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Something for the Weekend: Life in the Chemsex Underworld
When James Wharton leaves the army, he finds himself with more opportunities than most to begin a successful civilian life – he has a husband, two dogs, two cars, a nice house in the countryside and a book deal.
A year later he finds himself single, living in a room and trying to adjust to single gay life back in the capital. In his search for new friends and potential lovers, he becomes sucked into London’s gay drug culture, soon becoming addicted to partying and the phenomenon that is ‘chemsex’.
Exploring his own journey through this dark but popular world, James looks at the motivating factors that led him to the culture, as well as examining the paths taken by others. He reveals the real goings-on at the weekends for thousands of people after most have gone to bed, and how modern technology allows them to arrange, congregate, furnish themselves with drugs and spend hours, often days, behind closed curtains, with strangers and in states of heightened sexual desire.
Something for the Weekend looks compassionately at a growing culture that’s now moved beyond London and established itself as more than a short-term craze.
A year later he finds himself single, living in a room and trying to adjust to single gay life back in the capital. In his search for new friends and potential lovers, he becomes sucked into London’s gay drug culture, soon becoming addicted to partying and the phenomenon that is ‘chemsex’.
Exploring his own journey through this dark but popular world, James looks at the motivating factors that led him to the culture, as well as examining the paths taken by others. He reveals the real goings-on at the weekends for thousands of people after most have gone to bed, and how modern technology allows them to arrange, congregate, furnish themselves with drugs and spend hours, often days, behind closed curtains, with strangers and in states of heightened sexual desire.
Something for the Weekend looks compassionately at a growing culture that’s now moved beyond London and established itself as more than a short-term craze.
- GenresNonfictionLGBT
256 pages, Paperback
Published April 3, 2018
26 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 9, 2018
Without knowing better, I'm not sure I would have twigged that a mere four years had elapsed between the writing of this book and Wharton's first, Out In The Army: My Life As A Gay Soldier. A decade must have passed at least, I would have thought. More, perhaps. But, reading this book, those four years seem to have aged James Wharton out of all recognition. A tour in Iraq and a decade in the army were insufficient to rob him of the breathless, wide-eyed idealism and innocence on display in his first book. But then his marriage broke up, he moved back to London, and someone offered him a bump of mephedrone at a party...
My knowledge of the chemsex scene is pretty peripheral. Friends, or friends of friends; casual comments online; slang on Grindr profiles. What's fascinating for me here - aside from the entirely frank presentation of how the scene operates - is the way in which Wharton draws together all of the things that make the chemsex scene possible. Grindr, Scruff, online disconnection; WhatsApp, Uber, the availability of modern drug dealers; depressed wages, cheap drugs, London prices; and then gay psychology, which seems prone to repress emotion, or seek outlets in sex and partying, rather than talking to friends and family.
The other major takeaway is the extent to which the chemsex scene is a whirlpool from which it is very difficult to escape. It operates on the periphery - the friends of your friends, after parties from clubs, late night invites on Grindr - and then it pulls you in. Some people find the only way to stop is simply to leave London. I've always been deeply suspicious of "gateway drug" arguments, and the evidence around the concept is pretty dodgy, but what does seem clear is that being on the scene can end up completely twisting your worldview. Even Wharton, a remarkably reflective individual, aware of his own addiction, and attempting to ween himself away from the ChemSex circuit, makes the following remarkable comment:
This is a much maturer book than Out in the Army, part autobiographical account, part journalistic essay, combining numerous interviews, and a comprehensive view of the chemsex world, as seen by those within it. As one might expect from someone battling with his own addiction, there is an utter lack of judgement here, and that is probably necessary to make the work truthful as it is. Wharton is also startlingly frank. For a man who turned to drugs and anonymous sex to cope with his loneliness, rather than reach out to friends and family for support, to instead write down and publish his story warts and all in a book, must take a great deal of courage.
