French chemsex project

Chemsex is a major public health issue: it has a complex definition, and its consequences and evolutions are significant. In France, chemsex has been challenged by numerous difficulties: •taboo and stigmatization of chemsex practices •the Covid-19 pandemic which has changed the chemsex practices and the health responses •the lack of training on chemsex issues for health professionals •the lack of coordination between health professionals (sexologists, addictologists, psychologists…) even though chemsexers require a transdisciplinary care •the lack of information about the health services for the chemsexers •the territorial inequalities of health services availability.

Since a few years, AIDES and Federation Addiction collaborate to ensure a better support for the chemsexers with both community health approach and addictology tools, to respond to their health issues and to harmonize the health services available for the chemsexers.

Our project aims to improve and reinforce the transdisciplinary health services of sexual prevention and harm reduction for chemsexers on a territorial basis. It is co-piloted by Federation Addiction and AIDES. It provides support to three precursor action sites (Paris, Bordeaux and Marseille) and three new action sites (which are not established yet) in order to strengthen or set up a transdisciplinary solution and a network of health professionals for chemsexers, and to provide solutions to develop those solutions.

Our project will be evaluated to identify practical solutions to the chemsex issues.