James shares his story of the hell and degradation of chemsex: risky sexual behaviour whilst using- and addicted to - crystal meth

*content warning: drug use, rape, extreme sex, suicide, grooming and coercive behaviour*

‘I literally could not believe what I had done’

James is thirty-six years old. A former hairdressing salon manager and estate agent, over the last six years he’s lost his job, his home and his husband because of chemsex.

In this episode of Hello You the Shropshire podcast, James tells his story because, as he put it, if it stops just one person going the same way he did, it’s worth it. If you have someone you think would be interested in hearing what James has to say, please share this episode with them?

‘Your morals and your sense of self are removed'

It’s not an easy listen, and I think it’s brave of James to approach me to share his story. You may well find some of what he has to say difficult to deal with. These are accounts from a world - worlds, in fact - that may be very different from yours.

But James says this:

‘In Shropshire, you are never more than fifteen miles from someone using crystal meth, and having a party’

It might be a different world, but it’s not necessarily a distant one. And James believes we need to be prepared for ‘a horrendous epidemic of people having the worst psychological issues’ as a result of chemsex and crystal meth.

How much does your GP know about this? Would they know where and how to help someone who presented with mental health problems caused by crystal meth?

Important: Where to get help

Help for adults and young people in Shropshire with drug and alcohol issues is provided by Shropshire Recovery Partnership.

What do you make of James’s story?

Feel free to leave a comment or message me directly?