RECOVERY
FROM STRUGGLE TO STRENGTH
One man ’ s involvement in the London chemsex scene led him into addiction and prison . Now he ’ s set up a chemsex lifeline to help others , says Mark Hindwell
Darren Murphy was a successful dancer when , in 2011 , he first became involved in the chemsex scene in London . By the time he was in his mid-30s , Darren was heavily involved in the scene and dealing drugs to complement his lifestyle . Eventually , this led to his arrest and imprisonment in 2019 .
‘ Being involved in the chemsex scene in London was a very dark time for me ,’ says Darren . ‘ The chemsex world can be a very grim place at times . You see lots of really risky behaviours , and people doing things they would normally never have dreamt of doing . But because people are using drugs and they ’ re within a community that normalises these activities , people behave in ways they would never normally behave . Once you step back into your “ real world ”, you reflect and it can be very troubling for people .’
Chemsex is defined as men who have sex with men ( MSM ) using drugs to enhance their sexual experiences – often in the context of prolonged or intense sexual activity . Typically , the drugs involved are methamphetamine , mephedrone , GHB and similar substances . Chemsex is associated with high-risk sexual behaviour , including multiple partners and unprotected sex . It can also lead to many significant physical health risks including addiction .
CRIMINALISATION A Gay Times article from April 2024 , Attempts to criminalise chemsex users are making the queer scene less safe than ever , suggests that up to 1,000 people have died from possible chemsex-related harms in the last decade . Regular participants can undergo traumatic experiences as they ’ re drawn deeper into a secretive underground scene .
‘ I ended up in prison as a result of my involvement in the chemsex scene ,’ says Darren . ‘ That allowed me time to reconsider what I wanted to do with my life . I decided I didn ’ t want to go back into that world anymore . I got support to remain completely abstinent and I knew I wanted to help people who had been in a similar situation to myself and many of the other people I ’ d associated with in London .’
FOCUSED HELP Darren moved back to his native Leeds in late 2019 after being released from prison . After a period of volunteering , he got a role as a recovery coordinator with Forward Leeds , the city ’ s alcohol and drug support service , led by Humankind . But Darren still felt he could do more .
‘ I noticed there was no targeted or focused help for people involved in the chemsex world in Leeds ,’ he says . ‘ I knew it was huge but because it ’ s so secretive no one ’ s aware of it . There would be people desperate
Picture : Darren ( left ) with Patrick Hands of MESMAC
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