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In many parts of the U.S.,
Crystal Meth decides what we actually do in bed as well as
the risks that we will take. Ecstasy (MDMA) makes our weekends
more enjoyable. Special ‘K’ (Ketamine hydrochloride) gives
us the flight that we need, the ability to lose our identity.
The escape. The way it makes us feel. All of us momentarily
forgetting about what it really does to us and how it puts
us at risk for HIV infection.
We do Ecstasy to get us out
on the dance floor and enjoy the music. It makes our heart
race and/or blood pressure rise. But it also destroys cells
that produce serotonin in the brain. These cells play a direct
roll in regulating aggression, mood, sexual activity, sleep,
and sensitivity to pain. Scientists have now shown that Ecstasy
not only makes the brain’s nerve branches and endings degenerate,
but also makes them regrow, but abnormally—failing to reconnect
with some brain areas and connecting elsewhere with the wrong
areas. These reconnections may be permanent, resulting in
cognitive impairments, changes in emotion, learning, memory,
or hormone-like chemical abnormalities.
We shove our way to the front
of the line at the club to enjoy the wonders of drug use.
Once we are on the dance floor having a good time we usually
need to “kick in” the Ecstasy. We do that with Liquid ‘G’
(GHB). GHB is an alternative to smoking dope on the comedown,
and if you have sex, it’s good sex, at least for awhile, until
you fall asleep.
After we meet the guy that
we want…we go home with him. That’s where Crystal Meth joins
the party. Crystal enhances whatever you are feeling at that
particular time. The touch. If you are at home with the hot
guy and want to have sex, then crystal will give you the best
sex, even with a guy who doesn’t know what to do sexually.
It turns the sexually challenged into an Olympic champion,
who can last for hours with multiple techniques and gymnastics
that would even make Mitch Gaylord blush.
After hours of sex we lose
our erections. The sexual Olympics turn into a sick sideshow.
We take more to keep up, and maybe even a hit of Viagra. (Is
someone keeping track of the drugs that are in our system?)
Your judgment is impaired, your heart is racing, you are sweating,
it’s hard to keep your breath, you are panting, you are horny,
and you have no idea if the guy behind you is using a condom,
and you don’t care. Then you take another hit of Crystal Meth.
And that’s the trap of Crystal
Meth, you lose your ability to make rational decisions. Users
run the risk of getting caught off-guard by the addictiveness
of drug. The psychological dependence causes us to need Meth
daily to avoid the painful side effects of withdrawal and
coming back to reality. The withdrawals can lead to bouts
of deep depression, extreme tiredness, possible convulsions,
coma or even death.
The drugs today are new.
The immediate effects are incredible. The long-term effects
are devastating. I have been a prevention specialist for nearly
six years now, but I’m still at a loss: What can we say to
someone that can compete with the effects of a new era of
drugs? We see our friends become distant as they become more
and more dependent. What can we say to the person who misuses
drugs? Do we go back 15 years and say “Just say no” or “Use
a condom”? I think not.
Drugs are just the vehicle.
We need to search within ourselves and ask why we choose to
ride in a speeding car with no seatbelt, on a dead-end road.
Michael Barnett is the Associate
Director of Prevention at Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN).
He is the creator of OZ (Outreach Zone), a program committed
to behavior change and reducing the rates of HIV infection
within Chicago’s gay and bisexual community.
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