My knowledge of the chemsex scene is pretty peripheral. Friends, or friends of friends; casual comments online; slang on Grindr profiles. What's fascinating for me here - aside from the entirely frank presentation of how the scene operates - is the way in which Wharton draws together all of the things that make the chemsex scene possible. Grindr, Scruff, online disconnection; WhatsApp, Uber, the availability of modern drug dealers; depressed wages, cheap drugs, London prices; and then gay psychology, which seems prone to repress emotion, or seek outlets in sex and partying, rather than talking to friends and family.
The other major takeaway is the extent to which the chemsex scene is a whirlpool from which it is very difficult to escape. It operates on the periphery - the friends of your friends, after parties from clubs, late night invites on Grindr - and then it pulls you in. Some people find the only way to stop is simply to leave London. I've always been deeply suspicious of "gateway drug" arguments, and the evidence around the concept is pretty dodgy, but what does seem clear is that being on the scene can end up completely twisting your worldview. Even Wharton, a remarkably reflective individual, aware of his own addiction, and attempting to ween himself away from the ChemSex circuit, makes the following remarkable comment:
In fact, ask yourself the same question right now: when did you last have sex without touching a glass of wine, or few pints of beer, let alone G, M or T? If you can put your hand on your heart and say 'recently', you're probably looking across the room at your 'perfect' boyfriend.This person is never intimate without drugs, and can't imagine being intimate unless drunk or high. That sort of tunnel vision feels frankly terrifying. No wonder he's struggling to cut down his own chem use. He can't conceive of operating in a world without them.
This is a much maturer book than Out in the Army, part autobiographical account, part journalistic essay, combining numerous interviews, and a comprehensive view of the chemsex world, as seen by those within it. As one might expect from someone battling with his own addiction, there is an utter lack of judgement here, and that is probably necessary to make the work truthful as it is. Wharton is also startlingly frank. For a man who turned to drugs and anonymous sex to cope with his loneliness, rather than reach out to friends and family for support, to instead write down and publish his story warts and all in a book, must take a great deal of courage.
January 1, 2018
The previous reviewer Chris says most of what needs to be said about this book. It's an important personal account and study of this world, which I too only know peripherally. I'd love to see some reactions from people active in the chemsex scene, as I felt the majority of the book was directed to fellow users. It's a heartfelt polemic to get those people to look at themselves and to reevaluate their habits and the causes of them. This is important, because when articles decrying chemsex have been published in the media, they're invariably going to be seen as condescending by those who are on the scene. Wharton is trying to approach the issue from a much more sympathetic perspective, and he thus has a greater chance of making a difference with this book. The immense bravery of Wharton in recounting some deeply unpleasant stories is highly commendable. I would recommend this to people far and wide; this is a very present issue which is essential to try to understand.
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May 6, 2020This is a tough read. James Wharton writes about the world – an “Underworld” – of gay and bisexual Londoners who meet on Grindr and party in each other’s homes for long nights and whole weekends, off their heads on psychoactive drugs. The drug of choice is “G”, also known as “Gina” (GBL, liquid Ecstasy), which is fast-acting and gives a terrific high, but there’s also crystal meth (“Tina”) and mephedrone (“Meow Meow”). G is mostly swallowed in very small amounts, but some users “slam” (inject) it. An overdose will knock you unconscious. Wharton woke up from one overdose to find himself being raped. The serial killer Stephen Port subdued his victims with G. In London somebody dies from an overdose of G every twelve days.
Why do gay guys take these risks, only three decades after the peak of Aids? Lots of people, gay and straight, settle for promiscuous sex to ease the pain of a failed relationship or the failure to find a loving partner. But for many, Wharton says, it’s just hedonism, the pursuit of fun. Pre-Aids it was amphetamines and poppers that were used to give sex an extra boost. Back during the “Summer of Love”, the mid-1960s, it was pot and “acid” (LSD). Aldous Huxley was experimenting with mescaline in the 1950s (and took LSD to hasten his death from cancer in the week of Kennedy’s assassination). In Queen Victoria’s time opium was widely used by both the upper and lower classes.
