Methods
of Use

What is it?

Absorption usually involves the applying of a ‘drug patch’ onto the skin so the drug can be absorbed. Some drugs come in the form of creams and gels which can also be put onto the skin and absorbed.

Which drugs can be dissolved?

There are few drugs that can be absorbed, and most are medically prescribed. These drugs include nicotine (in the form of patches), steroids (in the form of gels and creams), as well as opioids like fentanyl (in the form of patches).

What are the risks?

There are few risks associated with the process of absorption. However, when self-administering drugs through absorption, it is important to follow medical advice about dosages to prevent an overdose – especially in the case of opioids like fentanyl.

How can I reduce my risk?

If you are intending to take drugs by absorbing them, you can reduce your risk by:

• Following the medical advice of the prescribed drug
• Knowing the numbers for Medicines Line or Poisons Information Centres
• Calling 000 immediately if someone requires medical attention

What is it?

Dabbing is one of the more complicated methods of drug use and is only used for THC, which is the chemical found in weed that gets you high.

It involves creating dabs. These dabs are created by pouring a particular type of fuel (called butane) over hash oil (which is a form of weed), so that the fuel will absorb the THC and create a new substance.

The substance is called butane hash oil (BHO) and can appear as a gummy, thickened and yellowish substance. You can smoke dabs, but a specific type of bong must be used. Dabbing can also happen by putting hash oil into vaping devices.

Which drugs can be dabbed?

Only hash oil (THC) is able to be dabbed. Synthetic cannabinoids do not contain any THC and therefore cannot be turned into hash oil to use for dabbing

What are the risks?

There are many risks associated with dabbing. The chemicals used to create dabs can lead to issues with your respiratory system – which includes your mouth, nose, throat, voice box, windpipe and lungs; and the chemical reactions caused by the high temperatures needed to smoke dabs produce strong carcinogens, toxins and irritants.

Dabbing can lead to tolerance and dependence, and is known to cause negative side effects like a rapid heartbeat, blackouts, crawling sensations on the skin, loss of consciousness, and psychotic symptoms such as paranoia and hallucinations.

Furthermore, the process of making dabs is very risky due to the dangerousness of the chemicals involved. Butane is often used as lighter fluid and poses fire safety risks. Adding butane to hash oil produces an extremely flammable chemical. If there is any remaining butane, it can lead to asphyxiation in enclosed spaces and it becomes highly explosive near an open flame.

How can I reduce my risk?

There are a number of ways to reduce your risk when dabbing. These include:

• Not sharing dabbing bongs
• Sanitising dabbing bongs before use, and not using them if they are cracked in parts
• Ensuring that the environment we are making dabs in has good ventilation (exposure to air) and has limited risk of exposure to open flames or sparks

What is it?

Dissolving involves placing drugs in the mouth, or under the tongue, and it is absorbed into the bloodstream. Sometimes drugs can be rubbed into the gums to achieve the same effect.

Which drugs can be dissolved?

Only certain drugs can be dissolved to a point where they can be absorbed through this method of use, and include LSD, cocaine, some benzos and some opioids like methadone and Buprenorphine (also known as BUP/bupe).

What are the risks?

The act of dissolving drugs in the mouth can damage the teeth and gums with repeated use. Another risk is whether your hands are clean when putting drugs into your mouth so it prevents the spread of viruses and other bacteria.

How can I reduce my risk?

There are a number of ways to reduce your risk when dissolving drugs. These include:

• Starting with a small amount to reduce the risk of overdose
• Take regular breaks to avoid damage to the teeth and gums
• Wash our hands thoroughly before and after placing anything into our mouth

What is it?

Huffing is a method of drug use where the fumes of a drug are being inhaled. This can be by breathing it in through the mouth or the nose. Additional tools can be used to huff drugs, like ‘chroming’, which is done by spraying the contents of a spray can into a plastic bag and inhaling.

