My best friend was rejected by his family for being gay and was beaten in the streets of his hometown in Mexico. He had to flee to the United States for refuge. As he grew older, he became more and more desperate to belong to a community. He sought out men on gay apps, and he ended up falling for a handsome young man who was addicted to meth. The young man fostered my friend’s addiction. The initial drug use was about acceptance and remaining relevant in an overly sexualized culture. Now, despite recent interventions by me and other people, my friend is overcome by the daily ritual of obtaining and using crystal meth. He’s a different person than the one I had known for over 25 years.

There are many stories like this. The truth is, using meth can create a twisted sense of camaraderie among users.

Hookup apps like Grindr make finding meth — as well as men to use it with — fast and easy. Users sprinkle capital T’s, referring to meth’s street name, Tina, or diamond emojis throughout bios and user names. Meeting a stranger from the internet for the first time is stressful for anyone — especially for someone who might struggle to form deep connections. Using meth can create an instant, false sense of intimacy and trust, allowing a cheap escape from the problems of our daily lives. In the moment, it seems euphoric; the drug is associated with enhanced sexual pleasure, after all. In reality, it’s ruining countless lives.

There are many underlying reasons gay men start using meth — and those reasons must be addressed.

It’s an unfortunate reality that certain insidious practices and beliefs are upheld within gay male culture that put all of us in danger of adopting risky behaviors. We put intense pressure on one another to be thin, hot and have a lot of sex. Plus, while society is significantly more accepting than it was even 10 years ago, many gay men still struggle with discrimination, violence and our own internalized homophobia, which means drugs can be an escape for many. And meth use greatly increases the risk of getting H.I.V. and other sexually transmitted diseases.

This isn’t a new issue. I’ve watched gay men suffer from meth addiction for over 20 years — and it’s only getting worse. One of my closest friends started using the drug a couple of years ago. Previously a successful businessman, he has now lost his friends, family and business. He spends his days searching for meth. Ten years ago, I lost a partner to crystal addiction. He relapsed after two years of sobriety and eventually died on the street.