Let’s talk about Tina

MEDIA images of crystal methamphetamine use may often be dark, dirty and scary, but they can also have unwanted impacts on some people.

“Seeing a photo of a person with a needle in their arm can be highly triggering for people,” The Institute of Many (TIM) co-founder Nic Holas said.

[showads ad=MREC] The rates of drug use in the Australian LGBTI community are considerably higher than the national average and men living with HIV are over represented in the numbers of people using crystal meth — also know as ice or tina.

With all of this in mind, the crews at Living Positive Victoria (LPV) and TIM worked together to create a four-part resource for gay, bi and trans men living with HIV who use crystal meth.

Turning Tina launched last night after 12 months of community interviews, research, conversations, and consultations. Each edition will be released weekly.

“This is a really hot issue within the community,” Holas said.

“It made us realise there are people who want to talk about it.”

“It’s a good indication there’s something about this drug in particular, in this point in history.”

Turning Tina – a harm reduction resource. from The Institute of Many.

The first edition of Turning Tina details what the drug is doing to your body, mental health and sex life in a snazzy and concise PDF available online.

“The graphic designer and I worked closely together… to make it visually engaging and strong,” Holas said.

“We were aware of the imagery being used discussing this drug is highly triggering, which is problematic for people with usage issues.”

Holas said releasing Turning Tina over four weeks would it make it easier for people to read each edition carefully without being bombarded with information.

He reiterates this is not a how-to guide but a call for the community to take care of itself and start talking about tina.

“That’s the core of the resource, to highlight the force of tina in the community,” Holas said.

“It’s about getting people talking about stuff because we know when people feel ashamed they won’t be able to get help if they need to.”