Newsgroups: alt.drugs.hard Subject: Re: Heroin From: Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 04:53:38 GMT Obviously, injecting drugs isn't the best thing for your health, but if ever there was advice that was good for me, it was the advice given to me by a guy I met in India when I was 19-- a 40-year-old heroin addict with a 10+ year addiction. he said something along the lines of: take care of your veins, treat yourself like a nurse would, and test out your dope slowly at first, rather than hitting it all ASAP. Twelve years later, this guy is still at it and still HIV and hep free (not to mention alive). DO -be as clean as possible with everything-- don't touch anything that you don't need to, and keep the whole area as sterile as you can. -wash your hands before you start -swab with alcohol pad -use something to tie off-- its a lot easier to find a nice big vein that way -in order of preference-use saline if you can get it (I think you can make this yourself but I don't know the proportions-- anyone?). Here you can get saline at needle exchanges- or sterile water (again, from the needle xchg)- or bottled water -preferably always but at the very least until you know what the fuck you're doing, hit only the littlest bit to get an idea of how much you can handle. I'm assuming you've been smoking/snorting so you know what to expect. If you inject a little bit and you feel fucked already, then you know that the whole lot will be too much. There's nothing wrong with leaving the needle in and just waiting to see how you feel for a while before you proceed. -use a new needle each time-- sharp, fresh needles= easier injection and less vein damage -do research before you do any of this: learn a little about circulation and veins and your liver and heroin overdose and impurities and sterilisation before you jump in (obviously you ARE doing this, because you asked about this topic here rather than just experimenting on your own-- this is a very good and safe attitude to take!). especially, research how to shoot up from a number of different places-- books, here, friends, web sites, etc., until you are sure you understand the whole thing well. just don't skimp on the cleanliness or safety stuff (this can get lost in the friends' versions sometimes) DON'T -use alone if at all possible -use cigarette filters as dope filters (pieces can get into your veins and thus into your vital organs, whereas cotton does this less) -share ANYTHING with anyone. this includes water, cotton, spoon, bottle cap from a bottle of water -neglect the hygiene part of injection-- if you research properly, you will find that all kinds of terrible things can happen because of little micro-organisms which would normally never find their way into your bloodstream but for a teeny bit of negligence. Little critters are everywhere, just waiting for the chance to get inside you and wreak havoc! I feel a little conflicted here. On one hand, I feel bad because I'm giveing injection advice when maybe I should just be saying "NO, DON'T DO IT!" (Just Say No!!!), but on the other hand, I feel like I'm playing Elmer the safety elephant (anyone remember him?) trying to emphasize all of the safety aspects of IV drug use. I guess I feel that if you're gonna do it you're gonna do it, and if I remember correctly, nobody could've talked me out of anything once I'd made up my mind about trying a drug or method of use. I hope that you take into careful consideration that IV use is a whole new game with a whole new set of rules and a heap of risks that don't come with smoking or snorting. Addiction to heroin is no small thing regardless of your method of ingestion, but there is something about IV use-- and its not just the rush either-- that makes it addictive in of itself. I think, at least, that the whole ritual of injection becomes important, and that it can become difficult to quit the drug, but also difficult to quit the ritual too. There. I just felt compelled to add this to the posts about actual injection technique. I'm sorry if its not exactly what you wanted, but I hope that it helps, regardless of what you decide to do. Apologies to others who fell asleep during my drug-counsellor-wanna-be rant here too. ====================================================================== Newsgroups: alt.drugs.hard Subject: Re: Heroin From: Maldoror Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 10:40:19 -0700 forever_tempted@my-deja.com wrote: > DO > -be as clean as possible with everything-- don't touch anything that > you don't need to, and keep the whole area as sterile as you can. Check.sterilize my car, sterilize my junky friends houses, sterilize that spot by the tracks where i fix when in dire straights, sterilize coke can, sterilize rig used ~50 times, wash hands carefully in nonexistent sink. *Note to self*: Rinse hands to elbows, not elbows to hands. > -wash your hands before you start Whoaha! I'm ahead of you! > -swab with alcohol pad *Note to self*: Remember to spend dope money on alcohol pads, or start your own needle exchange. Keep the condoms - great for shoving drugs up the ass when going to jail. > -use something to tie off-- its a lot easier to find a nice big vein > that way Yeah, lamp cord, girlfriend's stockings, patchcord, mouse cord, and, when you hit the big time, please do not tie off your neck when shooting there - could be a bad thing. > -in order of preference-use saline if you can get it (I think you can > make this yourself but I don't know the proportions-- anyone?). Here > you can get saline at needle exchanges- or sterile water (again, from > the needle xchg)- or bottled water Is toilet bowl water ok too? I shoo' hope so... > -preferably always but at the very least until you know what the fuck > you're doing, hit only the littlest bit to get an idea of how much you > can handle. Oh, I think I have an idea, and it frightens the crap out of me... >I'm assuming you've been smoking/snorting so you know what > to expect. If you inject a little bit and you feel fucked already, > then you know that the whole lot will be too much. There's nothing > wrong with leaving the needle in and just waiting to see how you feel > for a while before you proceed. Actually, good newby advice. The slang for this is "jerking off", but it's a damn good method for testing a new batch. While it may ruin the rush (may? *will*), you at least will know what you're getting into. Wait 30secs at least before shoving the plunger the rest of the way. If half a rig seems like enough, don't worry about waste - draw up a few drops (well less than a drop will do) to clear the blood from the needle itself, and, unless you've spent half an hour missing and *really* filled up your rig with blood, the shit will keep for a day or two without clots clogging the point. Waste not, want more... > -use a new needle each time-- sharp, fresh needles= easier injection > and less vein damage Dang! I always thought that the only safe ones had to have all the numbers rubbed off, and had to be obtained from your HIV/HCV positive junky friends! Thank god for your info! > -do research before you do any of this: learn a little about > circulation and veins and your liver and heroin overdose and impurities > and sterilisation before you jump in (obviously you ARE doing this, > because you asked about this topic here rather than just experimenting > on your own-- this is a very good and safe attitude to take!). > especially, research how to shoot up from a number of different places-- > books, here, friends, web sites, etc., until you are sure you > understand the whole thing well. just don't skimp on the cleanliness > or safety stuff (this can get lost in the friends' versions sometimes) > OK, I'll take a bath already! And kids, ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION! > DON'T > -use alone if at all possible But my frienemies will mooch some of my dope, and I'll have shit for wakeup! > -use cigarette filters as dope filters (pieces can get into your veins > and thus into your vital organs, whereas cotton does this less) *Note to self*: No matter how sick you are, no matter if you have a brick in your hot little hand and a bottle of Avian jammed under the seat, drive to the nearest pharmacy an purchase (with the money you do not have)a pack of q-tips (while shit runs down your leg). Never reach for the pack of smokes in your front pocket and fix (Ahhhhhh.... All better) on the spot. > -share ANYTHING with anyone. this includes water, cotton, spoon, And *DOPE*. Especially dope. Remember how the f*ckers treated *you* when you were sick? Well, ok, give them a few bags. Share. > bottle cap from a bottle of water Thank god I use coke cans... > -neglect the hygiene part of injection-- if you research properly, you > will find that all kinds of terrible things can happen because of > little micro-organisms which would normally never find their way into > your bloodstream but for a teeny bit of negligence. Little critters > are everywhere, just waiting for the chance to get inside you and wreak > havoc! > As opposed to dope, which, in general, will set you on the road to success and all things good. -Bullwinkle, who *never* does drugs, knows nothing about drugs, and doesn't even know why he posts here. Kids, this is all a joke! Try Bowling instead.