Drug checking allows you to understand what may be in your drugs. It’s important to test the drugs you use because they may be mixed with other substances, like amphetamines or fentanyl, which can cause them to act differently than you expect or lead to overdose. Drug checking is for many types of drugs, like MDMA (molly/ecstasy), ketamine, LSD, meth, and cocaine. Read more about how to check your drugs at DanceSafe.org.

You can find drug checking supplies at your local harm reduction program or at DanceSafe.org’s online store.

You can find naloxone (medication that reverses an opioid overdose), syringes, and other injection/drug use equipment here. There may be delivery services and local harm reduction programs available in your area,.

Being able to quickly identify an overdose can save someone’s life. National Harm Reduction Coalition has information on how to spot and respond to an opioid overdose or what to do if someone is overamping (for meth or cocaine).

Make sure to have naloxone/Narcan (a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose) on hand before you use. Find narcan at HarmReduction.org.

DanceSafe.org has a guide to help you respond to other medical emergencies, such as heatstroke.

Drugs can be a reality for many of us in our sex lives. Using care when having sex while using drugs and alcohol is essential. Here are some resources around staying on top of your sexual health, establishing consent, and getting support after a comedown.

Chemsex 101 & Chemsex Party Planning (AIDS United)

Establishing Consent & Chemsex (DanceSafe.org)

Sexual health & safety before, during, after chemsex (Friday/Monday)

Chemsex on dating apps and websites (Friday/Monday)

Below you’ll find information about drugs and alcohol, and suggestions for how to reduce your risk of any harm. Additionally, you’ll find resources for where to go for help if you think you, or someone close to you, may need it.

Adapted from CDC


Poppers

Traditional poppers have been popular among queer people since the seventies. Popular brands such as “Rush” and “Jungle Juice” are sold online, and in sex shops as “video head cleaners” or “room odorizers.” These poppers contain amyl nitrite, a chemical that relaxes smooth muscle tissue and dilates blood vessels.

“Poppers” is slang for a variety of different alkyl nitrites solutions, particularly amyl nitrite. They are available over the counter and come in small, typically brown, bottles. The nitrates are a yellowish, strong smelling, and quite flammable liquid that are inhaled. They vary by strength and are used as a tool for sexual arousal.

Poppers relax muscles in the anus, which can make anal sex less painful. They also cause reactions in the body that increase sexual arousal.

If you are healthy, there appear to be no long-term consequences of using poppers. However, some people may develop persistent headaches. Tolerance to poppers does develop within two to three weeks of continuous use, encouraging greater use to get the same effect. But if you stop using poppers for a short period, this tolerance will be lost.

Poppers are dangerous for anyone with a heart condition, high blood pressure and for anyone who is asthmatic. Many people report allergic reactions such as rashes or eczema after frequent use. These symptoms often disappear when the use of poppers ceases.

The use of poppers with Viagra and other drugs taken for erectile dysfunction is particularly dangerous as it can lead to a dramatic fall in blood pressure and may prove fatal.

There’s a significantly increased risk of HIV transmission – nearly double – when using poppers and being the bottom and not using condoms. This appears to be due to increased blood flow to rectal tissues, which means that any tear in the rectum from anal sex can make it easier for HIV to be transmitted. There’s no evidence of any increased risk to the top.

Adapted from Gay Life, NAM: aidsmapMen’s Sexual Health


Alcohol

Multiple studies have found a correlation between problematic alcohol consumption and STDs, although their causal relationship cannot be determined with certainty. A history of alcohol use has been correlated with having multiple sex partners, and unprotected sex. Alcohol may reduce inhibitions and diminish risk perception.

How Can You Reduce Your Risk?

Maybe you’ve woken up too many times regretting the things you did when you were drunk the previous night. Or, maybe you’re just tired of waking up late with a hangover. Whatever the reason, if you’re interested in making changes to how you drink, here are some pro tips.

Evaluate

  • Think about reasons you might want to make a change and reasons why you might not want to change.
  • Think about what alcohol is doing for you. How is it helping you?
  • Take a look at how drinking affects your mood, relationships, health, work, school, finances, and sex life.

Plan Ahead

  • Plan your party—decide when, where, how much, and with whom.
  • Bring a set amount of money.
  • Seek out a location and the company of lighter drinkers when you want to moderate your drinking.
  • Add abstinence days—i.e. “I take a break Tuesdays and Sundays.”
  • Don’t keep booze in the house.

Be Mindful

  • Keep track of how often and how much you’re drinking.
  • Delay the first drink. Start later in the day.
  • Include food. Don’t drink on an empty stomach. Eat some food so the alcohol will be absorbed into your system more slowly.
  • If you can afford it, drink only in bars or restaurants—not at home.
  • Pace and space. Pace yourself. Sip slowly. Add ice to your drink. Alternate booze with water, juice or soda. Brush your teeth between drinks. It makes them taste gross and may slow you down.
  • Ask your bartender to give you a measured pour (not a heavy pour).
  • Stop sooner and go home at a set time.

Get Support

  • If drinking has occupied a lot of your time, develop new interests. Participate in new activities, hobbies, and relationships—or, renew and reinvest in those that you’ve missed. If you’ve relied on alcohol to be more comfortable in social situations, to manage your moods, or cope with problems, seek support and strategies to deal with those areas of your life.

Safety Tips When Drinking

Headed out for a night on the town? Reduce the chances that something will ruin your party by following these 7 quick safety tips.