James Wharton quite rightly extols individuals and groups that offer support to those severely affected by addiction and those struggling to detox themselves. And he urges the rest of us not to be judgmental, an appeal that will fall on many a deaf ear in Europe as well as in Bible Belt America. If we believe – which I hope we do - in Freedom and the Pursuit of Happiness for everybody, then I guess that includes the freedom to ingest substances which enhance sexual pleasure, even at the risk of an overdose that may expose the user to victimhood and death.
In the early years of Aids, reviewing for LAM in Shepherds Bush, I read The Plague Years, one of the first books about the “new” epidemic carving a swathe through the back rooms and bathhouses of New York and San Francisco. Later came Randy Shilts’s encyclopedic And The Band Played On, which was made into an all-star movie. Something for the Weekend is a similarly grim book, full of grim statistics, but if society can offer support rather than condemnation, the gay community will weather the Chemsex crisis as it has weathered HIV. It has to. But it’s gonna be an uphill climb.
Why do gay guys take these risks, only three decades after the peak of Aids? Lots of people, gay and straight, settle for promiscuous sex to ease the pain of a failed relationship or the failure to find a loving partner. But for many, Wharton says, it’s just hedonism, the pursuit of fun. Pre-Aids it was amphetamines and poppers that were used to give sex an extra boost. Back during the “Summer of Love”, the mid-1960s, it was pot and “acid” (LSD). Aldous Huxley was experimenting with mescaline in the 1950s (and took LSD to hasten his death from cancer in the week of Kennedy’s assassination). In Queen Victoria’s time opium was widely used by both the upper and lower classes.
James Wharton quite rightly extols individuals and groups that offer support to those severely affected by addiction and those struggling to detox themselves. And he urges the rest of us not to be judgmental, an appeal that will fall on many a deaf ear in Europe as well as in Bible Belt America. If we believe – which I hope we do - in Freedom and the Pursuit of Happiness for everybody, then I guess that includes the freedom to ingest substances which enhance sexual pleasure, even at the risk of an overdose that may expose the user to victimhood and death.
In the early years of Aids, reviewing for LAM in Shepherds Bush, I read The Plague Years, one of the first books about the “new” epidemic carving a swathe through the back rooms and bathhouses of New York and San Francisco. Later came Randy Shilts’s encyclopedic And The Band Played On, which was made into an all-star movie. Something for the Weekend is a similarly grim book, full of grim statistics, but if society can offer support rather than condemnation, the gay community will weather the Chemsex crisis as it has weathered HIV. It has to. But it’s gonna be an uphill climb.
January 13, 2026
It did lose me a bit on formalities like syntax / spelling / chapter structure because there were small errors or what felt like strange choices here and there. Perhaps a little dated already at this point too because it came out in 2017 but overall, such a worthy and important read! Very unavoidably dark at moments but tbf that's the reality of aspects of the scene, so it has to be - and it still manages to end on a hopeful note.
It's super informative, even if you feel like you already have some level of contextual awareness which I did, and I loved that it's very much a peer point of view instead of some crusty dusty old academic (because so many books on drugs can be that).
It's super informative, even if you feel like you already have some level of contextual awareness which I did, and I loved that it's very much a peer point of view instead of some crusty dusty old academic (because so many books on drugs can be that).
July 3, 2019
Avrebbe potuto essere più breve e coinvolgente. Un libro sicuramente da apprezzare per il difficile tema affrontato.
August 20, 2020
I don't like some messages in this book
It started pretty well as descriptive and informative reading about chemsex. Then at some point some distorted idea came out such as : "It’s important that this book acknowledges that some people, like the friend I’ve just described, are able to keep their chemsex activity under control, enjoying it for what it is when they want to, but are equally able to maintain a healthy distance.". ... If drugs ( bad especially the one mentioned in the book) could be managed people would not end up destroying theirs and their families lives.
It started pretty well as descriptive and informative reading about chemsex. Then at some point some distorted idea came out such as : "It’s important that this book acknowledges that some people, like the friend I’ve just described, are able to keep their chemsex activity under control, enjoying it for what it is when they want to, but are equally able to maintain a healthy distance.". ... If drugs ( bad especially the one mentioned in the book) could be managed people would not end up destroying theirs and their families lives.
