Life After Meth: Fawcett to speak at Gay City Seattle

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Dr. Fawcett will present a book reading and discussion followed by Q&A and refreshments on Tuesday evening, February 9, 2016 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. The focus of the evening will be reclaiming healthy sex and intimacy after getting clean from meth. The event will take place at the Calamus Auditorium at Gay City, 517 East Pike Street, Seattle, Washington 98122.  The event, moderated by Seattle psychotherapist Peter Jabin, will feature both excerpts from “Lust, Men, and Meth: A Gay Man’s Guide to Sex and Recovery,”  and plenty of opportunity for lively discussion. The reading is free and open to the public.

For more information see the Facebook page here
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Fawcett Presents Book Reading and Workshop in New York

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On December 13, 2015 Dr. Fawcett presented a reading and discussion called “After Meth: Rebuilding Your Life, Intimacy and Sex” to a packed house at the Bureau of General Services Queer Division at the LGBTQ Center in New York.  Based on his book “Lust, Men, and Meth: A Gay Man’s Guide to Sex and Recovery,” Fawcett outlined key points about the physiological and psychological impact of methamphetamine as well as critical skills and tools to promote recovery and healing. After his presentation and reading, Dr. Fawcett had a lively question and answer session with the attendees followed by a reception.

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Portions of the workshop are available on video:

“Why I Wrote this Book”

“After Meth Part 1”

“After Meth Part 2”

David Fawcett Receives Who’s Who in Florida Prevention Award

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David Fawcett PhD, LCSW, has been honored with the "Who's Who in Florida Prevention Award" in recognition of his leadership in both substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention.   The Florida Office of Drug Control named individuals recognized for their leadership at the annual statewide Prevention in Florida Conference in Orlando in early October.  This award acknowledges the accomplishments and dedication of individuals and groups within Florida’s prevention community.  Dr. Fawcett's nomination specifically recognized a decade of leadership working to strengthen individuals and families, especially within the LGBT community.

Dr. Fawcett has worked on a number of community projects, including serving as Chair of the South Florida Methamphetamine Task Force, which fostered community partnerships to address the methamphetamine crisis through training of professionals and creation of an infrastructure for prevention and treatment.  He was a founder of Meth and Men South Florida, a program of Sunserve, which continues to provide sliding-scale individual and group therapy for substance abuse within the LGBT community.  He also serves on the Board of Governors of the Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse; the Clinical Advisory Board of Sunserve; and recently was Program Co-Chair of the 2010 National Gay Men's Health Summit, a five-day event that drew nearly 500 people from around the nation to address concerns related to the health and wellness of gay men. 

Dr. Fawcett frequently makes presentations on topics of HIV and substance abuse both locally and nationally, most recently at the US Conference on AIDS.  He has been in private practice and created and now facilitates the "Connections" group for gay men at Fusion, a drop-in center funded by the Broward County Health Department.  The weekly "Connections" group is open to all and provides a rare opportunity for gay men to discuss a variety of topics, including body image, self-esteem, intimacy, relationship skills, stress reduction, and many more.  

NATIONAL GAY MEN’S HEALTH SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN FORT LAUDERDALE AUGUST 25 – 29

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Hundreds of gay men and their allies from throughout the country and beyond will gather on August 25 – 29, 2010, at the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport and Cruise Port Hotel to participate in the 2010 National Gay Men’s Health Summit. The theme of the event is  “Creating a Brighter Future: The Next Decade of Gay Men’s Health” and will be held jointly with the 9th annual Southeast Regional Gay Men’s Health Summit.   Over 250 gay men (as well as, bi, trans men, other men who have sex with men and their allies) will gather to reflect on and celebrate gay men’s lives while working on a brighter future for gay men’s health and wellness.

The summit is open to all and registration has been underwritten for residents of Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties by the Broward County Health Department and the Florida Department of Health.   Pre-summit workshops begin on Wednesday, August 25, and include a panel featuring an intergenerational dialog around gay youth, adults, elders and ancestors; another focusing on body image and weight issues; and a gay men’s leadership institute.

The formal summit begins on Thursday, August 26, and concludes on Sunday, August 29, and features a number of plenary speakers and nearly 70 workshops on topics as diverse as addictions, mental health, HIV, wellness, dating and relationships, and spirituality.  Many of the workshops will address special topics and populations, such as HIV negative youth of color, building community among Hispanic gay men, return to work issues for those on disability, and addictions recovery.  The summit is designed to promote social interaction and fun.  A significant number of the workshops are experiential, such as laughter yoga or meditation, and are intended to be edgy, such as the impact of GRINDR on our community and the use of social media to improve gay health and wellness.  Besides casual interaction with gay men from around the country (and beyond), there will organized social events such as a show and a pool party.

