Chemsex Therapy for Gay, Bi & LGBTQ+ Men
Has Chemsex Stopped Feeling Like Fun?
Perhaps it started as a way to feel more confident, connected, sexual, free, or accepted.
Perhaps it gave you a sense of belonging, or a way to feel more free. A way to escape loneliness, anxiety, shame, or difficult feelings. Maybe it helped quieten the noise in your head for a while.
But somewhere along the way, things may have started to change.
You may have found yourself staying out for longer than intended, taking greater risks, missing work, neglecting relationships, struggling with your mental health, or repeatedly promising yourself that this time would be different.
Perhaps you've tried to stop, cut down, or change your relationship with chemsex, only to find yourself returning to it again and again despite the consequences.
If that's where you are, you're not alone.
Why Do People Engage In Chemsex?
Whilst the drugs themselves can become part of the problem, I rarely see chemsex as simply being about drugs.
For many people, chemsex can become a way of coping with feelings that are difficult to face alone.
These may include:
Loneliness and isolation
Shame
Anxiety
Low self-esteem
Difficulties with intimacy
Fear of rejection
Internalised homophobia
Trauma
A need to feel connected, desired, or accepted
The chemsex itself may be the thing causing problems today, but often there is a deeper story underneath it.
How Therapy Can Help
Recovery is about far more than simply stopping.
Together, we can explore your relationship with chemsex and begin to understand what role it has been playing in your life. We can look at the triggers, emotions, beliefs, and unmet needs that may be driving the behaviour.
My aim is not to judge you or tell you how you should live your life.
Instead, I offer a space where you can speak openly and honestly about your experiences without fear of shame or condemnation.
As therapy progresses, we may explore issues such as:
Addiction and compulsive behaviours
Shame and self-worth
Relationships and intimacy
Boundaries
Loneliness and connection
Childhood experiences
Identity and belonging
Building healthier ways of coping
My Experience
Alongside my professional training, I bring experience working within addiction and recovery services and supporting people struggling with substance use and compulsive behaviours.
I also understand that many of us in the LGBTQ+ community carry experiences of stigma, rejection, shame, or feeling different, and how these experiences can sometimes become intertwined with addiction and sexual behaviour.
Whatever your relationship with chemsex looks like, you do not need to face it alone.
Change is possible.