June 9, 2020
I picked this up as part of my reading towards pride month, as reading purely fluffy romances just didn't sit right with me. Drug abuse surrounding sex is a topic I knew very little about and I had no real idea of it's prevalence within gay communities. I had somewhat expected this to be completely autobiographical but was pleasantly surprised with the almost journalistic fashion much of this was written in.
This book never felt like it was demonising chemsex completely, it merely emphasised the sheer impact it can have on peoples lives and the dangerous consequences that they can face. I also think he took a very humanising approach to speaking about drug dealers, which I don't often see in media.
Discussing public attitudes to PrEP was incredibly interesting. I had always seen it discussed on the news but never really knew an awful lot about it. A lot of time is spent with the drug's biggest advocates and I'm incredibly glad that they won the fight for it's availability on the NHS.
A fair amount of the book also discusses how murky the waters become when it comes to consent. It sympathises with victims and their usually fruitless attempts to achieve any sort of justice. What I was most surprised to see was the somewhat compassionate manner at which the perpetrators were discussed. It emphasised that while people should be held accountable for their actions, life is complicated.
I would strongly recommend this book, even if you are very unfamiliar with chemsex culture. The book perfectly balances well researched discussions and the authors own experiences. Wharton's voice manages somehow to take personal accountability of his choices while never truly condemning anyone involved in this life style.
This book never felt like it was demonising chemsex completely, it merely emphasised the sheer impact it can have on peoples lives and the dangerous consequences that they can face. I also think he took a very humanising approach to speaking about drug dealers, which I don't often see in media.
Discussing public attitudes to PrEP was incredibly interesting. I had always seen it discussed on the news but never really knew an awful lot about it. A lot of time is spent with the drug's biggest advocates and I'm incredibly glad that they won the fight for it's availability on the NHS.
A fair amount of the book also discusses how murky the waters become when it comes to consent. It sympathises with victims and their usually fruitless attempts to achieve any sort of justice. What I was most surprised to see was the somewhat compassionate manner at which the perpetrators were discussed. It emphasised that while people should be held accountable for their actions, life is complicated.
I would strongly recommend this book, even if you are very unfamiliar with chemsex culture. The book perfectly balances well researched discussions and the authors own experiences. Wharton's voice manages somehow to take personal accountability of his choices while never truly condemning anyone involved in this life style.
June 26, 2021
I wasn't looking for the author to tell me how to think about the big city chemsex trend—but it seemed like he kept trying, and kept concluding different things.
"Relationships are so different, don't judge anyone!"
"I wrote a judgmental article about gay saunas I regret."
“If you have had sex recently without alcohol or d EU va, you’re probably looking up at your ‘perfect’ boyfriend right now.” (Imperfect husband, thanks.)
"I wrote an article in favour of weekends at chemsex parties (before/after?) I got sexually assaulted at one, and I stand by it."
So, Mr Wharton, I shouldn't judge others about their relationships, but you can judge anyone who isn't doing precisely what you are doing at the time in life that you are doing it? No matter how damaging it is or isn't?
Dude, step away from the keyboard for a bit.
I don't regret reading it, because there was a valuable chapter on Stephen Port, related to something I'm writing, and I hadn't even expected that. But the author could've taken a few breaths before he started writing each chapter. Could've figured out how he felt about what he was writing, so he could write it clearly, then cut out his opinion. I would've enjoyed that more. I think it was an attempt to ape the Johann Hari addiction-compassion-exhortation style—which I did enjoy at the time with Chasing the Scream—became one of my most liked reviews, even!—but, I don't know. I'm not looking for that style now.
But everything I like is okay at the time I like it—and then it isn't when I don't ;)
"Relationships are so different, don't judge anyone!"
"I wrote a judgmental article about gay saunas I regret."
“If you have had sex recently without alcohol or d EU va, you’re probably looking up at your ‘perfect’ boyfriend right now.” (Imperfect husband, thanks.)
"I wrote an article in favour of weekends at chemsex parties (before/after?) I got sexually assaulted at one, and I stand by it."
