Make sure you take your drugs in the safest way possible. This means thinking about how, when and where you use. No methods are free of risk, but some are more harmful to your health than others.
Eating or drinking
If you eat or drink a substance, it enters your body through the digestive system. If you take drugs this way it can take time for the effects to be felt, so start with small amounts and wait before taking more to avoid accidentally taking too much.
Methods with a more immediate impact do not allow time for the body to respond if you use too much, and hold a greater risk of overdose. Swallowing pills is generally safer than grinding them to snort or inject. For some substances (like alcohol), your body may reject the substance by vomiting it back up if you ingest too much.
Inhaling
When a substance is inhaled it is processed by your respiratory system and the effects are felt quickly. Inhalation can include smoking, using a bong, using a pipe, breathing in a gas, or using a vaporiser. Vaporisers are considered a safer method of inhalation as they heat, rather than burn, the drug. This releases the active chemical without the harmful particles contained in smoke that affect your heart and lungs.
If you are using a substance that is usually smoked, consider using an e-liquid that can be inhaled with an electronic cigarette.
Snorting
Drugs that are snorted are absorbed through the blood vessels in your nose, and the effects are quickly felt. Snorting drugs can damage the inside lining of your nose, making it feel raw and irritated. If your substance has ‘fillers’ or other substances mixed with it, these can end up in your lungs, causing long term harm. Blood vessels inside the nose are very delicate and can break, causing bleeding (even if it's not visible). This increases the risk of spreading disease or infection, so you should never share straws or other snorting devices.
Rinsing the inside of your nose both before and after snorting may decrease the irritation you experience.
Shelving or plugging
Shelving a substance involves placing it in the rectal cavity, to be absorbed into the bloodstream. This part of the digestive system absorbs a lot of fluid through sensitive mucous membranes. It can take the substance into the bloodstream quickly, but it bypasses most of the body’s defences, which means you can very easily take too much by accident. This method can also cause ulcers, diarrhoea, damage to your rectal membranes, and bowel problems.
Injecting
Injecting is the riskiest way of using a substance, as it goes straight into your bloodstream and the effects are very quickly felt. If you are injecting, it is important to use your own sterile equipment to reduce the risk of infection or contracting blood borne viruses. Always use a filter to remove contaminants, and sterile water for mixing. Clean the part of the body you are injecting with an alcohol swab.
When injecting it’s always good to plan ahead to make sure you have a suitable environment and access to a phone, so you or someone else can call for help if anything goes wrong. Never inject on your own.
New Zealand’s Needle Exchange programme provides sterile injecting equipment along with advice, education and information about safer injecting and reducing drug use. You can swap your used equipment for new, or purchase new equipment cheaply. The Needle Exchange website has a list of exchange locations.