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The AfterMeth: Gay Men Recovering from Crystal Methamphetamine and Chemsex Addiction
Vision:
To eradicate crystal meth addiction and chemsex misuse, especially among the gay male population.
Mission:
Using the power of social media, The AfterMeth will increase awareness around the characteristics and effects of crystal meth and chemsex on the community of men who have sex with men, provide stories of hope to inspire struggling users and produce a repository of tools to be used by the loved ones of men who want to break free from the addictive patterns of chemsex.
Join Dr. Dallas Bragg every other week. You can find The AfterMeth Podcast anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. Find answers to:
How can I stop relapsing?
How can I heal my addiction?
How does crystal meth addiction affect gay men?
How can I get sober?
The AfterMeth: Gay Men Recovering from Crystal Methamphetamine and Chemsex Addiction
EP 3:8 Chemsex Recovery: The Shame of Starting at Zero
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Supplemental Study Guide: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/newsletters/blog/posts/counting
The AfterMeth Podcast | Season 3 | Shame of Starting at Zero
In this video, Dallas Bragg breaks down why the traditional day-counting model in recovery was never designed for gay men navigating chemsex recovery from crystal methamphetamine, and why resetting to zero after a use episode may be doing more harm than good.
Drawing on neuroscience, relapse statistics, and his direct experience working with men in chemsex recovery, Bragg explains why chemsex is fundamentally different from general substance use disorder. When crystal meth becomes fused to sexual experience, the brain encodes the drug and sex as a single event, creating neural pathways that make sex itself a powerful relapse trigger. Generic recovery frameworks were not built to address this dual complexity, and the standard day counter was not built with queer men in mind.
Bragg examines the shame architecture embedded in the zero, the moment a man uses after building a streak and watches everything reset. For men in chemsex recovery already carrying significant psychological weight, that reset is not motivating. This is shame in a recovery costume, and shame is one of the strongest predictors of relapse.
Rather than discarding measurement altogether, Dallas introduces a window-based approach used inside his Recovery Alchemy coaching program. Instead of tracking consecutive sober days, men measure their progress across 90-day and 180-day windows, comparing use frequency over time rather than performance in a single streak. This method reflects the actual trajectory of recovery, which is rarely a straight line, and allows men to see real, measurable movement without the threat of losing everything at zero.
This episode is for gay men, queer men, and men who have sex with men who are tired of forcing their recovery into a framework that was never meant for them.
Topics covered in this episode include: why chemsex recovery requires a different understanding of addiction, the neuroscience behind meth and sex fusion, relapse statistics specific to crystal methamphetamine and chemsex recovery, how shame functions as a relapse trigger, and an alternative to day counting designed for men in queer recovery.
To apply for our Group Coaching Program, Recovery Alchemy, click here: https://calendly.com/d/cngd-ymw-cr3
The AfterMeth:
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Dallas Bragg
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Free online course to End the Relapse Cycle: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/e7c2Eo22/checkout
Meth-Free Blueprint EBOOK: https://www.drdallasbragg.com/offers/o8qFhK5i/checkout
