defined as sexual activity mostly between men while under the influence of drugs …” ^{London Friend}
• “Chemsex means using certain drugs as part of your sex life. It comes with a lot of risks …” ^SH24
• “Chemsex means sexual activity, mostly between men, while under the influence of drugs, taken to reduce inhibition and enhance pleasure.” ^{Change Grow Live}

Some definitions are paraphrased for clarity but reflect organisational framing (eg: public health services, sexual health organisations, drug information bodies). Definitions vary slightly in scope, some focus on practice, others on context and intent.