#4: Let's talk about drugs

Last week, Jonathan Van Ness, star of Queer Eye, came out with his memoir and an interview with NY Times about life managing HIV, sexual abuse, and drug addiction. They are all pressing issues in the queer community and in this episode, we dive into drugs. Whether we like to admit it or not, drugs are all around us. They are at parties, festivals, and even the bars we frequent. Both legal and illegal drugs are being used and abused and for us to build a more mature relationship with it - it is to talk about them openly. In this episode, we cover: Why are drugs prevalent in gay and Asian culture? History of drug use in gay culture Prevalence of drugs on gay dating apps Chemsex culture Drawing the line between personal responsibility and encouragement The G epidemic in gay culture A look into drug consumption worldwide The opioid epidemic in the US Drug laws and regulations across Asia Impact of drug liberalization How to manage drug culture when it is around us LGBTQIA Resources: LGBTQIA Youth Talkline (ages 23 and under) 1-800-96-YOUTH Mon–Sat, 9.30 pm–12 am EST Tue, 7 pm–12 am EST Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Youth Hotline (ages 23 and under) 1.800.773.5540 Mon–Fri, 12 pm–8 pm EST Gay and Lesbian National Hotline 1-888-843-4564 Mon–Fri, 4 pm–12 am EST Trans Lifeline https://www.translifeline.org/ 1-877-565-8860 National Hotlines: SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information. Trevor Suicide Prevention Line 1-800-850-8078 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV/AIDS/STD Line 1-800-342-2437 HIV/AIDS Treatment Info Services 1-800-448-0440 TDD: 1-888-480-3739 Mon–Fri, 12 pm–5 pm EST Covenant House's Nine Line (a crisis line for youth and their families) 1-800-999-9999 National Runaway Switchboard 1-800-231-6946 National Youth Crisis Hotline 1-800-HIT-HOME Alcohol and Drug Abuse Hotline 1-800-821-4357 Alcohol Hotline 1-800-252-6465 Drug Abuse Hotline 1-800-888-9383 Show References: Thesis on "Eggplant and Peaches: Understanding Emoji Use on Grindr" Grindr finally deletes capital T due to concern over promoting meth UN's 2018 World Drug Report Department of Human and Health Service Opioid Statistics CDC's opioid statistics CNN's investigative journalism covering drug trafficking in Myanmar United Nation's Office on Drugs & Crime 2017 survey VOA News - Myanmar largest producer of opium Human Right Watch on Philippine's "War on Drugs" Kotaku - Japan's strictness on drugs JapanTimes - drug abuse & long-term care Paper on Emerging Risks of New Types of Drug Addiction in Japan US Embassy - Drug laws of Japan Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research Paper on drug liberalization Institute on Behavior and Health on drug liberalization If you have any topics you'd love to hear covered, you can email me at [email protected]. So much love for you and I'll talk to you later. Ciao. ♥️ You can follow me at: Instagram (instagram.com/stevenwakabayashi) YouTube (youtube.com/stevenwakabayashi) Weekly Newsletter (mindfulmoments.substack.com)