The gay men’s health movement grew from an interest in expanding the scope of gay men’s health beyond (but certainly including) HIV to a full range of other issues that impact our health and wellness.  At the Summit, gay men and their allies will have frank and open dialogue about race, racism, identity and gender politics, aging and class. We will discuss these and other domains and paradigms for thinking about gay men’s health. Our conversations will cover the broad spectrum of interests for gay men with key focus on strengths-based organizing, emerging issues, and other hot topics.
One of the key challenges facing gay men is to ensure that we continue to be involved in the strategizing and implementation phases of Health Care Reform. Another key challenge is to develop creative funding strategies and work alongside key policy makers while we simultaneously work with fellow advocates to shape policy such as ADAP and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Walk-up registration is available beginning at 10:00am on Wednesday, August 25.

MAY 15 ABSTRACT DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR NATIONAL GAY MEN’S HEALTH SUMMIT

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The deadline to submit abstracts for the 2010 National Gay Men’s Health Summit is fast approaching.  See details below.  For more information or to submit your proposal visit www.gmhs2010.com

NATIONAL GAY MEN’S HEALTH SUMMIT 2010

Creating a Brighter Future:

The Next Decade of Gay Men’s Health

August 25-30, 2010

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Press Release:

The 6th National Gay Men’s Health Summit will gather together gay men (as well as, bi, trans men, other men who have sex with men and their allies) to reflect on and celebrate gay men’s lives while working on a brighter future for gay men’s health and wellness.

In sunny Ft. Lauderdale, Florida hundreds of gay men and their allies from throughout the country and beyond will gather August 25 – 29, 2010, and convene at Sheraton Ft Lauderdale Airport and Cruise Port Hotel to share space together and engage about their exciting work and their lives while they attend the 2010 National Gay Men’s Health Summit. The theme of the event is  “Creating a Brighter Future: The Next Decade of Gay Men’s Health” and will be held jointly with the 9th annual Southeast Regional Gay Men’s Health Summit.

Gay men are creative, strong, and resilient. We have developed our own home-grown social networks, support structures, definitions of community, communities and communal rituals, formulated systems and structures for and around health and wellness- all for and by us.

Gay men continue to create, build and sustain lives that are satisfying and fulfilling, even in the face of formidable obstacles, persistent stigma, and incredible challenges. One of the key challenges we face is to ensure that gay men and their allies continue to be involved in the strategizing and implementation phases of Health Care Reform- our voice will be heard. Another key challenge is to develop creative funding strategies and work alongside key policy makers while we simultaneously work with fellow advocates to shape policy such as ADAP and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Gay men face the challenge to fully explore and develop solutions to decrease health and wellness disparities.

At the Summit, gay men and their allies will continue to have frank and open dialogue about race, racism, identity and gender politics, aging and class. We will discuss these and other domains and paradigms for thinking about gay men’s health. Our conversations will cover the broad spectrum of interests for gay men with key focus on strengths-based organizing, emerging issues, and other key hot topics. Gay-identified Trans men will certainly be a key area of dialogue with a focus on discovering, dreaming and agenda setting for gay transmen. We will also broach an intergenerational conversation around youth, adults, elders and ancestors, and the impact of a loss of a large part of a generation as a result of the AIDS epidemic with discussion of how to move forward together. We will look into an expansive research agenda to ensure a holistic approach that is also culturally responsive and appropriate toward gay men and their health and wellness.

We will explore our individual, collective and inter and intrapersonal sexual health through interactive workshops, laughter, and play- a journey of past, present, and future.  We will review and use the Gay Men’s Health Agenda to guide national efforts around political action and local organizing and rallying. The Gay Men’s Health Agenda will seat its first National Steering Committee in collaboration with its Leadership Core. We will continue to think outside the box, challenging and expanding social categories and promoting culturally appropriate and responsive directives with novel programmatic approaches.

 

Living Longer by Living With Purpose

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    Purpose Some years ago a friend of mine sold his successful veterinary practice in the midwest, bought a van, and headed to California to pursue his lifelong dream of writing music.  People no doubt thought he had lost his mind, or at least regressed from being a responsible adult to a frivolous adolescent searching for himself.   Years later, he has had some success with his music, but most of all, he has experienced the thrilling notion that he followed his heart.