So, Mr Wharton, I shouldn't judge others about their relationships, but you can judge anyone who isn't doing precisely what you are doing at the time in life that you are doing it? No matter how damaging it is or isn't?
Dude, step away from the keyboard for a bit.
I don't regret reading it, because there was a valuable chapter on Stephen Port, related to something I'm writing, and I hadn't even expected that. But the author could've taken a few breaths before he started writing each chapter. Could've figured out how he felt about what he was writing, so he could write it clearly, then cut out his opinion. I would've enjoyed that more. I think it was an attempt to ape the Johann Hari addiction-compassion-exhortation style—which I did enjoy at the time with Chasing the Scream—became one of my most liked reviews, even!—but, I don't know. I'm not looking for that style now.
But everything I like is okay at the time I like it—and then it isn't when I don't ;)
September 24, 2023
I can't stress how depressing this book is, and yet it was an absolute page turner. I read it in just over a day. The point stands though, this book is not for the faint hearted.
I think what the book did well was highlight the social histories and contexts of the rise of chemsex in the LGBT and particularly the gay community. Showing how structural factors contribute to the chemsex's rise for example the internet, the cost of living in London and loneliness within the gay community. Equally, the book paints a vivid image of what the chemsex scene is like. The dicing with death with GHL, aka G, the dicing with addiction with Meth, aka Tina, and the lost hours of sexual liaisons spanning days at a time. I have no experience of this scene, but the image Wharton paints makes me feel like I can imagine the version of it he lived within.
This being said I felt the book wasn't always particularly well written. Not in a major way but in the sort of way where you sometimes have to read a sentence twice, or where you have to check you haven't read it twice because it is a little repetitive.
This gritty, raw and honest book is a fascinating, yet terrifying read. I would definitely recommend it, but with the caveat that it won't make you feel very comfortable.
I think what the book did well was highlight the social histories and contexts of the rise of chemsex in the LGBT and particularly the gay community. Showing how structural factors contribute to the chemsex's rise for example the internet, the cost of living in London and loneliness within the gay community. Equally, the book paints a vivid image of what the chemsex scene is like. The dicing with death with GHL, aka G, the dicing with addiction with Meth, aka Tina, and the lost hours of sexual liaisons spanning days at a time. I have no experience of this scene, but the image Wharton paints makes me feel like I can imagine the version of it he lived within.
This being said I felt the book wasn't always particularly well written. Not in a major way but in the sort of way where you sometimes have to read a sentence twice, or where you have to check you haven't read it twice because it is a little repetitive.
This gritty, raw and honest book is a fascinating, yet terrifying read. I would definitely recommend it, but with the caveat that it won't make you feel very comfortable.
August 5, 2025
a really informative and insightful first hand account into the underworld of chemsex, a great educational read for anyone interested or wishing to know more. i really enjoyed the honesty and humility in james’ writing and found myself feeling huge amounts of compassion toward anyone affected by chems either directly or on the periphery.
having said that, i really disagree with the stance and comparison he made between the AIDS crisis and the current chemsex epidemic. whilst the two were and are incredibly harmful events leading to the ultimate death of (many) in the LGBTQ+ community - i think it lacks accountability to say that those affected by chemsex are as helpless as those impacted by the AIDS crisis, this just felt like quite a far out comparison to make. i agree that healthcare organisations, support services and charities must be leading the way for individual based solutions but this inevitably requires onboarding from the individual (james does acknowledge people will only leave chems behind when truly ready themselves) but in the section of AIDS and chemsex comparison this seemed long forgotten. brought the rating down for me otherwise it would have been 4***
having said that, i really disagree with the stance and comparison he made between the AIDS crisis and the current chemsex epidemic. whilst the two were and are incredibly harmful events leading to the ultimate death of (many) in the LGBTQ+ community - i think it lacks accountability to say that those affected by chemsex are as helpless as those impacted by the AIDS crisis, this just felt like quite a far out comparison to make. i agree that healthcare organisations, support services and charities must be leading the way for individual based solutions but this inevitably requires onboarding from the individual (james does acknowledge people will only leave chems behind when truly ready themselves) but in the section of AIDS and chemsex comparison this seemed long forgotten. brought the rating down for me otherwise it would have been 4***
November 23, 2020
Frankly speaking, while I did find the book informative and overall well written, I found the author's blatant hypocrisy distasteful, to say the least. I got the feeling that he is afraid of taking any position against chemsex just to avoid being attacked again, as it happened with his articles about saunas. The book is filled with warnings about the dangers of drugs, and at the same time it fails to condemn their casual use because, supposedly, some people are able to not get addicted. It's just a superficial stance that doesn't understand in the slightest why people that condemn such behaviour do so, it's extreme individualism used to have the moral highground while ultimately failing to make our society better. The idea that people shouldn't be discouraged from using meth is simply appalling, and the fact that one of the most important British LGBT activist would promote such view is depressing.
