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for help , just like I ’ d been , and I wanted to be able to offer something . Because it ’ s all so underground and stigmatised , even within the LGBTQIA + community , people don ’ t feel that they can talk to anyone at all . They often don ’ t even think of approaching the local drug support service as they don ’ t think they have a “ drug problem ”.’ Darren was inspired by the work of David Stuart at London ’ s 56 Dean Street clinic in Soho . ‘ David was a chemsex activist and he played a key role in developing the first chemsex services in the UK – I looked around Leeds , a city of nearly a million people , and thought we need something like that here
‘ Because it ’ s all so underground and stigmatised , even within the LGBTQIA + community , people don ’ t feel that they can talk to anyone at all .’
DARREN MURPHY
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for people too ,’ he says .
‘ I worked with my manager and Forward Leeds , who were happy to help me put pathways and dedicated support in place . I would describe chemsex as a secret epidemic . Those people out there know they need help but don ’ t know where to turn and often are too embarrassed to discuss it with anyone at all . They need to know there ’ s a safe place for them to come where people will understand them and show compassion .’
DIRECT PATHWAY Darren created a direct pathway for people concerned about their involvement in the chemsex world . Through this he can provide dedicated personal support to people who may have felt they had nowhere else to turn .
Darren contacted a range of local services including Galop the LGBT + anti-abuse charity , the Leeds sexual health clinic , the HIV ward of Leeds General Infirmary , BHA Skyline , an HIV support service in Leeds , and Yorkshire MESMAC , a sexual health organisation that supports MSM . ‘ I ’ ve created a small network of supportive organisations who can collaborate on helping people involved in chemsex ,’ he says .
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‘ We ’ re delivering training and sharing ideas on how best to support people . We ’ re trying to offer as many routes and open doors for people to get help as we can . This includes a weekly drop-in at the local MESMAC Yorkshire service in Leeds .’
The help on offer is focused on more than supporting people to stop using drugs and get out of the chemsex scene . ‘ We offer harm reduction advice and support , so that if people do still want to be involved , we can ensure they ’ re keeping themselves and everyone else as safe as possible ,’ says Darren . ‘ If you ’ re involved or have been involved in the chemsex world there ’ s also a lot of mental wellbeing to consider as well . We ’ re trying to offer support that is caring and supports the whole person . We ’ re not just about stopping people using drugs but about making sure people are in a position to take care of themselves physically and emotionally .’
FORWARD LEEDS Once Darren had started with a small network of sympathetic services , he began to promote the support that Forward Leeds is now offering . This included developing a range of physical promotional materials and online social media campaigns . ‘ The whole of the chemsex scene is run online and in people ’ s private houses , so you need an online presence as well . We took out paid advertising on some of the apps that people use to arrange meet-ups and parties , even mirroring the branding of the apps to catch people ’ s eyes .’
As well as training all the staff on chemsex , Darren has also run an open session for anyone working in healthcare in Leeds to find out more . Through this he ’ s been able to reach doctors , nurses and mental health specialists . He ’ s also put together a training package for workers across Humankind nationally .
Darren ’ s training covers a detailed overview of what chemsex is and the substances used . He gives people insights into the risks and harms , and provides harm reduction and safeguarding advice for them
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to pass on to people they are supporting . ‘ The training has been a real success ,’ he says . ‘ I think I ’ ve opened a lot of people ’ s eyes to what might be happening in their town or city and how they can help people . This is a topic we all need to feel comfortable talking about , so we can break some of the stigma .’
One of the people from the local chemsex scene that Darren supported recently was a 25-yearold university student who had been referred to Darren through MESMAC Yorkshire . ‘ He ’ d been experiencing extreme psychotic episodes when he used crystal meth . Initially , he ’ d come in for his emotional wellbeing and just for a safe place to talk to someone who would understand . After one particularly frightening psychotic episode , he decided to come in and get some support to stop . He ’ s now been abstinent for five months , is attending sustained recovery meetings and will graduate from university this summer with a 2.1 .’
CHANGING ATTITUDES Darren is hopeful that attitudes to chemsex will change within services . ‘ I hope that there will be a lot more organisations , especially drug and alcohol services and sexual health services , that have a better understanding of how to support people with these issues and how to signpost people for support ,’ he says . ‘ Often people aren ’ t asking questions about chemsex because of lack of knowledge and understanding . We need to empower and educate people , so they feel comfortable discussing chemsex and the issues people experience . We also need to have people offering more chemsex drop-in clinics and making it clear and obvious that they have the knowledge and skills to support people around chemsex issues .’
Thanks to additional funding from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities ( OHID ), Darren has just been appointed to a new role at Forward Leeds – as a dedicated chemsex lead practitioner .
Mark Hindwell is senior marketing and communications officer at Forward Leeds
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JUNE 2024 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • 11 |