Understanding the realities of PnP with the Chemstory/Chemstories podcast

PnP (for “party ’n play,” also called chemsex) is defined as the intentional use of psychoactive substances, such as methamphetamine, GHB or ketamine, in a sexual context. Because of the strong stigma surrounding the practice, people still too often experience this in silence, shame and isolation. It’s precisely to address this issue that researcher and professor Olivier Ferlatte, director of the Qollab laboratory, designed and conceived the Chemstory/Chemstories research-action project. The project aims to hand the mic to the people directly concerned, meaning gay, bisexual and queer men, both cis and trans, and nonbinary people (GBQT+).

The project’s objective is to share people’s authentic stories through a podcast in order to better understand this practice and shed light on the experiences and resilience of a community that is still too often marginalized—and ultimately, to deconstruct the stigma. The project was created in two distinct versions, one in English and one in French. 

Chemstory in French: Envisioning and telling your own story

The francophone version of the project, called Chemstory, kicked off in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were invited to take part in three training workshops to learn how to envision, record and produce their own podcast, with a team in place to help them through any technological challenges. This approach emphasized their autonomy in the production process, which gave the people who wanted to share their chemsex stories total freedom about their content and form.

Since the official launch of the series in 2023, 27 episodes have been released. Each of them addresses the multiple faces of chemsex: pleasure, addiction, recovery and the impacts—both positive and negative—on health and relationships. Two bonus episodes complement the collection, including one that specifically addresses the ties between HIV and chemsex. With more than 24,000 downloads, interest in listening to these personal stories through the intimacy of the podcast medium is undeniable.

Chemstories in English: Coming together in unity to amplify the community’s voices

Bolstered by these numbers, the project was rolled out in English in 2024 to reach an even broader audience across the country. For this new iteration, called Chemstories, an editorial committee made up of people with lived experience was assembled. This time, the technical team fully took charge of the recording and producing, which allowed participants to set aside any technical concerns so they could devote themselves entirely to delivering their stories.

The formula also evolved to showcase roundtables and group discussions in three major cities in Eastern Canada: Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. This dynamic made it possible to bring together different points of view, illustrate the coexistence of a variety of experiences—from active drug use to recovery—and to create a real spirit of community and compassion.

Facilitated by investigator Olivier Ferlatte and the three local hosts, Bradley, Éric and Andrew, this new podcast series aims to answer one central question: Why is it important for people with lived experience of PnP/chemsex to tell their stories in their own words?

Now boarding: Topics at the heart of local experiences

To unify the series, the team adopted an airport metaphor. This amusing choice plays on the double meaning of the word “trip,” evoking both a geographic itinerary and the experience of using drugs. Each city is identified by its airport code, and the episodes were conceived as “flights,” each named after a value the participants associated with chemsex. The facilitators were given carte blanche to choose the guests and topics that reflected what was happening in their own networks. Here’s an overview of the various topics explored in each city.

Departing from Toronto (YYZ airport)

• The Sagacity flight: A reflection on the Toronto realities of chemsex, activism and kindness.
• The Insight and Balance flights: Discussions about harm reduction with a person who’s actively using drugs and with a person in recovery.
• The Wisdom flight: An exploration of the challenges linked with sobriety within the gay community.
• The Integrity flight: A panel exclusively bringing together active users for an honest conversation about the benefits and harms they experience with chemsex.

Departure from Montreal (YUL airport)

• The Solidarity flight: A discussion about recovery pathways, the particularities of the Montreal scene and the lack of funding for community support.
• The Creativity flight: An incursion into art and creativity in the context of chemsex.
• The Heritage flight: An essential historical look at the way PnP has been inscribed within LGBTQ+ struggles and the traumas related to HIV/AIDS.
• The Plurality flight: A panel spotlighting the rarely heard voices of trans and nonbinary people taking part in the world of chemsex.

Departure from Halifax (YHZ airport)

• The Activism flight: An engaged dialogue illustrating the unique challenges in the Halifax scene, which is marked by heavy stigmatization and a lack of services, as well as the importance of activism to demand resources created by and for peers.
• The Resilience flight: Courageous conversations about issues of consent and sexual assault.
• The Maturity flight: A crucial reflection on the challenges of chemsex and aging in gay spaces.

Essential testimonies and transformative listening

Ultimately, the participants felt that contributing their stories to this platform was beneficial and emancipatory. For listeners, these podcasts fostered compassionate conversations and contributed to destigmatizing the practice of chemsex.

As well, many affected people recognized themselves in the speakers’ experiences, which strengthened the sense of mutual support alongside the transfer of knowledge within the GBQT+ community and beyond.

The next episodes of Chemstories will be released in 2026 on all podcasting platforms. To listen to the episodes or learn more, visit qollab.ca/en/chemstories for the English version or qollab.ca/chemstory for the French version, or check out our playlists (with subtitles) on YouTube in English and in French.

 

The project team would like to warmly thank all the people who told their stories and made this podcast series possible.

This project was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

 

Patrice St-Amour is a research agent with the Chemstory/Chemstories project at the Qollab laboratory. He is also an educator at the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) in the field of STBBIs, psychoactive substances, and sexual and gender diversity. Previously, he was an educator with Portail VIH/sida du Québec (2020–2023) and coordinated the study Index de la stigmatisation des personnes vivant avec le VIH au Québec (people living with HIV stigma index) with COCQ-SIDA (2018–2020).