Psychology or theories behind bug chasing?

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

continuing....

I do have herpes. That was sexually transmitted; and is with me for life; although I'm on a daily drug regimen to "control" it....

[GermanFucker]

One he understands he will become poz, there are two rational responses. Just be at peace with it and let it happen. Or take control of the situation and enjoy it (since it will only happen once). Bug chasers are essentially just taking control of an unfortunate event in their lives. It's actually a very healthy response to their situation.

I do get the control aspect. What I don't get is the "enjoy the disease" part. It's as strange to me as enjoying getting diabetes. For some sugary treats are just as enjoyable as bareback sex. And many obese people count on getting diabetes. But it's not like becoming insulin dependent is enjoyable PER SE. Neither is the fuck flu nor the nuissance of regular doctor visits.

[rawTOP]

I do get the control aspect. What I don't get is the "enjoy the disease" part. It's as strange to me as enjoying getting diabetes. For some sugary treats are just as enjoyable as bareback sex. And many obese people count on getting diabetes. But it's not like becoming insulin dependent is enjoyable PER SE. Neither is the fuck flu nor the nuissance of regular doctor visits.

There are many ways people talk about "enjoying the disease". IMHO, some of them are quite normal others indicate either a form of mental illness or plain stupidity.

In the normal category is thinking guys with "the poz look" are sexy. That's no weirder than thinking 450 pound chubs are sexy. Then there's the people enjoy the sexual freedom being poz gives them - that's just making the best of a bad situation - making lemonade out of lemons...

Unfortunately, more guys on this site than I'd like are meth addicts. Meth has fucked with their cognitive processes and honestly, they're mentally ill/damaged. They think it's hot to waste away and die. And the sad part is meth gets them to actually do it. There was a study out of British Columbia a few years ago about who was actually dying of AIDS the short answer was "people with drug problems". I had one the IM me on Skype the other day and at one point I said "Meth is going to kill you. You know that, right? Is that really what you want?" His answer was basically "yeah, bring it on". It was sad. I don't think there's much you can do with that group - it's the drugs talking and they're addicted.

Then there are the ones who just have no clue how bad AIDS can be. Young guys today never saw someone really sick from AIDS. They're young and think they're untouchable and they can beat it or that can't be nearly as bad as people say it is. When reality hit them in the gut with a bad OI, they'll wake up and take their meds and probably be just fine.

[hungry_hole]

My question to everyone is why do POZ tops want to infect neg guys?

Not all poz tops want to infect neg guys. Some do it because it's a big turn on for them. Why is it a turn on for some? I that would have to be explored in another thread.

Going back to bug chasing. I cannot relate to something like "Desperate for poz cum". I don't understand why poz cum is hotter than regular cum. That's why I know I'm not a bug chaser.

The sense of "freedom" that poz men experience has been mentioned before. But you don't have to be poz to feel free and fulfil fantasies. In my case, still testing negative, I do stuff that many men only do once they are poz: public sling, getting bred in darkroom, etc.

The main difficulty I have with the fantasy of bug chasing is that it's only a fantasy because nobody knows how the body will react when the virus comes into the blood stream. I've read some terrible stories of the fuck-flu and with dealing with medication. There's also rashes and other viible signs that require having to tell people that one is HIV+, such as health practisioners, friends, family. If I poz I may feel too weak to have sex and that would defeat the purpose. Because nobody can guarantee what will happen to me if I catch HIV I would prefer to stay HIV-neg. But also because I bareback I have to be realistic and be aware that my HIV status can change any time.

[NiceHard1]

I think that there is a connection and parallel to pregnancy. I am totally fascinated by pregnancy and love talking with my female friends who are pregnant. Many are amazed at the physical process that happens, aside from the part about giving life to another. A mans sperm gets into the body and makes a physical change to the partner's being. I think that some men have tht same kind of impregnation craving. We often use the same exact terminology too. Lots of women have sex too and take sperm without getting pregnant, but it is that ultimate experience of being impregnated that is forever life changing and one that many women, and some men want to experience at some point in their life

Now let me add that I am not saying that I promote this...much like I would not tell my women friends to go out and get pregnant until they are certain that they are ready for that stage in their life

[NiceHard1]

I personally think guys who bug chase are mentally unstable. Possibily experiencing low self esteem, worthlessness, depression or loneliness. I think these guys also feel they are not part of something and are seeking to be a part of a "community" they think will accept them and love them with open arms.

Why anyone would willingly set themselves up to becoming poz beyond me. Life is complicated and stressful as it is, why would you want something that is going to only make things even mored challenging?

Colby- I do agree with some of your points as well. Email and posts can often be challenging, as it is hard to convey tone. At first I thought that you were sounding a bit harsh and judging, and hope ou are not, but your thoughts include good points that guys should consider. If they are chasing as a means to counter low self-esteem or to look for acceptance, perhaps that would be important to try to address in other ways before doing so in a life-changing way.

