Lust, Men, and Meth: A Gay Man’s Guide to Sex and Recovery – David Michael Fawcett

Description

Lust, Men, and Meth: A Gay Man’s Guide to Sex and Recovery
Paperback – September 25, 2015
by David Michael Fawcett

Lust, Men, and Meth: A Gay Man’s Guide to Sex and Recovery is a groundbreaking paperback work that addresses the complex intersection of methamphetamine use, sexuality, and recovery among gay men. Written by psychologist and sex therapist Dr. David Michael Fawcett, the book offers both insight and practical tools for individuals navigating recovery and for the professionals who support them.

Drawing on more than a decade of clinical experience, research, and case studies, Dr. Fawcett explores how methamphetamine uniquely impacts sexual desire, intimacy, and emotional regulation. He examines the powerful neurochemical effects of meth, particularly its influence on dopamine, and how these effects can fuse drug use with sex in ways that distort desire, increase risk-taking, and undermine long-term intimacy.

The book is structured in three parts. The first, The Perfect Storm, examines the psychological and neurobiological forces that make meth especially seductive, including excitement, risk, boredom, and feelings of disconnection or inadequacy that affect some gay men. This section also addresses the intersection of meth use with broader community health concerns, including HIV/AIDS.

The second part, Exploring the Sexual Universe, offers a sex therapist’s perspective on how erotic desire develops in the brain and how methamphetamine alters sexual templates, scripts, and fantasies. Dr. Fawcett integrates emerging discoveries in neurobiology and brain plasticity to explain both the damaging effects of compulsive behavior and the pathways toward healing.

The final section, Restoring Your Life, focuses on recovery in practice. Drawing from thousands of hours of therapeutic work, it provides tools for managing emotions, rebuilding intimacy, and rethinking one’s relationship to sex without substances. Rather than avoiding vulnerability, shame, or anxiety, the book reframes these emotions as guides toward deeper emotional growth, healthier sexuality, and renewed connection to self, relationships, and community.

Clear, compassionate, and affirming, Lust, Men, and Meth remains an essential resource for gay men in recovery as well as therapists, counselors, and clinicians working at the intersection of addiction, sexuality, and identity.