In brief
- Energy Control, the harm reduction program of the ABD group, has launched CHEMSAFE Catalunya, a service for people who engage in chemsex or sexualized drug use.
- It offers free, confidential counseling via WhatsApp and Telegram, as well as in-person support and drug checking at the NGO Stop’s headquarters.
- The initiative includes a community outreach component: staff visit clubs and nightlife venues to distribute information and harm reduction materials.
In August, Energy Control debuted CHEMSAFE Catalunya, a service designed for those who combine substances and sex—a pattern of use with specific needs that do not always align with general harm reduction resources. The initiative relies on three channels: instant messaging, face-to-face support, and street-level outreach.
Three ways to access the service
The first channel is digital: via WhatsApp and Telegram, the team answers questions about substances, guidelines for lower-risk use, sexual health, and where to turn if additional help is needed. The second is in-person, located at the NGO Stop’s headquarters, where they provide individualized counseling and drug checking—a service that allows users to know what is actually in a dose before consuming it. The third is community intervention: a team member visits clubs and nightlife venues to bring evidence-based information and harm reduction materials directly to the environments where consumption occurs, rather than waiting for people to come to an office.
A long-identified gap
Chemsex involves a complex intersection of factors—substances, sex, long sessions, and digital hookup contexts—that harm reduction services have been working to address with specific programs for years. Energy Control was already participating in Check Your Chems, a joint network with the Chemsex Support (Stop) and Sexe, Drogues i Tu (Apoyo Positivo) programs, which in recent years expanded its coverage to Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, and Madrid. CHEMSAFE Catalunya arrives as a dedicated Energy Control development within that ecosystem, focusing on the Catalan territory and coordinating with Stop for in-person services.
What this means
This is a service launch announcement, not a study with results to evaluate; for now, there is no published data on the number of people assisted or substances analyzed through CHEMSAFE Catalunya, and it remains to be seen how territorial coverage will evolve outside of the Stop network. What is significant is the approach: addressing sexualized drug use based on the autonomy of the user, utilizing information and analysis rather than fear-based rhetoric, and bringing resources to where people already are instead of waiting for a spontaneous request for help.
Source
- lasDrogas.info. Energy Control launches CHEMSAFE Catalunya to reduce risks in sexualized drug use. lasDrogas.info, August 13, 2026.
Educational content written from a harm reduction perspective and with respect for individual freedom. It is not a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional and is not intended to encourage or condemn any drug use.