  1. Don’t walk alone
    Have a friend by your side when you are out partying. It’s great to have friends watch out for each other at a bar or club, walking between destinations, or on public transportation.
  2. Check with a friend
    Hooking up? Have your friend check their gut feelings about someone you might be thinking about hooking up with. Let your friend know where you are going if you leave with someone.
  3. Control your glass
    Don’t let strangers pour or deliver your drinks. Don’t leave your drink unattended. Sadly, there are a lot of perpetrators out there.
  4. Plan your transportation
    Avoid driving. It’s a good idea to have a travel buddy for walking or taking the bus. Use your ride sharing app or get a cab. Sleep on your friend’s couch or floor.
  5. Carry condoms
    Be prepared and have them with you. (Don’t put them in your wallet, though!)
  6. Avoid mixing alcohol and other drugs
    If you are drinking, avoid downers, benzos and opiates. These with booze can cause respiratory suppression, overdose or accidental death. GHB (Gamma hydroxybutyrate ) and alcohol do not mix! GHB is a powerful, rapidly-acting central nervous system depressant. When taken as a recreational intoxicant, it can be dangerous when the dose is too high or it is combined with alcohol or some other drugs. When mixed with alcohol, the depressant effects of GHB are enhanced. This can lead to respiratory problems, unconsciousness, coma, and overdose.
  7. Avoid over-the-counter medicines
    Aspirin, acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) and over-the-counter cold/flu medicines can cause liver and kidney damage when combined with alcohol.

Meth

Methamphetamine, also known as speed, is used by many in our community. Crystal meth heightens arousal, increases sexual stamina, and delays orgasm.

Meth could increase the risk of HIV infection because of a decrease in inhibition and a higher pain tolerance. This can result in longer and more aggressive sex, but without feeling what’s going on, injury is more likely to occur and the risk of HIV infection increases.

For HIV-positive people who use meth, it can be hard to remember to take HIV meds regularly, which can lead to an increased viral load. Once you’ve made the decision to take HIV meds, taking them as they’re prescribed is basic to taking care of yourself.

Using meth, even occasionally, helps people stay awake, which can often mean you’re not sleeping enough. Sleep is essential to good health, and supporting your immune system.

Adapted from Tweaker

Visit tweaker.org

In 1997, the Stop AIDS Project posed a very important question to some movers and shakers in San Francisco’s gay community: What are the most important issues around HIV transmission among gay men? Merchants in the Castro and SoMa mentioned speed as something that would ultimately affect their customers and thus the business in their venues.

Stop AIDS Project then took the question to a larger audience when they created “talking walls” in the Castro, SoMa and on their website; walls, real and virtual, upon which the community at large were encouraged to offer their answers to the same question. At the end of this outreach effort, the volunteers and staff of Stop AIDS Project determined that guys throughout San Francisco were identifying speed as an issue and thus a social marketing campaign addressing speed and HIV was born.

The first part of the campaign was Crissy and featured different images and messages, all rolled out over a down and dirty four-month period in the summer of 1997. The Crissy campaign, which appeared in gay bars, sex venues and bus shelters in the Castro and SoMa, was meant to encourage discussion and raise consciousness about the link between speed use and sexual risk-taking.

On 30 June 1997, part two was launched when tweaker.org went live! The website continued through about 1999 when its funding was canceled and it became a static and dormant web address. Two years later, in mid-2001, the Stonewall Project was funded to create a peer-based outreach program. The Stonewall folks decided to resurrect tweaker.org as the web-based aspect of this outreach. In 2002, with the help of a project team made up of peer educators, volunteers and staff, the website was relaunched with a new face, a new focus and newly invigorated passion.

The current cohort of peer educators, volunteers and staff have continued to shape and reshape all aspects of tweaker.org, including the website, print materials, live events and outreach at street fairs and sex clubs. For sure, we’ve taken some of the site in different directions since 2002, but we’ve been building on the original work all along. In July 2007, tweaker.org was taken into the fold of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

In 2019, tweaker.org was relaunched again to incorporate new mobile technologies.

Resources

  • Crystal & Sex
    Read more about why meth gets tied up with sexuality, why this can cause problems and what to do about it.
  • ProjectNeon.org
    Project Neon provides information about crystal meth, HIV, hepatitis and other STIs to gay, bi and trans people. It provides accurate and truthful information about how crystal meth affects the mind and body, options for reducing sexual and drug using risks associated with crystal, and free help to better manage or stop crystal use. NEON is a program of Seattle Counseling Service.
  • Erowid
    This online library contains information about psychoactive plants, chemicals and the complex relationship between humans and psychoactive substances. The site is owned and maintained by the educational nonprofit Erowid.
  • Harm Reduction Coalition
    The Harm Reduction Coalition is a national advocacy and educational organization that promotes the health and dignity of individuals and communities impacted by drug use. It provides information on overdose prevention, syringe access and safer using. People who use drugs and others can find videos, podcasts, webinars and written resources about reducing the harm caused by substances.
  • DanceSafe
    If you use club drugs, read more from DanceSafe, a national nonprofit, about how to use substances at events more safely. Read about heatstroke, managing your use, getting home safely and drug checking.
  • Any Positive Change
    Use drugs more safely. Read about injection practices that will help you take better care of your veins and reduce the likelihood of disease transmission. Watch a video on how to deliver naloxone if someone you know overdoses. And find other resources about hepatitis and overdose. The site is operated by the Chicago Recovery Alliance.
  • Bluelight
    Bluelight is an international message board that educates the public about responsible drug use (with a focus on MDMA) by promoting free discussion.
  • Tweaker
    For people who use crystal meth, this site includes information about how speed affects the body and the mental, sexual and social aspects of guys’ lives. Find discussion forums, tips for safer using and strategies for cutting back and quitting.

Everything you know about meth addiction is wrong. This video by Cracked details the reality of living that meth life and what it’s actually like.


HRAC Denver‘s video Harm Reduction 101 discusses the rise of overdoses and best practices for preventing them.


Choosing Harm Reduction shares testimonials of people who have experienced drug addition and how they’ve overcome it. Presented by CANFAR