Other methods include emptying nitrous oxide cartridges (also known as a ‘nang’) directly into a balloon and inhaling, or by emptying a small amount of a potent liquid into a can and inhaling. Huffing can also be performed by leaving the fumes of a chemical to fill an enclosed space.

Which drugs can be huffed?

Drugs that are huffed are described as inhalants. Many inhalants are legal household products and include spray paint, petrol, glue, paint and paint thinners, cleaning fluid, gas for burning, nail polish remover, felt pens, amyl nitrate (poppers) and nitrous oxide (nangs).

What are the risks?

The risks of huffing are directly related to the type of drug or chemical that is being inhaled. The most common risks include chemical burns around the mouth and nose. Some inhalants can leave irreversible effects like brain and organ damage and using other drugs with inhalants can put an enormous strain on the body and heavily affect your breathing, which can lead to unconsciousness and/or death.

Overdose can also occur, however this is very rare.

How can I reduce my risk?

There are a number of ways to reduce your risk when huffing drugs. These include:

• Starting with a small amount to reduce the risk of overdose
• Taking breaks between huffs
• Ensuring ventilation (exposure to air) in the space we are huffing
• Ensuring that open flames do not come into contact with the chemical being inhaled, as this can be highly dangerous. If we are using nangs, make sure we don’t inhale directly from tanks or whippets (bulbs) as it can cause frostbite on the nose, lips and throat
• Not exercising before huffing
• Not using inhalants as a stress relief

What is it?

Injecting drugs can be done in different ways, and can depend on the type of drug you are using:

• intravenous: when you inject directly into the bloodstream through a vein
• intramuscular: when you inject into the muscle
• subcutaneous: when you inject under the skin

If you are wanting information on injecting steroids, visit thejuice.org.au.

The effects of injecting drugs are usually stronger and felt immediately when compared to some other methods of use. There’s also a higher risk of overdose when injecting, smoking or snorting instead can reduce the risk.

Which drugs can be injected?

Some common drugs people inject include heroin, ketamine, cocaine, meth, amphetamines like speed and fentanyl. Other drugs like MDMA/ecstasy, GHB, benzos and LSD can also be injected but they are more commonly swallowed.

What are the risks?

The risks associated with injecting include vein damage, overdose, infection, and deep vein thrombosis and clots.There is a greater risk of overdosing when injecting drugs as it goes straight to the bloodstream, and it can be tricky to know how strong a substance is when you first try it. There’s also the possibility of overdosing if you are injecting alone.

How can I reduce my risk?

There are a number of ways that you can reduce your risk when injecting drugs. These include:

• Starting with a small amount to reduce the risk of overdose
• Using new and sterile injecting equipment each time drugs are being injected
• Using a wheel filter to prevent vein damage
• Never share needles or other injecting equipment
• Using sanitary water to mix, dilute, and dissolve the powder and crystalline drugs
• Sterilising the site of injection before and after penetration
• Washing our hands thoroughly before and after injecting

Safe Injecting Rooms

Get to know about safer injecting practices, such as how to properly insert a needle and what veins should be avoided, and it’ll keep you fitter for the next time.

Visit and register as a client at the safe injecting rooms – they can provide you with fresh and sanitary materials that you need to inject safely – and it only requires a name and a password.

It’s important to point out these may not be the safest space for us queer folk – but they are open to all.

What is it?

Shelving (sometimes called ‘boofing’ or ‘shafting’) involves inserting drugs into the anus so that they are absorbed into the bloodstream. You can shelve a pill, insert powder, or squirt liquid into the anus. Shelving can help you feel the effects faster and stronger compared to other methods, such as swallowing.

Which drugs can be shelved?

Some of the most common drugs that can be shelved are MDMA, cocaine, ketamine, heroin, amphetamines, and GHB.

What are the risks?

One of the main risks of shelving is douching, which is the act of rinsing out the anus, and is most commonly done before anal sex. For people who are unfamiliar with douching and want to clean the anus in preparation for shelving, they may flood the rectum and colon if they use too much water, and it’s possible to damage the interior rectal tissue.

