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Britons most likely to combine sex and drugs, study shows

Largest ever survey of ‘chemsex’ shows it is not just limited to gay men and could be important for reducing disease transmission and deaths

Alex Matthews-King

Health Correspondent

Thursday 11 April 2019 08:36 BST

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Britons most likely to combine sex and drugs, study shows

People in Britain are more likely to combine drugs and sex than any other Western nation, according to the largest investigation to date on intercourse under the influence.

The study drawn is drawn from 22,000 responses to the Global Drugs Survey and is the first to take look in such detail at sexual preferences across different groups.

Led by University College London it found that across Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia, Britons were the most likely to report getting amorous while intoxicated on virtually every substance, with the exception of cannabis.

While “chemsex” has most commonly been associated with groups of gay and bisexual men, the researchers said their findings show the practice is actually widespread.

Understanding this could be important for health professionals looking to target awareness campaigns or other safety enhancing interventions – such as the drug purity testing services.

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Show all 10

1/10World's 10 deadliest street drugs

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Whoonga

Whoonga is a combination of antiretroviral drugs, used to treat HIV, and various cutting agents such as detergents and poisons. The drug is widely available in South Africa due to South Africa’s high rate of HIV sufferers, and is believed to be popular due to how cheap it is when compared to prescribed antiretrovirals. The drug is highly addictive and can cause major health issues such as internal bleeding, stomach ulcers and ultimately death

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World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Scopolamine

Scopolamine is a derivative from the nightshade plant found in the Northern Indian region of South America (Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela). It is generally found in a refined powder form, but can also be found as a tea. The drug is more often used by criminals due its high toxicity level (one gram is believed to be able to kill up to 20 people) making it a strong poison. However, it is also believed that the drug is blown into the faces of unexpecting victims, later causing them to lose all sense of self-control and becoming incapable of forming memories during the time they are under the influence of the drug. This tactic has reportedly been used by gangs in Colombia where there have been reports of people using scopolamine as way to convince victims to rob their own homes

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Heroin

Founded in 1874 by C. R. Alder Wright, heroin is one of the world’s oldest drugs. Originally it was prescribed as a strong painkiller used to treat chronic pain and physical trauma. However in 1971 it was made illegal under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Since then it has become one of the most destructive substances in the world, tearing apart communities and destroying families. The side effects of heroin include inflammation of the gums, cold sweats, a weak immune system, muscular weakness and insomnia. It can also damage blood vessels which can later cause gangrene if left untreated

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Crack cocaine

Crack cocaine first came about in the 1980’s when cocaine became a widespread commodity within the drug trafficking world. Originally cocaine would have attracted a high price tag due to its rarity and difficulty to produce, but once it became more widespread the price dropped significantly. This resulted in drug dealers forming their cocaine into rock like shapes by using baking soda as a way of distilling the powder down into rock form. People were doing this because it allowed for them to sell cocaine at a lower quantity and to a higher number of people. The side effects of crack cocaine include liver, kidney and lung damage, as well as permanent damage to blood vessels, which can often lead to heart attacks, strokes, and ultimately death

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Crystal meth

Not just famous because of a certain Walter H White, but also because it is one of the most destructive drugs in the world. First developed in 1887, it became widely used during the Second World War when both sides would give it to their troops to keep them awake. It is also believed that the Japanese gave it to their Kamikaze pilots before their suicide missions. After the war crystal meth was prescribed as a diet aid and remained legal until the 1970s. Since then it has fallen into the hands of Mexican gangs and has become a worldwide phenomenon, spreading throughout Europe and Asia. The effects of crystal meth are devastating. In the short-term users will become sleep depraved and anxious, and in the long-term it will cause their flesh to sink, as well as brain damage and damage of the blood vessels

