This information is provided to attendees at the 2026 joint BASHH and BHIVA Conference in Liverpool and contains further information referenced by the speakers during the session: Chemsex Uncovered
Speaker presentations
Chemsex support services
Antidote at London Friend
The UK’s largest LGBTQ+ specific drug and alcohol support service working with people in London.
https://londonfriend.org.uk/antidote
Club Drug Clinic
NHS Clinic working with residents in the London Boroughs of Westminster; Kensington and Chelsea; and Hammersmith and Fulham.
https://clubdrugclinic.cnwl.nhs.uk/
Controlling Chemsex
Free professional chemsex support.
https://controllingchemsex.com/
Chemsex information and harm reduction resources
The Love Tank and Queer Health Info
Queer-run harm reduction, research and other programmes
Sex, Drugs, and Care For All peer mobile programme: https://www.thelovetank.info/sdc4all
Club Drug Booklets: https://www.queerhealth.info/projects/sdc4all
Gay Men’s Health Collective
Extensive harm reduction information and resources.
https://gaymenshealthcollective.co.uk/
London Chemsex Conferences reports: https://gaymenshealthcollective.co.uk/london-chemsex-conference-2025/
2026 conference: https://gaymenshealthcollective.co.uk/london-chemsex-conference-2026/
PIP PACS: https://gaymenshealthcollective.co.uk/pip-pac/
Further reading
London Friend chemsex reports 2026
https://londonfriend.org.uk/chemsexreport2026/
Baldry, G et al. (2025).
Chemsex-associated drug use amongst men and gender-diverse people having sex with men in the UK: findings from an online community survey (2026).
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.23.26344697v1
Nagington, M. (2025).
The Moral Lessons of Chemsex: A Critical Approach. London: Routledge.
Public Health England (PHE).
Chemsex briefing: Substance misuse services for men involved in chemsex.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/substance-misuse-services-for-men-involved-in-chemsex
Hakim, J. (2019). The rise of chemsex: Queering collective intimacy in neoliberal London.
Cultural Studies, 33(2), 249–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/09502386.2018.1435720
Matthew Todd. (2016). Straight Jacket: How to Be Gay and Happy. London: Bantam Press.
Maxwell, S., Shahmanesh, M., & Gafos, M. (2019). Chemsex behaviours among men who have sex with men: A systematic review.
International Journal of Drug Policy, 63, 74–89.
Sewell, J., et al. (2019). Changes in chemsex and sexual behaviour over time among MSM in London and Brighton: Findings from the AURAH2 study.
International Journal of Drug Policy, 68, 54–61.
World Health Organization (WHO) Europe. (2010).
Developing sexual health programmes: A framework for action.
https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/sexual_health/rhr_10_22/en/
Edmundson, C., Heinsbroek, E., Glass, R., Hope, V., Mohammed, H., White, M., & Desai, M. (2018).
Sexualised drug use in the United Kingdom: A review of the literature.
International Journal of Drug Policy, 55, 131–148.
Bourne, A., Reid, D., Hickson, F., Torres Rueda, S., & Weatherburn, P. (2014).
The chemsex study: drug use in sexual settings among gay and bisexual men in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham.
Sigma Research. http://sigmaresearch.org.uk/files/report2014a.pdf
AVERT.
How chemsex helps challenge neoliberal health discourse.
https://www.avert.org/uk/active/peaks/how-chemsex-helps-queer-men-find-their-place-in-hash-cities
UK Government.
UK drug use: Lifestyle trends and chemsex.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drugs-in-the-uk-chemsex-and-chillout-lifestyle-a6771426.html
Public Health England / UKHSA.
Chemsex and HIV healthcare.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/401005/PHEMSMActionPlan.pdf
Polo Polo‑Herce, P., et al. (2024).
Effectiveness of harm reduction interventions in chemsex: A systematic review.
ScienceDirect. (2022).
Chemsex: A contemporary challenge for public health.
Roe, B., et al. (2024).
Developing a coordinated response to chemsex across health, justice and social care settings: Expert consensus statement.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-bulletin/article/developing-a-coordinated-response-to-chemsex-across-health-justice-and-social-care-settings/282F24B386B0ED78F9EE7D9A5153729F
Royal Holloway, University of London. Pharmacosexuality: Exploring sex, drugs and health beyond risk frameworks.https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-education/departments-and-schools/law-and-criminology/research/our-projects-and-research-impact/pharmacosexuality/
https://pharmacosexuality.wordpress.com/
Sex, drugs and clinical psychology: Developing chemsex services, a description of the City & Hackney model of chemsex support.
https://explore.bps.org.uk/content/bpscpf/1/382/70
Chemsex Interventions for Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12573307/
Exploring practices to enhance benefits and reduce risks of chemsex among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: A meta-ethnography:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38555721/
Effectiveness of Harm Reduction Interventions in Chemsex: A Systematic Review:
