Snorting
When snorting drugs, microscopic amounts of blood or mucus can pass from one irritated or raw nose to another. It seems this is how hepatitis C could spread when people share objects used for snorting (e.g. rolled up bank notes, straws or ‘bullets’). So avoid sharing anything used for snorting. Bank notes should be avoided as they may have been used for snorting before and be contaminated. Post-it notes (a fresh one for each person) are a safe alternative.
After snorting, rinsing what’s left of the drug out the nostril cuts the risk of it damaging the inside of the nose.
Smoking
If someone has a cold sore on their lip sharing joints, pipes, bongs or cigarettes can spread the herpes virus. The same goes for syphilis if they have a syphilis sore on the lips or in the mouth. But the main risk of serious infection (hep C and possibly HIV) comes when pipes are shared to smoke crack cocaine- infected blood from broken or bleeding lips and mouths gets on the pipe. Lips can be protected by wrapping a rubber band around the end of the pipe. Sharing pipes should be avoided.
Up the arse
If a drug is being squirted into the arse using a syringe with the needle taken off, then it’s less risky for passing on HIV or other infections carried in the blood (like hepatitis C) - even if these needle-less syringes are shared. That’s because, unlike injecting into a vein, there’s no contact with a needle contaminated with blood.
But putting a needle-less syringe inside one arse after it’s been up another has some risk of passing infected blood from one damaged arse to another. And it gives a way into the arse for more easily transmitted infections like warts, gonorrhoea, syphilis or herpes so needle-less syringes shouldn’t be shared. A clean one for each arse is needed or the syringe should be thoroughly cleaned each time it’s used on a new person.
Injecting
Injecting is the most dangerous way of taking drugs, with risks that don’t exist or are much lower if you smoke or snort the drug. Risks include:
- overdose
- picking up serious infections (e.g., HIV and hepatitis C)
- blood poisoning
- collapsed veins
- abscesses
- blood clots/deep vein thrombosis
- becoming psychologically dependent on the ritual of injecting
Injecting a drug gives a more intense hit, so is more likely to lead to addiction. Injecting drugs (or steroids) can also mean sharing equipment (needles, syringes, spoons, water, filters, swabs, etc). This is the most efficient way of spreading infections carried in blood such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. This blood may be too small to even see.
