Is Chemsex The Same As Sex Addiction?

The question above is crucial to our discourse because of the generic assumptions that anyone who practices Chemsex also has a sex addiction problem. Chemsex is often conceptualized as sex addiction by some clinicians who will often use the Patrick Carnes model of sex addiction to treat Chemsex dependency.

More so, there are similarities between both formulations has both dependencies make an individual hypersexual in their behaviour. The risk levels for both practices are high as both share an inability to see the link between actions and consequences (Stuart Fenton, 2019)

Despite the relationship between the behaviour's of a person who is a sex addict and a person who is Chemsex dependent, there is still a difference between both consepsulizations. For example, someone who participates in Chemsex requires drugs to facilitate or enhance his sexual experiences. The person needs drugs to get high, which in turn stimulates sexual arousal.

However, if the person is addicted to sex, he will still struggle with hypersexual compulsive patterns of behaviour with or without the drugs. There is a contraindication with the application of Patrick Carnes’s sex addiction model to the Chemsex demographic. Gay men have been historically stigmatized for their sexual practices, and as a therapist it is important to use a sex positive approach in helping them.