Now this may not explain everyone. And there may be guys who have a positive outlook, pardon the pun, and know what they are looking for

[pigpozdad]

It's reaction formation: convert a negative into a positive; being on this board, you find others like you who think the same way

[Jimmy1212]

I think that there is a connection and parallel to pregnancy.

I honestly mean no offense, but as someone who has been trying (unsuccessfully) to impregnate my wife for some time, I really, really don't get this analogy. In the one case you're attempting to create a new life ... in the other, you're giving someone a potentially fatal disease. In that light, equating the two seems absurd.

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

To say poz equals pregnancy is of course false. But the parallels are there. So try to hold back on your indignation... Each are potentially fatal. Each are life changing. Each occur by DNA replication. Babies are expensive.. HIV is expensive. Each typically result from sex. Didnt even have to dig deep.

Now I wish you well getting pregnant. But I wonder your purpose here. And your judgements when you leave the door so wide open to be judged....

[straycowboy]

Interesting thread.

[Guest Pyroboy74]

From a psychological POV, it would be considered as Paraphilia, which is basically an obsession with something sexually that harms/embarrasses oneself/others or sexual obsession with nonhuman objects

[Jimmy1212]

So try to hold back on your indignation ...

No indignation here. I have no issues whatsoever with bug chasing ... but I do dislike bad analogies.

But I wonder your purpose here. And your judgements when you leave the door so wide open to be judged....

My purpose here is pretty obvious if you've ever read any of my posts--I like to fuck bareback, including with men. And again, I wasn't being judgmental. I've been registered on this site since '11 and lurking far longer than that. Over those years, this is the first time I've ever commented on this subject.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Jimmy1212

[Jimmy1212]

From a psychological POV, it would be considered as Paraphilia, which is basically an obsession with something sexually that harms/embarrasses oneself/others or sexual obsession with nonhuman objects

Sounds like a more promising starting point for a successful analysis.

[Theo8]

Let me throw this out-even though we rationally know that being poz is no longer the death sentence it was back in the 80s, do people still think those who are poz are "dirty"? This leads me to my next question-do some people think that they deserve to be pozzed because they think they're "dirty"?

I went the other way. I'm bipolar and I've always used sex as a way to self-medicate. The more guys I had sex with, the better I felt about myself. I was willing to do pretty much anything when I was either depressed or manic. The sex brought me out of a depression and it would take the edge off a manic episode. I don't want to call myself a sex addict but I probably was.

[badboypig]

As a student of neurology I can say three facts regarding homosexuals in general, as well as homosexuals that suffer fromhyperaexuality and/or paraphilias.

It is a little known fact that gay males are five times more likely to abuse methamphetamine Hcl than any other group COMBINED. Why start out by mentioning meth? For two reasons

1. Methamphetamine molecules look almost identical to a very important neurotransmitter that you have in your brain- Dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that gives us feelings of pleasure that we get in things that make us feel happy. Sex and orgasm release approximately 360 units of dopamine. Our enjoyment of food releases 559 units. Cocaine releases 900 units. Methamphetamine releases close to 2000!

What is important to understand about dopamine is that it the chemical the gives you thepleasureable sensations in methamphetamine, alkyl nitrates (poppers), having sex, eating food that tastes great. Anytime you feel a burst of pleasure it's because of dopamine.

gay males we have found have a serious debt in the number of units that would naturally get released so that you may feel pleasure. While dopamine makes us feel good, it also teaches us what we do not like. Now, because gay males are born with below normal dopamine units and receptors, we typically have many psychiatric issues like depression, anxiety, etc., all these symptoms tell another neurotransmitter called glutamate as well as GABA which deals with thinking, creativity, and memories. Hence growing up many of us do not conform to the typical things that make us happy.

Once puberty starts, we typically exert most of our dopamine to feel pleasures having sex. That's why most of us are sluts. We must constantly try to feel as happy as possible and dopamine gets released typically to increase our sex drive. But dopamine only deals with pleasure. Our abnormal thoughts that turn us on so that we can feel pleasure come from GABA and Glutamate. Since these neurotransmitters have taught us negative things like being gay isn't normal, etc., it tends to skew us to take certain pleasures in abnormal and dangerous activities. This tells dopamine to give you a lot of pleasure in doing unsafe things such as having unprotected sex, willingness to contract diseases that are very damaging.

What makes matters worse is that for those gay males who use methamphetamine, they do not realize that they literally deplete dopamine levels seconds after they get released. This is why many males cannot maintain an erection while under the influence.

In sum, our paraphilias and hypersexual tendencies are a disease of our brain- we can thank certain genes like DRD4 for that .