Gay Men and Crystal Meth Addiction
Cohen, with United Foundation for AIDS, said for some gay men crystal meth addiction is especially powerful. For those who have struggled with issues of sexual identity and feelings of insecurity, escaping through Meth is seductive, he said. Crystal Meth washes away those gnawing feelings and provides relief for people ostracized by family and friends because they are gay or HIV positive, Cohen said.
“There’s a lot of pain within the gay community,” he said. “They are so afraid of letting others know, they may turn to drugs to deal with their fear and denial. Crystal Meth becomes a very strong veneer for someone facing depression.”
A recovering addict named Mark, who would not give his last name, was introduced to crystal meth by friends and quickly went from snorting Meth to “slamming” or injecting it everyday at about $60 for a quarter gram.
“I started using it around the house because I could get things done,” he said. “I felt like for the first time in my life, my brain was turned on.”
His longest binge lasted eight sleepless days, and by the end he was painting Gatorade bottle caps. Mark finally hit bottom when he had what he calls a “psychotic episode” during an argument with his partner. By the time the police showed up, he was wielding a butcher knife.
For months Mark has been going to Crystal Meth Anonymous meetings and struggling to stay off the drug.
When his fight against Meth gets tough, he pulls out a shoebox of about 150 bottle caps he covered with high gloss enamel when he was using. He also replays a mental tape of his worst moments when Meth made him paranoid and psychotic.
“I try to play the tape through to when I’m sitting there peeking out of my windows,” he said, “or being tied to a gurney being rolled out with all my neighbors watching me.”
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