Injecting is a fast way of getting drugs like heroin, speed or benzos into
your body. The danger is that the filtering and delaying mechanisms that
protect you when things are absorbed via the stomach, lungs or skin, are
bypassed.
It will always be safer to use alternative methods, but if you do inject, there are some strategies that will keep your veins in better health. Keeping your veins in good shape makes sense. If injecting is your choice, it will mean less hassles with getting a vein, and the techniques involved will also lessen your chances of getting nasties like Hep C and HIV.
The air bubble myth
Some users strictly get the tiniest bit of air out of their shot in case it causes a stroke in the brain. Any air bubbles actually travel to the lungs, not the brain and rarely cause strokes. It takes a large volume of air to have any negative impact! Avoid injecting air by all means, but also do the really important stuff — good injecting technique, new fits every time and keep it all clean!
Avoiding infections
There are all sorts of tiny nasties on our skin waiting for a chance to get in! Avoid them by washing hands, and cleaning your site with soap and water, or an alcohol swab. You should also clean your preparation area, particularly between shots if other people are involved. The tiniest bits of blood can be on things you’ve used, even if it isn’t visible.
Good shooting
Your veins are damaged slightly each time you inject — even with
good technique. Rotating sites gives them time to heal so don’t always
go for your fave spot! Poor technique is a problem — wrong angle,
against the blood flow, too fast, through the vein. Blunt needles tear the
delicate walls of veins, as do needles that are a larger bore than required.
Choose the smallest possible bore and length needle. Your NSP staff can
help with this and injecting technique tips.
Choose a suitable vein and make sure the needle’s ‘hole’ is facing up. Slide the needle carefully under the skin and into the vein. Make sure you go with the blood flow, as in towards the heart, and don’t go too far through the other side of the vein. You’ll cause more damage, and maybe lose your shot.
Pull back the plunger carefully to make sure you are in the vein - a small trickle of dark red blood means you are on the money. Now loosen your torniquet (if used) and inject slowly. Ideally, injecting your shot in two parts will reduce your chances of overdosing. Only a few seconds break are needed.
Don’t “jack” or pull back blood and ‘flush’
afterwards. Your veins won’t like this either.
After slowly removing your needle, immediately keep firm pressure on the
site with a clean tissue or cotton, as this will limit the bruising to the
vein.
Where should I inject?
Overall, the arms are the ideal, then the further you get to your extremities, the more the risks increase. The arms are always the safest and easiest, with prominent veins where it is natural to inject with the blood flow. Rotating between a few sites on both arms should keep them a viable option for injection sites over the long term. The veins on the backs of the hands may appear prominent too, but they are smaller and more susceptible to damage.
Fingers and toes aren’t a good idea. The veins are much smaller and there’s more chance of hitting arteries and actually needing amputation if things get out of hand. Remember to take rings off first if you take the risk of injecting in the hands, and always inject very slowly!
Veins in the leg aren’t much good in the long-term either. There are more valves here so greater chance of damage and clotting. It is easy to miss the vein altogether, and when you do get it, the slow blood flow means some of the shot may leak out of the vein, healing is slower and infections are more likely. Remember varicose veins may be highly visible, but they are a ‘no go’ spot for injection, as they are already damaged.
The neck, armpit, penis, groin and breasts are too risky to be considered as possibilities. If vein damage elsewhere has left you with these options, check with NSP staff to get the best advice on injecting here. Anything with a pulse is not a vein and must be avoided. When all else fails, some may be tempted to go searching for deeper veins. You are much more likely to hit arteries, bones or nerves which is painful and dangerous.
Taking a break
Even with rotating sites, clean fits, good technique and good hygiene, your veins will appreciate a break. Have a think about using alternative methods like snorting or smoking for a while, or even give your body a rest and reduce or quit your drug use for a spell.
Smoking or snorting don’t give quite the same rush as injecting, but
are still very quick methods of getting the drugs into your system. There
will still be some health issues but no strain on your vein!
Swallowing has a slow onset but the high is usually longer as compensation. Heroin loses half its strength in the stomach and is usually not taken orally as a result. This fact, coupled with the slow absorption into the blood stream, means that it is unlikely to be thought a viable alternative to sniffing or ‘shafting’ by drug users.
‘Shafting’ or taking a drug rectally usually gives a strong “rush” as there are so many veins in the anus absorbing the drug rapidly, but many dislike the method.
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