I'm about to share something that I am not sure if I have ever shared on this blog. Some who read my blog have known me for a while, so they won't be surprised by this. There was a point in my life where I more than experimented with drugs. By drugs, I mean club drugs. Lots of Ecstasy, plenty of crystal meth, some cocaine, too much ketamine, and an occasional GHB. I had my fun. I would never ever say do it. I would never say don't. I would say, if you are, know what you are getting yourself into. Know what your resources are.

I was lucky enough to be able to take myself out of that system. And to take that system out of me. By the system, I mean the whole self-perceived world of glamour via chemical means. I don't judge the people who take drugs. I think that we all try to find ways of coping with things that happen in our lives. Unfortunately, some of us don't find a way out of the crazy maze. Unfortunately, some of us still think that these drugs bring us the validation we so crave. Maybe in our minds it does. But from the outside looking in, I don't believe it does.

With that being said, I want to ask anyone who reads this blog for a favor. A friend of mine, Michael Nina, is the Principal Investigator doing doctoral dissertation research in the Department of Applied Psychology for New York University. He is specifically doing research on club drug use in the gay male world. His goal is to find out about the many facets of the people who use club drugs. And ultimately, to find a way to help them out of the crazy maze. He too has seen our gay community ravaged by drug use. He hopes to use his findings to help train counselors to be more sensitive and to understand our community better when helping those addicted to club drugs. For as we all know, not all health officials are sensitive to the gay community.

If you know anyone who would be willing to contribute to his research AND lives in the New York City Area, please pass on the information below. We both would really appreciate it.


  ¶ 11:29 PM