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Harm Reduction Where to shoot when ur veins are trashed?

Hello all
I read a few of the posts in this thread, I thought I'd add my bit. I've been an IV heroin addict for 23 years. I say addict in that I have a physical addiction to the drug and if I stop I will suffer withdrawals. I believe it's the pain and fear of withdrawals that is why I don't get clean, I don't believe in 'addiction' as touted by the 12 step groups, I feel they've pathologized addiction, which is actually only an idea. This is most apparent in their use of the disease theory. I spent 4 years clean, went to rehab, got clean, stayed clean for 4 years and chose to start using again. I use around 1g White No4 Burmese Heroin Daily. Maybe 3 one-paper joints a week and maybe 2 Xanax a week. I have 1 glass of wine when me and the girlfriend go out. I am aware of the purity of my product since I've had the same 'at source' postal supplier ever since visiting SE ASIA years ago. It's white, it doesn't require heating. It is clean. One hit is good for 12 hours. I don't gouch unless I have a Xanax, I don't want to.
I inject in my femoral vein. I do have other veins I can use but I choose my femoral vein since the vein is huge, and there's plenty of room to rotate. Left and right, and top, middle, bottom. Hitting 3-6 a day means I don't inject the same site twice in one day. I can still reach my femoral vein with an insulin 1ml, so the skin damage is low. I have 2 scars since I've been doing this years. I always use a alcohol wipe, a disposable tin spoon, a clean filter at least, a wheel filter when able. I look after my sites, I never use a needle twice, or if I feel that 'click' on entry, I swap for another spike. If I had discovered the femoral vein earlier, and done the research I did, I would have used that first, and the veins in my arms would still be in tact; there's some, but they're not what they were.
I own three successful businesses, two of which I'm pretty much hands-off, the other I do an hour or so a day. I am also in show business, I do television, radio, other media appearances - although I am far from a household name, it's in the early stages, but I like it. I have a beautiful girlfriend who has a great job and between us we holiday 3 or 4 times a year for a few weeks each time. Due to my requirements, we are limited to certain areas for holidays, but we'd have chosen those places anyway, we love them!. Sometimes I take a small risk and take a bit with me so we can have short stays in nearer destinations. I have a large group of friends and spend a lot of time having tea or lunch with them. My Dr, who is also a good friend and knows me literally inside-out, recently gave me a once over: blood pressure, heart rate, liver, kidneys, heart, blood, and motor functions. He said I was as fit as people 10 years younger. I eat well, a lot of seafood and fruit. I drink about 4 liters of water daily (after a doctor who prescribed me Morphine amps explained how much water we should drink) and I don't smoke (I gave up years ago - best thing I ever did, evil poisonous stuff). Now and again I get clean. I taper down to about 250mg a day, then onto the foil when necessary, then I go away on my own to a hotel in Thailand. A place I've never manages to score anything but a bit of skanky Opium. I buy OTC codeine, and cold water extract it. After 7 weeks I'm eating, sleeping and felling OK. Last time I did that was 4 years ago, had a few months off then DECIDED to start again. I'll probably get clean again in autumn. If you want to, then be strong and do it, it can be done without too much fuss. It;s painful, but I think it's important to go through. Methadone, Subutex etc will prolong the whole drama of withdrawing.
That's my current interpretation of my life and my habit. I hope it might help inform some of the points raised and contribute to the debate. Thanks for reading.
 
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in my cocaine induced depravity ive basically found exactly where the deep veins in my forearms and biceps are.. probably not the best but i can hit them every time without fail
 
Some of my IV friends shoot into the foot. ie: Toes, veins on top of the foot, in between toes.
Or you could try your penis. Legs work too. Ankles
 
God. That is the most horrible shit to watch. I know a couple girls that will sit there and try to hit themselves or have someone poking at them for like a halve hour. Thank god I just got a shit ton of veins, when I was iving shit I never ran into that problem, but I got more veins than most, I used to be big into working out before I got into the whole junkie thing. I've had it to the point though where id just try my feet to let my arms heal and I hate shooting in my feet shit hurts haha. There are always deep veins but don't hit an artery, I've done that a few times n its very painful, and idk why but when I've hit my artery I didn't really get high shit sucked and whole arm tingled n burned and shit.... Horrible
 
I have the same problem but.would never try to hit jugular. Can be seriously bad if u hit your carotid artery. I train horses and we hit their juggular when we drug them but occasionally you miss and hit the corotid artery. Ive done it b4 and thought I killed the damn horse. He fell out immediately so basically what im getting at is its a heck of lot easier to hit a jugular in a horse than a person and.most people I know who have to dope horses often have hit the corotid at least once. I may b a drug addict but im not suicidal.
 
