Paramedic here,worked in an area with lots of addicts for years: Most iv users don’t have start fresh. They are already addicted to Heroin,etc. and consume via smoking it, etc.
When the addiction gets bad enough that they switch to IV administration they are usually well embedded into the scene. Which consists of more than enough IV users which usually are happy to help/often they the new user has helped another user how to inject before they do it on themselves.
And tbf it’s not that hard when you just need to give a single injection with a rather small needle to someone who usually is on the younger side if the demographics, has thin skin, etc. But of course they miss (a lot), but that’s no biggie - most of them know how to aspirate first and they simply try it somewhere else then. And they get pretty good at it.
But of course nevertheless paravasals and abscesses are a huge problem, especially in more experienced IV drug users.
There’s a Dayz 'N daze song (little blue pills, pt. 2) that says “there’s an abscess, goddamn we missed the vein”. So I guess sometimes you miss.
Never tried myself (and won’t, until I’m on my deathbed) but I don’t know how I would do it myself.
No personal experience here at all, but to anyone who finds this fascinating/crazy, I absolutely recommend a read of “Sing Backwards & Weep” by Mark Lanegan. It’s a personal account of his struggles as an addict while being the lead singer of “Screaming Trees” during the late 80s - 90s “grunge” era. He doesn’t hold back at all. Couldn’t put it down.
Just downloaded it to add it to my ever growing list of books. Also, I think t will help entertain me for a while. Thanks for the sugesstion!
Just finished it. What a great read! So gritty and riveting. The guy had a flare for storytelling.
What people are capable to do just to get high never stop amazing me.
Tiny needles make it pretty easy, if you can do phlebotomy you can shoot up with a 31ga needle. I was in lab tech school in the military and ended up shooting dope sometime in the 00s, but stopped before I got in any serious trouble. Those people who have to hit weird veins in odd places because they’ve ruined the rest blow my mind though. I guess if it’s between that and being dope sick it’s worth it in the short term.
