London’s gay scene is in a state of ecstacy...
There is no doubt about it; London's gay scene is definitely worth the fame that it attracts. The wealth of gay bars and pubs that litter the streets mean that whatever your taste, needs or fantasies, London is sure to have the answer.
However, the menace that is spreading like wild fire through London's gay community is drugs. No matter how hard local authorities try, illegal drugs and hardcore drug abuse is a consistent pest that plagues the community leading to unprecedented levels of death and disease.
What's worse is that the crisis doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. It seems that the gay population are hell-bent on taking as many risks as are necessary to satisfy their hedonistic pursuit. Bareback sex is the norm amongst gay men, actually having reached a situation in which having sex without a condom is socially accepted and widely practiced.
The new trend of having unsafe sex goes against all the work that organisations have done in the struggle towards curbing HIV and AIDS. Dr Sean Cummings of Freedomhealth has recently confirmed his fears that a second epidemic is on its way adding that sexual health clinics “have reached crisis point with rocketing rates of new STD diagnoses”.
An article published on pinknews last year confirmed the growing number of gay men using drugs for recreational use. The figures indicated that gay men were three times more likely to use drugs on a night out than other Londoners.
Matthew Hodson, head of programmes for Gay Men Fighting AIDS (GMFA), stated that “men do things when they're drunk or on drugs that they wouldn't normally do, and which they know are risky”, confirming worries that it is this blatant abuse of drink and drugs that is leading to the very high levels of HIV amongst gay men. The facts support Hodson's statements as over the past eight years, the number of gay men contracting HIV has doubled in the UK.
What's clear from the outset is the desperate need to educate gay men about the unhealthy and potentially fatal consequences of taking cocktails of lethal drugs and then having unsafe sex.
For more information on drugs, their classifications and details, visit London Gay Man's drugs awareness guide. If you feel that you need help or support in relation to your drug taking, contact the UK national drugs helpline on 0800 77 66 00.
