Party and play also known as a chemical session, chem session, or simply as partying, is a phenomenon and subculture

Subculture

In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...

 of recreational drug users who play together sexually, either one-on-one or in groups.

The term is often but not always used by and associated with homosexuals and men who have sex with men

Men who have sex with men

Men who have sex with men are male persons who engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex, regardless of how they identify themselves; many men choose not to accept sexual identities of homosexual or bisexual...

 (MSM). The drug of choice is typically methamphetamine

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...

, known as crystal or tina in the gay community. Other "party drugs" such as MDMA

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine

MDMA is an entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of drugs. In popular culture, MDMA has become widely known as "ecstasy" , usually referring to its street pill form, although this term may also include the presence of possible adulterants...

 and GHB

Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid

γ-Hydroxybutyric acid , also known as 4-hydroxybutanoic acid and sodium oxybate when used for medicinal purposes, is a naturally occurring substance found in the central nervous system, wine, beef, small citrus fruits, and almost all animals in small amounts. It is also categorized as an illegal...

 are less associated with this term. It has been called both an "epidemic" and "plague" in the gay community.

Participants

Men interested in PNP typically meet through other drug users or through Internet dating sites. On such sites, men often include notations such as "PNP" or the reverse, "No PNP". Some sites, such as Manhunt.net

Manhunt.net

MANHUNT.net is a social networking website operated by Online Buddies, Inc., that facilitates same-sex introductions. It is owned by its founders, Jonathan Crutchley and Larry Basile. The site has over 4 million profiles worldwide, over 1 million of which are in the United States...

, prohibit members from saying that they want PNP or making other positive references to drug use.

Craigslist.org has the same policy but it is seldom enforced; users often advertise they are willing to provide favors or party favors to prospective partners. Internet posts by men seeking pNp experiences often resort to slang to identify what drug they are partying with.

As stimulant drugs such as methamphetamine drastically delay the need for sleep

Sleep

Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than...

 and tend to inhibit ejaculation

Ejaculation

Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the male reproductory tract, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural conception. In rare cases ejaculation occurs because of prostatic disease...

, PNP sexual encounters can continue for many hours--a typical methamphetamine high lasts about eight hours--or even for several days if multiple doses are taken (however in this case the comedown is correspondingly more severe). These drugs tend to inhibit penile

Penis

The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...

 erection

Erection

Penile erection is a physiological phenomenon where the penis becomes enlarged and firm. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular and endocrine factors, and is usually, though not exclusively, associated with sexual arousal...

, a phenomenon known by the slang term crystal dick. Consequently, many men who engage in PNP use erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual performance....

 drugs such as sildenafil

Sildenafil

Sildenafil citrate, sold as Viagra, Revatio and under various other trade names, is a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension . It was originally developed by British scientists and then brought to market by the US-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer...

, vardenafil

Vardenafil

Vardenafil is a PDE5 inhibitor used for treating erectile dysfunction that is sold under the trade names Levitra and Staxyn.-History:...

, and tadalafil

Tadalafil

Tadalafil is a PDE5 inhibitor, currently marketed in pill form for treating erectile dysfunction under the name Cialis; and under the name Adcirca for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension...

.

Risks

Besides the inherent risks involved with drug use, health officials have found a strong correlation between drug use and unsafe sex practices.

As such, PNP practices are cited as the cause of rising HIV

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

 rates in the gay and bisexual male community and other men who have sex with men. San Francisco's STOP Aids Project

STOP AIDS project

Stop AIDS Project is a United States non-profit organization established in 1985 that works to prevent HIV transmission among all gay, bisexual, and trans men in San Francisco, California, through multicultural, community-based organizing...

 and the Mayor of San Francisco's Crystal Meth Task Force have reduced methamphetamine use from 18% in 2003 to 10% in 2005 of gay and bisexual San Franciscans PNPing. The STOP AIDS Project has been heavily involved due to the common link between methamphetamine use and sex—PNPing.

The same drug-induced loss of inhibitions makes PNP enthusiasts more vulnerable to more immediate threats, such as robbery

Robbery

Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....

, date rape

Date rape

"Date rape", often referred to as acquaintance rape, is an assault or attempted assault usually committed by a new acquaintance involving sexual intercourse without mutual consent....

, or assault

Assault

In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...

 by someone whom they meet for sex.

Statistics

Men who PNP with methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine

Ketamine

Ketamine is a drug used in human and veterinary medicine. Its hydrochloride salt is sold as Ketanest, Ketaset, and Ketalar. Pharmacologically, ketamine is classified as an NMDA receptor antagonist...

 are twice as likely to bareback (have unprotected sex, meaning sex without using a condom), according to British research. The study also found that up to 20% of gay men from central London gyms have tried methamphetamine, the drug most associated with PNPing.

Club culture

The term party and play - and pay has emerged as a warning that Partying and Playing leads to bareback sex which increases the chances of contracting HIV and may result in other consequences such as neurological damage and resistance to HIV drugs.

"We're seeing a strong correlation between crystal and HIV infection"
-Pride Institute of New York

Methamphetamine can cause sores and abrasions in the mouth which can turn typically low HIV risk sex acts such as oral sex into very high risk sexual activity and transmit HIV.

External links

• Crystal Meth and the Gay Community - Essay
• http://www.tweaker.org/
• http://www.thebody.com/content/art30508.html
• http://www.thedccenter.org/letstalkaboutmeth/