The Problem
Street Drugs / illicit drugs are a fact of life. Many people use them for recreational purposes and others use them to deal with depression and social issues. Until humanity can deal with social and personal issues the problem of illicit drug use is not going to disappear. Safe use of the right drugs and safe practices in administering them will contain complications of street/illicit drug use.
Picture showing a user injecting ? substance into a ?vein.
What are the common street drugs?
Drugs which are commonly abused include legal and illegal drugs. It is not the intention of this article to separate the legal from the illegal. The following drugs are most commonly abused by different groups of users:
- Cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol, beer, wine
- cocaine, crack, LSD, heroin
- Barbiturates, Benzodiazapines (valium/diazepam) xanax, serax, etc
- Steroids like prednisolone, prednisone, corticosteroids,
- Midazolam, phenobarbitone,
- Paint, turpentine,
- speed, uppers, meth, crystal methamphetamines, chalk, ice, glass, copilots, Christmas tree, crank (when injected)
- Petroleum. Petroleum products,
- Sleeping medications: Nitrazepam, chloral hydrate,
- Cardiac stimulants:
- Broncho Dilators (salbutamol)
- Toad and lizard secretions
- Cough mixtures, nail polish remover
This is only a partial list of drugs which are abused commonly.
How are they administered? Illegal drugs are usually administered by the user who is not professionally trained. The following routes are commonly used.
- Eat or drank orally (eaten/swallowed).
- Smoked, inhaled via the nasal membrane or other membrane.
- Sniffed.
- Injected into a muscle or body tissue. (Intra muscular and/or subcutaneous)
- Injection into vein (intra-venous)
Basic Safety issues.
- Dosage must be right. If you are a new user you will become high with a small dose. You will find that as you become addicted to the different drugs you are using, you will need higher doses to reach the “same high.” The problem with illicit drugs is that the sellers do not necessarily tell you the truth. You are taking a risk every time you choose to take an illicit drug.
- Contaminants. Drug sellers, most of the time, sell you drugs by weight. However, to optimise their profits they may add substances which may increase or decrease the potency of the drug they sell you. So it is important to know your supplier.
- Legality? If you are an under aged drinker and depend upon an adult to supply you the drugs (alcohol/cigarettes) you need to be aware that some adults may take advantage of you sexually or may blackmail you. Adults who are supplying you are committing a crime. If they are caught, they will have to face the judge and do some explaining.
- Drug dependence. I do not want to say too much here because this is not the right place. I have worked as a Registered Nurse for more than 20 years. It is my experience that most drugs, including prescription medications, have addictive properties and are hard to give up. When you choose to give up see a counsellor, you parents or your physician. I am aware that some people can give up drugs without help but they are a minority.
- Clean needles: If you are injecting the drug of your choice into your superficial tissues, it is important that you do not share the needle with any one else. Use a clean sterile needle each time.
- Intravenous injections. These will give you the high immediately. Be very careful with IV drugs. Smaller doses are needed to reach a high but their effects wear down sooner too. Air embolus is a high risk. An air embolus occurs when air in the syringe enters the vein and may lodge any in the heart or lungs. Some non soluble substances will also cause an embolus. The size of the embolus will depend upon the size of the particulate matter.
- Calcification and scarring of local tissue will occur as a result of local infections and necrosis of vein tissues.
- Psychological scaring and Peer Dependence. Once you have started using illicit drugs you will find that you will have more and more friends who are users. Your network of non-users will decrease. Your dependence upon suppliers will increase. You may have to work harder or for more hours to pay for you drugs.
- Criminal Activity. There is a possibility that, in order to meet your dependence you may start selling. This is almost the beginning of the end.
- Deterioration of health. Weight gain and/or weight loss are the first signs and symptoms of the health problem. Anxiety, depression and social isolation or hyperactivity will be the next tell tale signs of your problem.
- Drug Dependence will become a major issue sooner or later. Many individuals die before they are detected to be drug dependent. I hope it does not happen to any readers of this article.
- Remember my definition of death: It is a slowly progressive condition. If we take care of our individual cells we take care of our collective life span.
- In Australia help is available at www.addictiontreatmentcenter.com& at www.aic.gov.au
- In the US help is available at : www.drug-rehab.ca
- In Canada help is available at: www.drug-rehab.ca
- In the UK help is available at: www.narcononstonehawk.com and at www.drugrehab.co.uk
- In Continental Europe: www.ezilon.com
- In Peking: www.rehab-center.com
- In Delhi: www.rehab-center.com/rehab_india.htm
- In Israel: www.wwrn.org
I, Shergill affirm that I am not affiliated with any of these organizations and have not been paid any fees or commission by any of the treatment centres mentioned herein. These sites are mentioned in the hope that an addicted person may seek help to initiate treatment.
These services are mentioned as public service announcements. Good luck with the treatment, if you choose it.
