Controlling Chemsex: Addressing the Epidemic in the UK and Beyond

Healing Conversations for Men Who Have Sex with Men

Ignacio Labayen De Inza is the CEO of Controlling Chemsex, an organization that provides chemsex support to people living in the UK. Ignacio has personally struggled with chemsex himself and understands how lonely and isolating the journey to recovery can be. This is why he’s been working in this field since 2008 to help those struggling with addiction and their relationship to sex. In this episode, Ignacio explains how severe the chemsex problem is in the UK from someone who is on the ground.

TAKEAWAYS:

[2:30] A little bit about Ignacio and his life story.

[5:15] Ignacio struggled with his relationship with drugs and all he wanted to do was get himself back on track and onto a healthier path.

[10:50] Covid made it difficult for Ignacio to continue his work with Grindr.

[12:30] Why do people use drugs to help with their sex life?

[19:00] Sex addiction is just a syndrome to a bigger problem.

[21:50] Ignacio has applied for funding to further help the community.

[23:30] What kind of trends has Ignacio been seeing happening in the UK?

[26:20] There’s misinformation everywhere and as the problem gets worse, the stigma continues further.

[30:00] Chemsex is a problem everywhere, not just in the UK.

RESOURCES:

Controllingchemsex.com

Ignacio on LinkedIn

QUOTES:

• “Lots of people can not pay for private therapy. We are aware of that. All the services that we are providing are free of charge.”
• “We are applying for money. Times are not easy, we have a recession, but we have to fight.”
• “What we’re seeing, the chemsex reality is much worse. The problem gets worse but the stigma remains.”