The AfterMeth: Gay Men Recovering from Crystal Methamphetamine and Chemsex Addiction

Send us a textSupplemental Study Guide: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/newsletters/blog/posts/lonelinessgiftIn this essential episode, Dr. Dallas Bragg welcomes Phil McAuliffe, founder of Humans:Connecting and The Loneliness Guy to explore one of the top reasons gay men relapse in recovery from crystal meth addiction: loneliness. Phil reframes loneliness as a vital signal—like hunger or thirst—that our connection needs aren't being met, rather than a problem to fix or numb through scrolling, using, or other distractions. He introduces the powerful concept that admitting loneliness is akin to saying "I feel unworthy of love and belonging," which explains why men often won't acknowledge their loneliness until after they've relapsed. The conversation dismantles common platitudes like "you're not alone" and "just put yourself out there," revealing how these well-meaning responses often miss the mark and why loneliness carries such debilitating stigma in our community.Phil shares his framework of the "three pillars of connection"—connection to self, connection to those most important to you, and connection to community—emphasizing that meaningful connection requires showing up authentically rather than wearing masks or performing competence. He introduces the critical insight that loneliness "dances in a trio" with shame and trauma, meaning addressing loneliness often requires courage to examine these deeper wounds. Practical tools discussed include owning loneliness through language ("I'm experiencing loneliness" versus "I'm lonely"), getting relentlessly curious rather than judgmental, asking for consent before sharing your loneliness with others, and committing to six months of persistence when trying new connection activities. The episode reinforces that recovery work—whether from addiction or loneliness—takes time, effort, and patience, but ultimately, you are worth it.Find Phil here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-mcauliffe/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humans_connecting/Connection Resolutions Download: https://www.humansconnecting.org/downloads/connection-resolutions Connection Starter Course: https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-courseThe AfterMeth: Join our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theaftermeth/ Dr. Dallas Bragg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drdallasbragg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdallasbragg/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drdallasbragg YouTube: The Aftermeth Podcast X: https://twitter.com/Drdallasbragg Free online course to End the Relapse Cycle: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/e7c2Eo22/checkout Meth-Free Blueprint EBOOK: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/o8qFhK5i/checkout

Send us a textSupplemental Study Guide: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/newsletters/blog/posts/jaysonIn this episode of The AfterMeth podcast, Dr. Dallas Bragg sits down with Jayson Parker, a successful adult content creator who transformed his relationship with sex and intimacy after overcoming methamphetamine addiction. This raw, honest conversation explores one of recovery's most challenging topics: rebuilding a healthy sex life after meth.  What You'll Learn: The Journey from Addiction to Recovery: • How religious trauma and shame led to meth as an "escape" • The moment when your heart changes but your body keeps using • Why Jason took a 3-year break from dating apps (and why it worked) • The power of saying "for now" instead of "never"  Rebuilding Your Relationship with Sex: • How to grieve the loss of your addiction without demonizing it • The difference between performance and authentic connection • Why "sober sex is better" isn't about physical sensation • Navigating triggers, orgies, and high-risk situations in recovery  Practical Recovery Strategies: • The importance of radical self-honesty and vulnerability • Building a support network of sexually liberated people in recovery • How to know when you're ready to return to dating apps • Creating accountability systems that actually work  Breaking Stigma: • Why you can't hate yourself into a new life • The surprising reality of drug use in the porn industry • How connection truly is the opposite of addiction  Key Takeaways:"You can't shame yourself into compliance with a new way of life. You can't hate yourself into a new life.""I had to look at what positive things came from my addiction... I got wonderful gifts that I probably would never have gotten. And yet, this thing cannot be in my life anymore.""The only way to have sex in recovery is to have sex in recovery."  About Jayson Parker: Jayson Parker is a successful adult content creator who quit his job as a money laundering investigator to pursue porn full-time. Born and raised Mormon in Utah, he overcame religious trauma, meth addiction, and sexual shame to build a thriving career in adult entertainment. He's an ambassador for Sniffies and Mr. S Leather, and is organizing the first-ever Pepper Diet Academy conference focused on sex, intimacy, and relationships in recovery.X: jaysonparker801 IG: jaysonparker_801  Resources Mentioned: • Pepper Diet Academy Conference: August 7-10, 2025     ◦ Website: pepperdietacademy.org     ◦ Focus: Sex, intimacy, and relationships in recovery     ◦ Includes The AfterMeth: Join our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theaftermeth/ Dr. Dallas Bragg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drdallasbragg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdallasbragg/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drdallasbragg YouTube: The Aftermeth Podcast X: https://twitter.com/Drdallasbragg Free online course to End the Relapse Cycle: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/e7c2Eo22/checkout Meth-Free Blueprint EBOOK: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/o8qFhK5i/checkout

