'GHB is a killer, I know of eight men who died after taking it': Concerns raised about drugs used for chemsex
File photo Image: Shutterstock/gashgeron File photo Image: Shutterstock/gashgeron MORE NEEDS TO be done to track sexual assaults and deaths related to chemsex in Ireland, one expert has said.
It’s very difficult to get an accurate figure of how many people die because of using G; it usually only shows up in a person’s system for a few hours and many toxicology tests don’t screen specifically for the drug. Sutton said G is “so highly addictive”, cheap and easily available, that many people find it hard to stop using despite the risks. Other people use G socially and don’t see any issue with it.
“It’s only when we get to that point that we can start to recognise this as a problem, as a national problem. And it’s only then that the government take things seriously and then we can start to work harder.” The majority of people who attended the clinic this year were aged between 26 and 40 years; two-thirds were male; 63% identified as gay and 37% identified as straight. Just over half of the people who presented were using crystal meth as well as G, up from 40% last year.
Sutton said G is easy to access and carry around – it usually comes in a clear liquid or powder form. “It’s a liquid, somebody would have a water bottle, nobody’s going to suspect it,” he added.“If they’re turning up to work and they’re functioning, there’s no reason to suspect them,” he said, noting that many people only seek help when their addiction is at “crisis” point.
The use of drugs for a sexual high is nothing new. It’s been there since the dawn of man. “It’s just the type of drug [they're] using which is quite dangerous and because of the fact that people can ‘go under ‘ or end up going into a semi-vegetative state because of the amount that they’ve ingested, it leaves them vulnerable and wide open to sexual assault.”
He stated that some people who are at chemsex parties believe certain things are “fair game”, adding: “Everybody has come back here with the thought of having sex, so if I see somebody who’s lying there, it’s okay. And of course, we know that it’s not okay.”“I had a recent case where one of the guys started to talk about the fact that he felt abused – and they were his words. And it wasn’t until the third conversation that we had that he actually started talking about sexual assault.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mrs Brown’s Boys star vows to get back on stage after health scare“Of course I am going back on stage. With any luck I will die on stage as long as it’s quick'
Read more »