Rick336
04-12-2007, 01:19 AM
Dramatic Increase In Meth Use Among LA Gays
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: April 11, 2007
(Los Angels, California) Crystal methamphetamine use by gay men in Los Angeles is increasing at an alarming rate according to a new study that also shows gay meth users are five times more likely to test positive for HIV.
Of 5,319 gay men tested for HIV or other STDs at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center in 2005, 18% reported they had used crystal meth at least once and 9% had used the drug in the previous 12 months.
In 2006 the percentage of gay men who reported using crystal meth at least once had increased to 25% and the percentage of those who had used it in the last year had increased to 13% the Center said on Wednesday.
The 2006 preliminary data also indicates that gay men who used meth within the previous 12 months were five times more likely to test positive for HIV than those who did not.
As a result, the Center said it was expanding its services and has hired a new meth program coordinator.
Fighting meth use in the GLBT community requires a multi-pronged approach, said Mike Rizzo, Manager of the Center's Crystal Meth Recovery Services, because the reasons people use the drug vary greatly between demographic groups.
For gay and bisexual men, meth can temporarily alleviate some of the issues gay men may struggle with, such as internalized homophobia, low self-esteem, lack of acceptance by society and low coping skills, said Rizzo.
But because it also lowers inhibitions and enhances sexual pleasure, experimental use often evolves into long-term addiction - and into repeating patterns of risky sex.
Homeless youth, however, tend to use meth for very different reasons, most directly linked to the fact that they are living on the streets, said Ismael Morales, a health educator at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Jeff Griffith Youth Center for homeless and at-risk GLBT youth ages 15-24.
"On the streets of Los Angeles there are about 5,000 - 6,000 homeless GLBT youth and for them, the drug is not recreational at all - it's about survival," Morales said.
"They use it to stay awake at night for safety. They use crystal to separate themselves from the reality of living on the streets. And they end up addicted to it."
One young man, identified only as Michael to protect confidentiality, said he is newly addicted to crystal methamphetamine and came to the Center for help.
The 22-year-old homeless man said he was kicked out of his Sacramento home for being gay and now living on the streets of Los Angeles.
He has battled for months to kick what became a nearly instantaneous addiction, he said, and has not yet tested HIV-positive.
"I thought, 'I'm living on the streets. There's nothing better to do. Let me just try it,'" he said of using meth. "So I ended up trying it, and I ended up getting hooked on it. I started going crazy, like I wanted it all the time."
A new meth recovery support group launched by the Center specifically for young people - along with a second meth group designed for adult gay men - aims to help meth users find a support system among their peers and take their first steps toward recovery.
"One of the keys to successfully helping both youths and adults who are abusing meth is to have services available to them early in their use or addiction," said Rizzo.
"Many users will at some point begin to question if they have a problem with the drug, and having services ready for them at that moment is vital in helping them move from contemplation to action."
©365Gay.com 2007
http://www.365gay.com
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: April 11, 2007
(Los Angels, California) Crystal methamphetamine use by gay men in Los Angeles is increasing at an alarming rate according to a new study that also shows gay meth users are five times more likely to test positive for HIV.
Of 5,319 gay men tested for HIV or other STDs at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center in 2005, 18% reported they had used crystal meth at least once and 9% had used the drug in the previous 12 months.
In 2006 the percentage of gay men who reported using crystal meth at least once had increased to 25% and the percentage of those who had used it in the last year had increased to 13% the Center said on Wednesday.
The 2006 preliminary data also indicates that gay men who used meth within the previous 12 months were five times more likely to test positive for HIV than those who did not.
As a result, the Center said it was expanding its services and has hired a new meth program coordinator.
Fighting meth use in the GLBT community requires a multi-pronged approach, said Mike Rizzo, Manager of the Center's Crystal Meth Recovery Services, because the reasons people use the drug vary greatly between demographic groups.
For gay and bisexual men, meth can temporarily alleviate some of the issues gay men may struggle with, such as internalized homophobia, low self-esteem, lack of acceptance by society and low coping skills, said Rizzo.
But because it also lowers inhibitions and enhances sexual pleasure, experimental use often evolves into long-term addiction - and into repeating patterns of risky sex.
Homeless youth, however, tend to use meth for very different reasons, most directly linked to the fact that they are living on the streets, said Ismael Morales, a health educator at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Jeff Griffith Youth Center for homeless and at-risk GLBT youth ages 15-24.
"On the streets of Los Angeles there are about 5,000 - 6,000 homeless GLBT youth and for them, the drug is not recreational at all - it's about survival," Morales said.
"They use it to stay awake at night for safety. They use crystal to separate themselves from the reality of living on the streets. And they end up addicted to it."
One young man, identified only as Michael to protect confidentiality, said he is newly addicted to crystal methamphetamine and came to the Center for help.
The 22-year-old homeless man said he was kicked out of his Sacramento home for being gay and now living on the streets of Los Angeles.
He has battled for months to kick what became a nearly instantaneous addiction, he said, and has not yet tested HIV-positive.
"I thought, 'I'm living on the streets. There's nothing better to do. Let me just try it,'" he said of using meth. "So I ended up trying it, and I ended up getting hooked on it. I started going crazy, like I wanted it all the time."
A new meth recovery support group launched by the Center specifically for young people - along with a second meth group designed for adult gay men - aims to help meth users find a support system among their peers and take their first steps toward recovery.
"One of the keys to successfully helping both youths and adults who are abusing meth is to have services available to them early in their use or addiction," said Rizzo.
"Many users will at some point begin to question if they have a problem with the drug, and having services ready for them at that moment is vital in helping them move from contemplation to action."
©365Gay.com 2007
http://www.365gay.com