Mission

Chemsex is sexualized substance use. Often initially experienced as valuable and even liberating, this habit can over time start causing problems in people’s lives.

I identified the need to adress to people in early and ambivalent stages of such development — in contrast to most existing materials, which target later stages in which problems have become unavoidable.

Solution

A playful, non-judgmental exercise for users to reflect on their chemsex habits and how they are affecting their lives. People are encouraged to define and/or strengthen their self-determined boundaries and harm prevention strategies.

The exercise reflects users’ lived experience by covering positive effects people commonly experience, rather than pathologizing the activity per se. Instead of authoritatively attempting to define the boundary between unproblematic and problematic chemsex, users are empowered to make their own calls.

The target audience is reached unobtrusively through deployment in the waiting room of an STI clinic. In this context, the exercise also serves to signal the organization’s competence and openness on the topic, overcoming barriers of shame and stigma.

Success

Users unanimously found the exercise helpful in an anonymous survey.

David Stuart (56DeanSt, London), who coined the term and was one of the most knowledgeable and influential people working in the field, called it “…”

It was taken up by partner organizations including:
Sonar Safer Nightlife, Drogennotdienst Berlin, Vista Berlin, ViRo-Praxis,…. . .. .

Translations and adaptations were created for:
RFSL Stockholm (Swedish), Hein & Fiete Hamburg,…

Specialized press:
Deutsche Aidshilfe: Fachportal Beratung