Send us a textSupplimental Study Guide:  https://www.drdallasbragg.com/newsletters/blog/posts/sociologyIn this episode, host Dallas Bragg sits down with Dr. Chris Conner, Stephen O Murray Faculty in Residence at Michigan State University. Dr. Conner has taught Drugs and Society for 7 years, and shares insights from research on Chemsex use in the gay community. He identifies two particularly vulnerable age groups: 15-24 year-olds and those 40 and older. For younger men, substance use often provides a way to manage anxieties around coming out, potential homelessness, and navigating sex in a society uncomfortable discussing gay intimacy. For older gay men, crystal meth becomes a response to feeling invisible and sexually undesirable after turning 40—a pattern that traces back to when meth first entered the gay club scene in the 1990s and 2000s, affecting this generation when they were in their twenties.Dr. Christopher T. ConnerAssistant Professor of Sociology, University of Missouri-ColumbiaStephen O. Murray Scholar-In-Residence at Michigan State University📧 [email protected]📞 573-882-8331🌐 www.chrisconner.net Resources: Party Boi Documentary https://partyboidocumentary.com/ Chemsex (Vice Documentary). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5073738/ Do I sound Gay https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3997238/ Tea Room Trade https://www.amazon.com/Tearoom-Trade-Impersonal-public-Observations/dp/0202302830 Something for the weekend: Life in The Chemsex Underworld https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/36002677-something-for-the-weekend  The complex social, cultural and psychological drivers of the ‘chemsex’ experiences of men who have sex with men...  https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1422775/full  Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Behavioral Health: Results from the 2021 2022 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health.  https://web.archive.org/web/20250125022513/https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/fileThe AfterMeth: Join our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theaftermeth/ Dr. Dallas Bragg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drdallasbragg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdallasbragg/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drdallasbragg YouTube: The Aftermeth Podcast X: https://twitter.com/Drdallasbragg Free online course to End the Relapse Cycle: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/e7c2Eo22/checkout Meth-Free Blueprint EBOOK: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/o8qFhK5i/checkout

Send us a textSupplemental Study Guide:https://www.drdallasbragg.com/newsletters/blog/posts/matterIn this compelling episode of The AfterMeth Podcast, host Dr. Dallas Bragg sits down with Giulio, an Italian activist who holds the unique titles of Mr. Gay Italy 2010, Mr. Gay Europe 2011, and Mr. Gay World 2025. Giulio shares his personal journey through chemsex addiction, revealing how what began as controlled recreational drug use with his partner evolved into problematic use following life disruptions including COVID-19, job loss, and a painful breakup. As a neurodivergent person diagnosed with autism and ADHD, Giulio explains how substances like G and mephedrone initially helped him overcome anxiety around casual sex and quieted his overthinking mind, creating what he describes as a "psychological addiction" that extended beyond the biological dependence.The conversation takes a hopeful turn as Giulio discusses his recovery process, emphasizing the importance of curiosity over condemnation when understanding addiction. He shares insights from his intensive study of neuroscience and the dopamine reward system, particularly Dr. Anna Lembke's concept of the "30-day rule" for brain restoration. Currently working with Controlling Chemsex, Giulio openly addresses the challenges of his "second puberty"—relearning sober sex and intimacy after four years without it—while grieving the confidence substances once provided. He advocates for reducing stigma around chemsex by recognizing addiction as a broader societal issue affecting connection and wellbeing, using his platform in the Mr. Gay World competition to courageously bring this critical topic to the global stage.Find Giulio here: IG: @julio_mrgayworld2025Controlling Chemsex: https://controllingchemsex.com/The AfterMeth: Join our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theaftermeth/ Dr. Dallas Bragg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drdallasbragg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdallasbragg/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drdallasbragg YouTube: The Aftermeth Podcast X: https://twitter.com/Drdallasbragg Free online course to End the Relapse Cycle: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/e7c2Eo22/checkout Meth-Free Blueprint EBOOK: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/o8qFhK5i/checkout

Send us a textSupplemental Study Guide: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/newsletters/blog/posts/interventionIn this powerful conversation, Dr. Dallas Bragg interviews renowned interventionist Brad Lamm, who has conducted over 1,300 interventions and brings both professional expertise and lived experience with methamphetamine addiction. Lamm shares his journey of struggling with meth from 1986 through 2002, highlighting the profound shame and isolation that often accompanies addiction in the LGBTQ+ community—particularly for those raised in evangelical environments that pathologized their identities. The discussion explores harm reduction and moderation management approaches as alternatives to abstinence-only models, with Lamm emphasizing the importance of setting realistic, achievable goals that build self-trust rather than perpetuating the all-or-nothing thinking that often traps people in cycles of relapse and shame. He introduces the "more good, less bad" framework and stresses that with a 90% relapse rate in the first year for chemsex recovery, meeting people where they're at is essential.The heart of the episode focuses on practical guidance for family members who feel helpless watching a loved one struggle with addiction. Lamm introduces his "invitational intervention" method, which challenges the traditional surprise-ambush model by openly inviting the person to their own intervention—a gathering where loved ones share what they've witnessed, their hopes, and their fears in a compassionate, non-judgmental way. He helps families distinguish between healthy and unhealthy codependency, encouraging them to audit the financial and relational costs of their current support patterns while creating boundaries rooted in love rather than punishment. Throughout the conversation, both Lamm and Bragg emphasize viewing addiction through the lens of brain chemistry and trauma rather than moral failure, offering families permission to trust that their compassionate intervention is unlikely to make things worse—and that if they're asking themselves whether it's time to seek help, the answer is almost always yes.The AfterMeth: Join our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theaftermeth/ Dr. Dallas Bragg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drdallasbragg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdallasbragg/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drdallasbragg YouTube: The Aftermeth Podcast X: https://twitter.com/Drdallasbragg Free online course to End the Relapse Cycle: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/e7c2Eo22/checkout Meth-Free Blueprint EBOOK: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/o8qFhK5i/checkout