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

AH-7921

AH-7921 is a synthetic opioid that was previously available to legally purchase online from vendors until it became a Class A in January 2015. The drug is believed to have 80% of the potency of morphine, and became known as the ‘legal heroin’. While there has only been one death related to AH-7921 in the UK, it is believed to be highly dangerous and capable of causing respiratory arrest and gangrene

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Flakka

Flakka is a stimulant with a similar chemical make-up to the amphetamine-like drug found in bath salts. While the drug was originally marketed as a legal high alternative to ecstasy, the effects are significantly different. The user will feel an elevated heart rate, enhanced emotions, and, if enough is digested, strong hallucinations. The drug can cause permanent psychological damage due to it affecting the mood regulating neurons that keep the mind’s serotonin and dopamine in check, as well as possibly causing heart failure

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Bath salts

Bath salts are a synthetic crystalline drug that is prevalent in the US. While they may sound harmless, they certainly aren’t the sort of salts you drop into a warm bath when having a relaxing night in, they are most similar to mephedrone, and have recently been featured throughout social media due to the ‘zombification’ of its. The name comes from the fact that the drug was originally sold online, and widely disguised as bath salts. The side effects include unusual psychiatric behaviour, psychosis, panic attacks and violent behaviour, as well as the possibility of a heart attack and an elevated body temperature

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Purple Drank

One of the more unusual drugs around at the moment, purple drank was popularised in 90s hip hop culture, with the likes of Jay Z and Big Moe all mentioning it in their songs. It is a concoction of soda water, sweets and cold medicine, and is drunk due to cold medicines high codeine content, which gives the user a woozy feeling. However it can also cause respiratory issues and heart failure

World's 10 deadliest street drugs

Krokodil

Krokodil is Russia’s secret addiction. It is believed that over one million Russians are addicted to the drug. Users of krokodil are attracted to the drug due to its low price; it is sold at £20 a gram while heroin is sold for £60. However, krokodil is considered more dangerous than heroin because it is often homemade, with ingredients including painkillers, iodine, lighter fluid and industrial cleaning agents. This chemical make-up makes the drug highly dangerous and likely to cause gangrene, and eventually rotting of the flesh

“While using drugs in combination with and to specifically enhance the sexual experience tends to be associated with gay and bisexual men, we found that in our sample, men and women of all sexual orientations engaged in this behaviour,” said Dr Will Lawn, lead author of the study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

“Harm reduction messages relating to substance-linked sex in general should therefore not only be targeted towards gay and bisexual men, as they are relevant to all groups.”

The study uses an online survey to allow participants to anonymously give information on an array of drug-related behaviour they have undertaken in the past year.

It shows that the drugs most commonly used during sex were alcohol, reported by roughly 60 per cent of men and women; cannabis used by 37 per cent of men and 26 per cent of women; and MDMA, also known as ecstasy, used by 15.5 per cent of men and women.

Gay men were 60 per cent more likely to report using drugs to enhance sexual function, but the survey shows other groups or areas where there might be risks

Respondents were asked to rate drugs positive and negative effects, and the drug GHB and GBL was ranked the highest overall for “enhancing” the sexual experience.

GHB, has commonly been known as a date rape drug, but has gained attention because of recent high profile cases where its recreational use has led to deaths, such as the case of teacher Helena Keane.

It can cause a lethal overdose at very low doses but the survey shows it was used during sex by 10 per cent of gay men who responded to the survey, and 0.7 per cent of heterosexual men and women.

GHB was rated most highly by men and women, chiefly because it increased sexual desire, while MDMA, the second most highly rated for chemsex, improved emotional intimacy and time to orgasm.

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While respondents to the survey are more likely the general public to have tried drugs, the use of drugs in sex and other patterns are consistent between nations in the survey, the authors said.

“Previous studies have rarely compared men and women, and people of different sexual orientations,” said Professor Adam Winstock, another of the authors and founder of the Global Drug Survey.

“By appreciating how different drugs affect sex we can tailor our harm reduction messages. These pragmatic messages can save lives.”

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