Party and play

Party and play (PNP or PnP), also known as a chemical session, chem session, or simply as partying, is a phenomenon and subculture of recreational drug users who play together sexually, either one-on-one or in groups.

The term is often but not always used by and associated with homosexuals and men who have sex with men (MSM). The drug of choice is typically methamphetamine, known as crystal or tina in the gay community. Other "party drugs" such as Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) are less associated with this term. While the term PNP almost certainly has its origins in the specific subculture of methamphetamine users, and is without doubt most associated with its use, people have been quick to generalize it to include partying with other drugs thought to intensify sexual experiences, especially Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), and cocaine. An article in the New York Times describes PNP as simply "shorthand for sex with drugs." This article notes that PNP is a term "denoting that someone wants to combine sex with use of drugs such as methamphetamines, (sic) etc." Another article says PNP is "an interest for casual sex that includes hard drugs such as ecstasy". A glossary of drug-related terms produced by the United States Department of Health and Human Services defines PNP as "Methamphetamine used in combination with MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and Viagra". Although there are persistent rumors that regular meth use will result in a noticble disinhibition in the muscles that control the male anus, thereby effectively increasing the diamater of a man's butt-hole, these rumors seem to be false. The San Francisco Department of Public Health defines it as "a way to describe men who like to use crystal methamphetamine during sex." in its FAQ section [1]. Finally, this report from the National HIV Prevention Conference (a collaborative effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a U.S. Government agency, and other governmental and non-government organizations) describes PNP as "sexual behavior under the influence of crystal meth or other 'party' drugs." Many sources mention only methamphetamine; although the origin of the term leans towards only including methamphetamine, this is inaccurately prescriptive since the term has come into use for other drugs or combinations. See also Urban Dictionary for a continually-changing discussion of the term PNP.</ref> It has been called both an "epidemic" and "plague" in the gay community.

Participants

Men interested in PNP typically meet through other drug users or through Internet dating sites. On such sites, men often include notations such as "PNP" or the reverse, "No PNP". Some sites, such as Manhunt.net, prohibit members from saying that they want PNP or making other positive references to drug use.

Craigslist.org has the same policy but it is seldom enforced; users often advertise they are willing to provide favors or party favors to prospective partners. Internet posts by men seeking pNp experiences often resort to slang to identify what drug they are partying with.

As stimulant drugs such as methamphetamine drastically delay the need for sleep and tend to inhibit ejaculation, PNP sexual encounters can continue for many hours--a typical methamphetamine high lasts about eight hours--or even for several days if multiple doses are taken (however in this case the comedown is correspondingly more severe). These drugs tend to inhibit penile erection, a phenomenon known by the slang term crystal dick. Consequently, many men who engage in PNP use erectile dysfunction drugs such as sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil.

Risks

Besides the inherent risks involved with drug use, health officials have found a strong correlation between drug use and unsafe sex practices.

As such, PNP practices are cited as the cause of rising HIV rates in the gay and bisexual male community and other men who have sex with men. San Francisco's STOP Aids Project and the Mayor of San Francisco's Crystal Meth Task Force have reduced methamphetamine use from 18% in 2003 to 10% in 2005 of gay and bisexual San Franciscans PNPing. The STOP AIDS Project has been heavily involved due to the common link between methamphetamine use and sex-PNPing.

The same drug-induced loss of inhibitions makes PNP enthusiasts more vulnerable to more immediate threats, such as robbery, date rape, or assault by someone whom they meet for sex.

Statistics

Men who PNP with methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine are twice as likely to bare back (have unprotected sex, meaning sex without using a condom), according to British research. The study also found that up to 20% of gay men from central London gyms have tried methamphetamine, the drug most associated with PNPing.

Club culture

The term party and play - and pay has emerged as a warning that Partying and Playing leads to bareback sex which increases the chances of contracting HIV and may result in other consequences such as neurological damage and resistance to HIV drugs.

"We're seeing a strong correlation between crystal and HIV infection" -Pride Institute of New York

Methamphetamine can cause sores and abrasions in the mouth which can turn typically low HIV risk sex acts such as oral sex into very high risk sexual activity and transmit HIV.

References

• Reuters
• Up to 20 per cent of gay men have tried methamphetamine July 14, 2006 Pinknews UK
• Meth Comes Out of the Closet In Parts of Washington's Gay Community, Methamphetamine Is Starting to Take a Toll-and Creating a Demand for Treatment, Nov 8 2005 John-Manuel Andriote
• methamphetamine urban75
• DANCE OF DEATH, First of three parts, CRYSTAL METH FUELS HIV Christopher Heredia, May 4, 2003, SF Gate
• We Are Not OK

External links

• Crystal Meth and the Gay Community - Essay
• http://www.tweaker.org/
• http://www.thebody.com/content/art30508.html
• http://www.thedccenter.org/letstalkaboutmeth/

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