Safer Drug Use & Partying

Learn about Safer Injection

How to Clean your Needles

Safe Shooting and your Body

Crystal Meth

How to Clean your Cooker

Links & Resources

Reducing your Risk when Injecting

Injecting drugs always involves a risk to your body or others. If you choose to inject drugs then consider some safer injecting techniques. These safer injecting practices will help reduce the harm. Be aware that sharing equipment for shooting up can spread HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

Safer Injection Strategies

• Never share your equipment! This includes needles, cookers, filters, water, etc.
• Use a new fit for every hit! Using a new needle every time you inject guarantees that infected blood isn't getting into your body or anybody else's. It can also prevent infections from dirty needles
• Clean your equipment! If you don't have new needles on you, clean your fit between injections. You can clean your equipment with cold, soapy water (warm water makes the blood harder to remove) and bleach.

Here's how:

Rinse your needle twice (2x) with cold, sterilized, water.

Rinse needle twice (2x) with bleach. Each time leave the bleach in the fit for 2 minutes.

Rinse needle twice (2x) in cold, sterilized, water.

• Prepare your hit in an area as clean as possible
• Wash your hands before and after you inject.
• Be aware of the safer places to inject on your body - check out the picture
• Always use clean water (carry it with you in a water bottle if you won't be able to get clean water)
• Clean the injecting area before and after you inject. You can clean the area with an alcohol swab and let the area dry before injecting. This lowers the chances of getting bacteria in the site
• Apply pressure to your vein after you inject, this stops the bleeding and will make your vein easier and safer to use again
• Keep your rigs in a sharps container - hard plastic or glass bottle with a lid

Crystal Meth  

If you choose to take crystal meth, be aware of these things: 

Mixing other drugs with meth can have serious effects. If you take meth, don't mix it with coke, ecstacy or prescription drugs. These other drugs can strain your heart and cause death if taken with meth.

Before you take meth, try to prepare for safer sex. Bring condoms with you before you tweak. Crystal meth lowers inhibitions and is a major factor in the spread of HIV and STIs.

Try to prepare before you tweak. Try to eat something before you take meth. It's a good idea to take multi-vitamins and keep a check on your weight if you do crank regularly.

If you have schizophrenia meth can put you over the edge.

 Dehydration - a person on crank can stay up for days. They can also dance for hours at a party. If you're taking meth make sure you drink lots of water. You might not notice that you are dehydrated.

Dependance - if you take meth you will build up a tolerance for it. This means that it takes more and more of the drug to get you high every time. Be aware of how much meth you're using and try not to become dependent on the drug to have a good time.

Psychosis - some meth users report severe paranoia and irrational behaviour after using meth for a long time.

The Come-Down - like other stimulants, meth has a harsh come-down. After a tweak you might feel depressed, deflated, and anxious.

Health Effects - meth use can cause tooth decay, weight loss, and heart problems (to name a few).

How to Clean your Cooker

Rinse your cooker (spoon, bottle cap or whatever you use)  by rubbing it under fresh cold water.

Wash it with warm water and soap, or soak it in a glass of bleach for 2 minutes.

Rinse it under fresh cold water again.

* If you don't have any soap or bleach, just rinse it with fresh cold water. Carry a bottle of clean water with you if you won't have access to to it.