Gay men and drugs.

This morning I logged in to Facebook to see that i'd been taken off my usual news feed (most recent) and put onto that one that shows you posts from ages ago. Oddly though, a post from a friend was the top one, which told of how a friend of their's had passed because of steroid use and how they'd been used to seeing his body which was always looking good.

This isn't a new thing though. I've been reading about "gay men and drugs" as a topic for quite some time now and I agree with my friend, this is a topic which we need to talk about more often, because it seems it is beginning to cost more lives than it is worth. So, does the gay community have a problem? Do we need a group booking for rehab?

The answer is a resounding.... no.... well.... most of us don't.

For the whole part, most gay people I have met will look after their body, but not be too bothered by it. Maybe spending a few hours a week at a gym, or doing some form of exercise, but it's not a way of life to be pumping muscle. I can see though that a large amount of gay people do. While this problem isn't specific to the gay community, I do feel that times need to change. Look at this video below.

This is a video which once again this Christmas did the rounds and i'll admit, as it was my first time watching this I was a bit like "phwor".

The problem with it though is that it falls foul of what many gay publications do. Ignoring what normal gay people look like and only showing you the "finest" that the gay community has to offer. We have people who look into the gay community, either doing some research or by way of trying to find acceptance of their own sexuality. These sorts of video's and posts, which speak volumes about how you need to be all muscles etc, are only going to cause damage as people begin to think that this is what the gay community is all about.

One way of course to get one of these "dream body's" is to begin looking at medication along with your daily/weekly visits to the gym. These items of medication are sold to you everywhere you look these days, and in very large quantities, and they tell you of how they can help you body to look better after a work out.

Question is, we look at these items, some people use these items, yet very few can name you all the stuff in the mixture and what each one does to your body. Infact many people refuse to accept that they can work out without using such items, but the truth is.... your body responds better to a good bit of exercise, than it does to any form of steroid.

Now of course we have covered there about people who look after their body a little bit too much and how they can be prone to heart attacks etc.... is that it? Is that the gay communities problem solved right there?

No.

Chem Sex.

Yip, you read it right, chem sex. I'm with you, I didn't know what it was until some of the gay media began to report on it. It is the use of chemicals, in sex. The most popular being "poppers". I'll admit, I have used poppers myself in the past, not for sexual stuff though, just because of the buzz it can give you while on a night out. It is perfectly legal and is available in newsagents and sex shops almost world over these days.

I think this video is perfect and sort of lets you in a little bit as to what is happening and the risks with this Chem Sex stuff.

Look, this post IS targeted towards the gay community, because it needs change.... but there again, so do all communities. Very few magazines, cat walks, fashion segments on tv etc.... very few of them show us "normal" people, what our bodies are like, how we can take care of ourselves without the need for drugs.... and who is talking about sex these days?

Instead of looking at a community, I think we need to look at the people and change our media, world over, to stop making people think that being skinny and having muscles is the most healthy way to live. We need to show people how to have protected sex... and above all... people, need, some, self, respect.