If you work in a related field, this should be required reading.Club drugs, or recreational drugs, as they are sometimes called, have only recently been associated with increased high-risk sexual behaviors which, in turn, may cause higher incidence of HIV/AIDS.
Even with an extensive background and experience this book had much to say to me, and much that I could apply to my own practice. I have worked in this field since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic both as a private therapist and health department consultant. This, however, is a very minor drawback to an otherwise exhaustive examination of the issues. For more information the interested reader can get another perspective from Robert Weiss's book, Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men (LA: Alyson Books, 2005). The significance of this is that groups such as Sex Addicts Anonymous and the 12-Step process can offer significant support for alternative ways to cope with life, and better choices for harm reduction. In no way does this mean that the sex gay men have, even in a casual context, is a sex addiction, just as a gay bar patron is not necessarily an alcoholic - but in some cases both meet the criteria of addictive behaviors. If you substitute "sex" for "alcohol" in the criteria for alcoholism, the many parallels are obvious. Sorry, I beg to differ: it is based on an addictions concept. He devotes less than a page to the subject, and describes it as "controversial" and "based on a heteronormative concept".
The one exception to this extremely thoughtful and in-depth examination has to do with Shernoff's cursory treatment of sex addiction. Shernoff explores his own reactions to his clients' confessions, and how he deals with them encouraging all of us to do the same. At the same time we must acknowledge it can be a challenge to witness what seems to us to be provocative behaviors. Our challenge is to accept our clients where they are, without condemnation, if we are to truly engage them in a process of change. In this vein Shernoff discusses the "harm reduction model", offering very specific suggestions. As health care workers we must be realistic, and look for other interventions besides, "Just say no". The bare, unvarnished fact is that the majority of gay men are not 100% safe, 100% of the time. "Barebacking" can be too easily demonized. No broad brush can put the crystal meth party boy in the same category as the committed couple who stop protection. The conclusion is that there is no simple answer, and clinicians need to individualize their assessments. It is extremely thorough (with one exception), and explores, in depth, the many reasons that gay men choose to have sex without condoms. However, the fact that the author talks about his own experience as a clinical social worker in private practice, and also the fact that he, himself has HIV, makes the book all the more compelling. It is directed at professionals, and is quite scholarly, with thirty-three pages of references. If you work with gay men as a health care provider, especially as a psychotherapist or health department prevention case manager, this book is a must. Aby dowiedzieć się więcej o tym, w jaki sposób i do jakich celów Amazon wykorzystuje dane osobowe (takie jak historia zamówień w sklepie Amazon), przejdź do strony Informacja o prywatności. W tym celu wystarczy otworzyć Preferencje dotyczące plików cookie, tak jak opisano to w Informacji o plikach cookie. W dowolnym momencie możesz zmienić swój wybór. Kliknij opcję „Dostosuj pliki cookie”, aby odrzucić stosowanie plików cookie, dokonać bardziej szczegółowego wyboru lub dowiedzieć się więcej. Podmioty trzecie używają plików cookie do wyświetlania spersonalizowanych reklam, dokonywania pomiarów dotyczących tych reklam, analizowania grup odbiorców oraz opracowywania i ulepszania produktów. Obejmuje to korzystanie z naszych własnych plików cookie i plików cookie innych firm, które przechowują lub mają dostęp do standardowych informacji o urządzeniu np. Jeśli wyrazisz zgodę, będziemy również używać plików cookie, aby dopełnić Twoje doświadczenia zakupowe w sklepach Amazon, tak jak opisano to w informacjach na temat plików cookie. Używamy plików cookie i podobnych niezbędnych narzędzi, aby umożliwiać Ci dokonywanie zakupów, poprawić Twoje doświadczenia zakupowe oraz świadczyć usługi, tak jak opisano to w Informacji na temat plików cookie.Używamy również tych plików cookie, aby zrozumieć, w jaki sposób klienci korzystają z naszych usług (na przykład poprzez pomiar odwiedzin w witrynie), abyśmy mogli wprowadzać ulepszenia. Ustaw preferencje dotyczące plików cookie