With the “ChemSex Multipliers Program” (CheMP), the German AIDS Service Organization launches a new initiative to strengthen self-help and mutual support around chemsex. The program targets the realities of life for gay and bisexual men who have experience with chemsex: instead of top-down, paternalistic advice, concrete tools for everyday life will be developed together with the community. The program is aimed at people who have their own experiences with chemsex and who want to support others through their knowledge and active involvement.
A central component of the project consists of two weekend workshops from October 9–11 and December 11–13. After the workshops, AIDS service organizations will support participants in the new year for approximately six to nine months with regular online meetings. “Together we will share experiences and further develop the tools,” the AIDS service organization says.
Registration for the workshops is already open on the AIDS service website. Participation is free thanks to funding from Barmer Krankenkasse. An information session about the project via Zoom will take place on September 1 (Registration here).
The risks of chemsex should be minimized
“ChemSex can be pleasurable and bring people together — but it can also involve risks, loss of control, or psychological strain,” the German AIDS Service Organization stated. “Many people want to connect with others who have gone through similar experiences, or are looking for tools to get through the chill and the time afterward as risk-free and harm-reduced as possible.”.
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Participants may also include men who are unsure how to gauge their chemsex, or who may be experiencing shame, isolation, or a sense of losing control. People living with HIV or those dealing with chronic health and/or psychosocial burdens are welcome as well.
Chemsex describes the targeted and simultaneous use of certain psychoactive, often illegal substances (chems) to initiate, intensify, prolong, or lower inhibitions during sexual activity. The term is primarily entrenched in the gay community. The practice can be dangerous, and deaths have been reported in London due to unintentional overdoses — especially for “Liquid Ecstasy” (GHB/GBL) or when substances are mixed. There is also an elevated risk of sexually transmitted infections and of severe depressive symptoms during the come-down.
