It first started in England under the banner of Underground culture, it traveled through open concerts in central Europe and now a fashion is arriving in Spain that is causing a furor among young people and stupor on the part of the health authorities.
“Chemsex”, derived from English terms chemicals and sex, is a socio-cultural phenomenon that began to spread throughout the United Kingdom a few years ago. Medical experts and couple psychologists warn of the potential danger that this dangerous game can degenerate in society.
Chemsex is not just about having intentional or consensual sexual relations with another person, but It is a widespread sexual behavior where synthetic drugs intervene that impair behavior under their effects
As a general but not exclusive rule, it is aimed at the homosexual community, also known as LGBT, where men date other men through technological flirting applications such as Grinder. However, the genre is also becoming popular among heterosexuals.
The type of narcotics involved in this dangerous game of Russian roulette is also a worrying fact.. They are not simple psychoactive drugs that allow greater and longer lasting sexual activity l, but they allow extreme levels of disinhibition.
Some of the products consumed at chemsex parties are the following: mephedrone, crystal methamphetamine, hydroxybutyrate and butyrolactone. The peculiarity comes in the process of their consumption, combining all of them to cause a state of ecstasy that can last several days in a row and without sleep.
Ergo, These drugs are the gasoline that gives way to disproportionate and long-lasting orgies increasing the physical danger, not only due to the levels of drugs that are consumed and harm the body, but also due to the increased probability of contracting sexual infections.
What causes feed the phenomenon?
Chemsex has a psychological explanation, like most social trends and attitudes. And after collecting several qualitative studies carried out by experts in the field, they ensure that In most cases, participants show low self-esteem and confidence
That is, they have little ability to relate to people they are physically attracted to and do not know how to deal with a flirting situation, so they go to a large-scale event to not feel so self-conscious.
The psychological effects
In some British media such as British Medical Journala portal with a prestigious reputation within the health sector, explain the psychological effects of taking this type of drug, which appear to be exceptional.
Both crystal and mephedrone, essential to sustain the rhythm imposed by chemsex, cause an acceleration of the heart rate that leads to a feeling of euphoria and sexual attraction, while hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a powerful disinhibitor and, in addition, analgesic.
This way, The concerns that arise from celebrating this type of festivities are both psychological and physical Mentally, the crystal can bring about a terrible dependency, losing all notion of reality and time.
Physiological effects
Although it may seem obvious, it is worth highlighting the physical effects that the implementation of chemsex entails. The consumption of GHB provides energy that an individual can stay awake for 76 hours in a row without having ingested food or water, which has devastating effects on the human body.
Consequently, as a result of the physiological dependence that is created, this allows the deterioration of romantic relationships with the respective partners, since it makes the relationship based exclusively on sexual desire at all times.
Finally and above all, Chemsex is the ideal scenario for the spread of sexual diseases such as hepatitis C or AIDS since the participating members assure that the exchange of couples is up to 6 in one night and protection measures are the trend.
How can you prevent chemsex?
Unfortunately, expert doctors from such important centers as the Barcelona Clinic or the Rey Juan Carlos Hospital in Madrid assure of the difficulty of controlling the phenomenon due to its nature and method of convocation.
Participants meet through applications with their mobile device or in private groups on social networks such as Facebook or Telegram. Furthermore, the location of these parties are not usually public, and they meet in private homes or private clubs, which makes them difficult to monitor.
However, and thanks to the dissemination and denunciation of the media, The competent authorities have launched plans to disseminate the dangers that chemsex entails with educational awareness programs, documentaries that talk about this trend or organizing help programs for those participants who have suffered its consequences.