October 6, 2025
This book had been lying by my bedside for at least 12 to 18 months — I honestly don’t even remember how it got there or where I found it. One day, I finally decided to pick it up, and I ended up finishing it very quickly.
It offers a raw and powerful insight into the destructive world of drugs and the chaos surrounding that lifestyle. The story is deeply relatable for many people and heartbreaking to read at times. It’s devastating to see how addiction can consume lives, and it really sheds light on what so many still struggle with today.
I completely agree that this book could be meaningful for someone going through similar issues, as it might help them feel seen or even inspire them to keep fighting. Sadly, someone I know who read it did relapse, which made it hit even harder — but that only shows how real and painful these struggles are. Nevertheless, it’s an insightful and emotional read, with moments that stay with you long after you’ve finished.
It offers a raw and powerful insight into the destructive world of drugs and the chaos surrounding that lifestyle. The story is deeply relatable for many people and heartbreaking to read at times. It’s devastating to see how addiction can consume lives, and it really sheds light on what so many still struggle with today.
I completely agree that this book could be meaningful for someone going through similar issues, as it might help them feel seen or even inspire them to keep fighting. Sadly, someone I know who read it did relapse, which made it hit even harder — but that only shows how real and painful these struggles are. Nevertheless, it’s an insightful and emotional read, with moments that stay with you long after you’ve finished.
January 13, 2025
Wow - such a powerful, interesting book - Wharton has been very brave in putting himself out there, describing a world very seldom written about and almost unknown outside of gay/queer circles. And he does it very well, from a very personal perspective, vividly describing the highs and lows in the London gay chemsex scene.
Australia is not too different, with chemsex being huge on the gay dating / hookup scene here too. The book has some very sobering insights into how this type of transactional, powerfully drug-enhanced casual sex scene can damage people and their ability to have relationships, hold down work and function "normally". He is not judgmental at all (and frankly can't afford to be - and the book is all the more powerful for that. A very useful read for anyone dipping their toe into the water, or considering it ... or trying to understand those who are living it.
Australia is not too different, with chemsex being huge on the gay dating / hookup scene here too. The book has some very sobering insights into how this type of transactional, powerfully drug-enhanced casual sex scene can damage people and their ability to have relationships, hold down work and function "normally". He is not judgmental at all (and frankly can't afford to be - and the book is all the more powerful for that. A very useful read for anyone dipping their toe into the water, or considering it ... or trying to understand those who are living it.
December 12, 2025
I liked this book a lot. It was extremely informative. There was one part where I felt like the author was projecting what he thought of a man's life instead of what the man was telling him, and there were a few instances where the language for rape was a lot softer than it should have been. Otherwise, this was a very good book and I am glad it is out as a resource and information.
September 10, 2017
How do you solve a problem like drug use and sex among gay men? It's impossible, but the author tries. I enjoyed it, but a lot felt like repetition. I'm in recovery, and I appreciated the author's candor in discussing this subject, but like the drugs I left behind I just felt like wanting more.
August 27, 2023
At times repetitive but, overall, a shocking insight into the darker side of gay culture. Pairs well with the 2015 documentary "Chemsex".
March 7, 2024
An intimate and non judgemental look into London’s chemsex scene. Well worth a read whether you know much about the topic or not.
September 28, 2020
This book is a page turner!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews