A new book provides an innovative roadmap for healthcare professionals treating gay men for methamphetamine addiction and sexual compulsion: Lust, Men and Meth: A Gay Man's Guide to Sex and Recovery ( Healing Path Press ).
Lust, Men and Meth is written by David M. Fawcett, a Florida-based psychotherapist, addiction specialist and sex therapist who specializes in mental health and substance abuse issues. Lust, Men, and Meth is a practical guide toward a life free of the physical and emotional impact of crystal meth addiction. Lust, Men, and Meth is the product of 13 years of research by Dr. Fawcett,
"For those struggling with meth use, the impact is devastating," said Dr. Fawcett. "Healthcare professionals are challenged by a dearth of research and non-prejudicial information on the subject. To save lives, we need to talk about the meth crisis with compassion and support. Gay male users also face stigma—usually within their own community—that simply drives them deeper underground, away from help."
Illuminated by dozens of case studies, Lust, Men, and Meth presents a guide to recovery from meth. Lust, Men and Meth offers a diagnostic roadmap for the therapeutic work necessary to guide a client towards attaining sexual and emotional intimacy that is disconnected from meth use, as well as relapse-prevention skills. The book helps professionals address issues of self-esteem and sexual intimacy that fuel addictive behavior among gay men, as well as HIV transmission dangers increased by meth use.
Lust, Men, and Meth is divided into three parts: The Perfect Storm, which assesses the components of individual personality traits and gay cultural norms that invite the opportunity for meth addiction; Exploring the Sexual Universe, which explores how meth can rewire a gay man's approach to sexuality, resulting in risky behavior and seroconversion; and Restoring Your Life, providing seven tools for recovery from meth and restoring drug-free intimacy.
Author David Fawcett is gay and HIV-positive. He has co-founded or served on numerous groups addressing meth use and HIV in the gay communities of Florida and across America. As a board member of the Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse, Fawcett helped form the South Florida Methamphetamine Task Force, which he also chaired. He received the 2015 Koch Award for Professional of the Year for Broward National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, and was twice named NASW Social Worker of the Year.
See david-fawcett.com .