    Not all of us, of course, have the opportunity to drop out of our lives and begin anew, but we all certainly have the chance to discover what gives our life meaning and follow it to our best ability.  The daily satisfaction is enormous, and so are the health benefits.  A study at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found that people who followed their life’s purpose were only about half as likely to die over the follow-up period as compared to people who expressed less sense of purpose.   These findings have been replicated in other studies: following your dreams is a protective factor for your health.

For many of us, identifying our personal mission, goals, and objectives is not an easy task.  There are many helpful resources, one of which is Martha Beck’s Finding Your Own North Star.  She outlines several steps that are useful in identifying and following through on living your dreams.

    The first step is articulating what is important to you.  Many experts recommend sitting down without distraction and writing freely about questions such as what makes you smile; what activities cause you to lose track of time; what do people ask you for help with; or what would you regret not fully doing, being, or having in your life.    It will take time and numerous lists before a convergence of themes appears, but it will.  These are your core desires.

    Once you have a notion of your own purpose, it’s important to compare it to how you live your life.   Many of us have unconscious beliefs about ourselves that hold us back – these need to be identified and repaired.  For example, a client of mine had a childhood learning disability that affected his performance in school   He not only had trouble studying, he also believed (and was told) that he wasn’t as smart as others and would never be able to succeed in school.   As an adult he wanted to become a nurse, which required college courses in biology and chemistry.  He took a chance and enrolled, asked for help where he needed it to overcome his learning problems and develop good study habits, and became an “A” student.  He realized his core belief about his intelligence and learning was wrong.

    A second critical step is to compare what life offers you with your own mission and objectives.  The opportunities we accept must align with our goals.  Without the guidance of our life’s purpose in making choices about which to pursue and which to let go, we can become frustrated, disillusioned, or simply burn out. 

    With practice it becomes increasingly easy to know when we our activities resonate with our life’s purpose.  Nurturing our intuition can be a corrective force when we temporarily get off track from the real source of satisfaction and health: cultivating and living our dreams.

David Fawcett, PhD, LCSW

This article first appeared in Out in the News, Volume 3, Issue
21 (April-May 2010), a publication of the Broward County Health
Department, S-Men Campaign for a Safer, Healthier Community.

A Different Longtime Companion: Reflections on World AIDS Day 2009

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 David Fawcett, PhD, LCSWRed_ribbon


It was 1982 when my friend Andrew developed an odd pneumonia that put him in the hospital and ran through his body with such ferocity that he was dead in three days.  My friends and I were stunned, until it soon happened again – this time with another acquaintance who survived longer, but ultimately succumbed to an illness the New York Times called “GRID,” gay-related immune deficiency.  GRID soon became AIDS, and one by one almost all of my friends became sick.

Thus began a journey that continues to this day, first marked by terror, then sadness, then overwhelming grief, and then by sheer determination as we stepped up to care for each other.  My life as a thirty-something gay men in New York was quickly transformed from exuberance in the aftermath of Stonewall to determination marked by caretaking and political advocacy. 

The energy on streets in the Village and the Upper West Side, once both high-spirited and sexually charged, became heavy with sadness.   Many men simply disappeared as the disease confined them to their homes, or their friend’s homes, or hospital wards.  Many died.  Others were out using the patchwork of services that began to develop in response to the crisis.  The streets were filled with the odd sight of thin men with wide terrified eyes walking awkwardly with canes.   I vividly recall one very cold winter day when I helped one frail young man struggle across Seventh Avenue through slippery frozen slush on his way to St. Vincent’s.

Despite persistent optimism and a strong sense of spirituality, for me the eighties became a human tragedy.  My life was entwined with AIDS at every level: intimate, social, and community.  As we lost one friend after another there was nothing to do but go forward, caring for those who were dealing not only with physical illness but also struggling with the emotional pain of rejection and stigma.  And AIDS kept coming.

One price we paid, among many, was never really stopping to grieve because so much needed to be done.  We hardened our emotions and our resolve – there was simply too much to do.    Men of my generation live with a great wound that, for many, remains unacknowledged and unexpressed.  We need to heal, even in the face of the ongoing epidemic.

Now, nearly thirty years later, AIDS continues to create suffering.   For many, it has lost its urgency.  A new generation has grown up with the disease and new medications, and view it as a manageable illness, but it is relentless and continues to demolish lives.  Long term survivors have developed an acceptance of the unknown.  They have given their bodies to drug trials and dealt with multiple losses, either through the death of partners and friends, or alienation from family.  Ironically, they now face a new wave of heart, liver and kidney disease as a result of the medications that have kept them alive. 

