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Sex Work Substances(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.) Apart from substances affecting our decision making processes when working, thus placing us at increased risk, they tend to have other effects (actions) upon the body that we can sometimes overlook. The following examples will vary due to an individuals idiosyncrasy (how a particular drug affects a particular individual), drug absorption, drug distribution, drug clearance, drug tolerance and the frequency of an individual ingesting a particular substance or a combination of substances into the body. Speed (amphetamines, for the uninitiated) for example has an action of drying up mucosal linings within the body. You might recall how thirsty you can become after a speed binge. This will mean that your bodyies ability to produce natural lubricant is diminished markedly. In neo-vaginal, vaginal and anal sex it may be necessary to use extra lube so the likelihood of soreness and irritation is reduced. This in turn will give you the ability to turn some more tricks instead of justifying knocking off work "... because I'm too sore": Giving head becomes a little more difficult also due to the lack of saliva available in the mouth. A trick here is to drink water just prior to the job with real lemon juice squeezed into the water. The lemon juice stimulates the salivary glands and produces some extra saliva. Speed can affect non-operative transgender workers or male workers in getting an erection, once you get one it often takes forever to go down and it can take an age to come. The use of devices to get or maintain an erection (cock rings, etc.) can cause permanent damage if not used with discretion and being mindful of the time they are used. Cocaine has similar action upon the body as speed does. Some anti-depressant medications e.g. Prozac, have been reported as causing sexual dysfunction in between 30 - 40% of persons taking the drug. Benzodiazapines (valium, serapax, rohypnol, normison, etc.) can have toxic effects producing lethargy, light headedness, sedation, impaired mental and psychomotor function, confusion, and reduced reaction time. Benzos can be particularly dangerous when mixed with alcohol. Opiates (heroin, methadone, morphine, etc.) are strong pain killers. As well as suppressing emotional pain and suffering they have the ability to diminish any pain that the body is suffering. Some sexual behaviours may feel okay while stoned on these substances but in reality they could be hurting you or causing some damage. Remember, if you feel pain of any description it is our bodies warning mechanism to us to take it easy. Listen to what your body says to you. Do not solely rely on what you think, therefore justifying and rationalising the warning messages anyway. References:
Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health. |
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