1. It's important to have a Phlebotomist show you how to properly administer IV. You can even become a test subject for students at the local colleges/Tech schools.
People always ask me to IV them, which I refuse, unless it's someone with a medical issue who can't hit a vein, or diabetic who's new to insulin shots. Otherwise, I refuse to be part of an OD.

2. Impurities, combined with bad water and the dope ruins the veins. Some pills make you more prone to clots. You need sterile gear, preactice hand washing, etc.


3. Hot packs to get get a vein, cold packs after IV to reduce swelling. Hydration is MOST important. You should drink plenty of fluids prior to IV and apply heat. Children's pedialyte works wonders. There are times when the IV user will rage and ends up believing their veinous system has collapsed, when just following the instructions can make all the difference in the world.

I am NOT a promoter of IV use, as I have seen some horrific abcess, infections, serious BB illnesses, Hep C, etc from IV use. You don't realize once you damage your veins, the heart has to work harder to carry blood now, resulting in a heart attack, stroke, or even death.

(sorry for typos/spelling...i just came off a 13 hr E.R. shift , am exhausted)
 
^ That´s a great post LilikoiMoon.

I´ve heard of ppl going through really bad problems while trying to find veins.
From finger/hands´paralysis to infections which led to amputation.
 
I've heard about the behind the knee thing. I only IV about 1/3 what I used to but my arms are useless trying to hit..few on my hands but would prefer something bigger. Are they directly behind the knee? Easy to feel and hit?
 
Top of the forearms and underneath. Top of the hands back of the calf. There are some pretty good places to get advice on this in a harm reduction capacity. You don't want torn up veins if you can avoid it. Trying to explain away tracks can be a pain in the ass with your family and doctors. You can easily find vein maps online and also speak to the people at needle exchanges who won't judge.
 
I so totally agree with you, a phlebotomists' direction or instruction is such a great idea. Or maybe just have a phlebotomist administer all together! Heck IVer's should take the phlebotomy course.
The world would be a better place I believe ��
 
There's your radial and ulnar artery right on your wrist that are fairly easy to get. I've never done iv drugs but I have a profession where I take blood from these arteries. I wouldn't recommend trying there.
 
From personal experience, be careful, several days ago, I was looking for a vein, because all mine are a pain to find. When I finally registered one, I was tricked into shooting into my radial artery!!! I had to make a trip to the ER, shooting into an artery can lead to BAD, BAD Shit. So be careful dude. I saw someone say on here "IF IT HAS A PULSE, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE". Believe me that Shit Sux, my hand is still sore 3 days later. Be careful man, cuz it will trick you into thinking you hit a vein...
 
I use my leg. There is this fat vein on the side right around where your knee is and travels all the way up the leg thowards your crotch. for me, its actually a lot easier to hit than the arm veins and it has the added benefit of being easy to conceal
 
Femoral, jugular, the big veins that runs down the calves to the ankle, and obviously your feet and smaller veins that are easy to blow.

Might just wanna give it a break for awhile, plug or IM if possible.
 
What about skin-popping/sub-cutaneous?

I did it on accident (twice) with dirty dope, stepped on from who knows where, then chicago... then who knows where again, then my town and I thankfully didn't get any infections of any sort -- I imagine the dope your shooting is probably 10x cleaner.
 
XANAX XR said:
What about skin-popping/sub-cutaneous?

I did it on accident (twice) with dirty dope, stepped on from who knows where, then chicago... then who knows where again, then my town and I thankfully didn't get any infections of any sort -- I imagine the dope your shooting is probably 10x cleaner.
Click to expand...


I would not recommend skin popping. Risk for abscess is quite high, plus you don't get anywhere near IVing. When I had a dope habit and hard to find a place to shoot due to IV coke binges, if I missed a heroin shot (inadvertent skin popping) I wouldn't even get out of wd. I know IM is different, but when you miss its equivalent to a skin pop/ subcutaneous, and in all the years I did heroin I never felt anything from a miss.


I know I have replied to many of these type threads, not sure if I did in this one, but there are many veins besides the obvious. Many of them you can feel if you can't see. Those are often better. You feel for the tell-tale spongy feeling like there is something springy under the skin. Back of forearm, legs, there is a spot on hand if you hang your hand down for a minute then look right below (away from body) the wrist bone on outside of hand. There is a big one there and that's how to make it pop out. Elbow but not the crook when everyone goes, look at top instead.
 
go into a dark room with a very bright flash light and put it on your arm , leg , hand, ect. you will be amazed at what you see. I learned that trick from a nurse in the hospital .
 
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