We need to remain vigilant about AIDS.  We need to advocate for new treatment alternatives like rectal microbicides and redesigned prevention efforts.  We need to remain informed and fight complacency.  We need to end the stigma that surrounds AIDS to this day, undermining both prevention and treatment.  Mostly, on this World AIDS Day, we need to remember the pain, the lessons, the courage, and the successes of the past and use them to renew and reenergize our continued work to end AIDS once and for all.  

HPV: a Hidden Epidemic that’s Killing Gay Men

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   David Fawcett, PhD, LCSW

 

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    Albert, a gay man, came back to my psychotherapy office for the first time in three months.  He looked thinner, pale, and depressed.  He was still on a significant amount of pain medications after suffering three painful rectal surgeries in an attempt to treat aggressive anal cancer.  His prognosis remained uncertain and he was tired and discouraged.

    Albert is also not alone.  There is a largely-unrecognized epidemic of gay men, many also HIV positive, coming down with anal cancer.  Several of my own clients have been diagnosed and I hear of other cases with disturbing frequency.

    Anal cancer is caused by exposure to HPV (Human Papillomavirus) and can usually be successfully treated when discovered early.  While there is no definitive diagnostic test, a simple annual screening with a Pap smear can be highly effective at finding cellular irregularities before they become cancer.  Even gay-friendly physicians often don’t think to offer a Pap, and gay men don’t know to ask for one.  This needs to change.

What is HPV?

    HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection.  At least half of all sexually active individuals get HPV at some time in their lives. These infections frequently create no symptoms and resolve on their own, but a few of the more than 40 types of HPV can have serious and even fatal consequences.  Some strains cause cervical and anal cancers; others cause genital warts. 

How common is HPV among gay men?

    One study reported that 95% of gay men with HIV also have HPV, and 60% of HIV-negative men have HPV.  Gay and bisexual men are 17 times more likely to develop anal cancer than heterosexual men. 

How is it contracted?

    HPV is contracted skin-to-skin – no penetration is required.  This can include genital to genital contact, touching someone else’s genitals and then your own; sharing sex toys, and (rarely) oral sex.  Condoms offer minimal protection but some risk remains because of exposed skin. 

What can go wrong if I am exposed to HPV?

    Cervical cancer in women is the best-researched consequence of HPV, but the virus can also result in significant, lesser- known concerns for gay men.  The same HPV strains that cause cervical cancer in women can cause anal cancer (and rarely penile cancer) in men.  Gay men who practice receptive anal intercourse are at high risk; if they are HIV positive they have even higher risk.   If undetected, anal cancer is very dangerous.  In HIV positive men its progression appears unrelated to taking antivirals, length of time since HIV diagnosis, or CD4 counts.  It is treated with advanced forms of radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery, although a combined UK/US study found survival rates of just 66% for the first year which declined thereafter. 

    Another, less virulent consequence of exposure to HPV is genital warts.  These are highly contagious and caused by an HPV strain that doesn’t lead to cancer.  They need to be treated by freezing with liquid nitrogen, cauterizing, or surgically removing them.

What about Prevention?

    An HPV vaccine called Gardasil, shown to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts, has been introduced and approved only for girls ages 9-26.  It protects against four types of HPV, including the two that cause 70% of cervical cancer.  It is administered in three shots and is usually not covered by insurance (cost around $300).  The vaccine will not offer protection for prior exposure to specific strains, although studies indicate it might slow progression of warts or cancer. The vaccine is not approved for men although (finally!) there are studies underway to test its safety and efficacy in men.

     We don’t have to wait for the vaccine.  There is an easy and effective screening tool that every sexually active gay man should have every year: a Pap test (also known as a Pap smear).  This can detect abnormal cells that could become cancer and which can be removed.  The CDC doesn’t recommended Pap tests for men because there is not yet enough data on how HPV leads to cancer in men, although other leading gay men’s health organizations such as Fenway in Boston recommend annual Pap test screening.  

    If a Pap test is negative you’re in good shape.  If it’s positive your doctor will conduct a biopsy, remove suspicious cells with a laser, and monitor through regular follow up.   

    As gay men we need to take charge of our health care.  Ask your doctor about a Pap test – if you detect surprise at the question you may need to evaluate how knowledgeable he or she is about gay men’s health.

 

Crystal Meth Intervention: the Spoof (NSFW)

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For anyone who has ever seen the show Intervention on cable and who is familiar with crystal meth, this is hysterical.