Improper hygiene practices can lead to small pieces of shit being transmitted on fingers or through straws from one person to another, increasing the risk of transmitting viruses such as hepatitis B and C, or Shigella amongst others.

There is also a higher risk of overdose when shelving as you need less of the drug to get high.

How can I reduce my risk?

There are a number of ways to reduce your risk when shelving drugs. These include:

• Starting with a small amount to reduce the risk of overdose
• Using only 1.5mls of water mixed with our drug of choice to prevent flooding the rectum and colon
• Using gloves or condoms to keep everything sterile
• Using water-based lubricants on the enema (the douche) and anus to prevent damage to the rectum
• Wash our hands and enema thoroughly before and after shelving

What is it?

Snorting is a method of drug use where powdered drugs are inhaled through the nose. While some people snort directly off a surface, such as a mirror, card, or plate, some people like to use something that’ll help get the drug up into the back of the nose, such as a straw, small spoon, or rolled up bank note.

Which drugs can be snorted?

Some of the most common drugs snorted include cocaine, speed, and ketamine. Less often, MDMA, meth, and heroin are crushed and snorted.

What are the risks?

There are some risks associated with snorting drugs. Substances that are more crystalline in nature (small pieces that look like tiny crystals) can produce small cuts through the respiratory system – which includes your nose, mouth, throat, voice box, windpipe, and lungs – and repeated snorting can damage your nose.

Sharing equipment like straws and rolled up bills can increase the risk of transmitting blood borne viruses, like hepatitis B and C. Drugs are often cut with other substances, and if they have been cut with fentanyl, this significantly increases the risk of overdose.

How can I reduce my risk?

There are a number of ways to reduce your risk when snorting drugs. These include:

• Starting with a small amount to reduce the risk of overdose
• Ensuring the drug is crushed into a fine powder to avoid cuts from crystalline substances
• Remembering to take breaks or switch nostrils when snorting to avoid damage to the same nostril through repeated use
• Snorting water before and after snorting drugs can help protect our nose
• Not sharing equipment like straws, small spoons, rolled up bills

What is it?

Smoking involves the inhaling and exhaling of smoke produced when you are burning a drug. There are various ways to smoke drugs, but some of the most common are by smoking cigarettes, rolling your own custom cigarettes or joints, and by using a pipe or a bong. You can also burn drugs on tin foil and inhale the smoke.

Which drugs can be smoked?

The most commonly smoked drugs are tobacco and cannabis. Most drugs have the ability to be smoked, and in the gay men’s community, meth is more commonly smoked when compared to our straight peers. Sometimes drugs are mixed with tobacco or weed and smoked in a cigarette or joint, such as LSD, cocaine, ketamine and meth.

What are the risks?

The act of smoking incurs many risks. Inhaling and exhaling smoke can do damage to the body, particularly the respiratory system – which includes your nose, mouth, throat, voice box, windpipe and lungs.

Some of the negative long-term health effects of smoking drugs include lung irritations, infections and breathing issues. It can also leave you with pneumonia, emphysema, fluid in the lungs, chronic coughs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory failure, and can exacerbate asthmatic conditions. The most well-known risk of smoking is linked to tobacco and nicotine – its cancer.

Smoking drugs is one of the fastest way to become addicted to a drug. Sharing cigarettes, joints, pipes and bongs can also pose a risk of transmitting viruses, such as herpes or cold sores.

How can I reduce my risk?

There are a number of ways to reduce your risk when smoking drugs. These include:

• Starting with a small amount to reduce the risk of overdose
• Not sharing cigarettes, joints, pipes and bongs
• Avoiding tobacco as a mixing agent with Cannabis
• Sanitising pipes and bongs before each use, and not using them if they are cracked in parts
• Using clean and fresh cigarette rolling materials
• Washing our hands thoroughly before and after rolling or smoking a cigar or cigarette

What is it?

Swallowing involves consuming drugs through your mouth – usually you would swallow them directly down the throat but it can also involve chewing them before swallowing. Drugs like LSD can also be dissolved under the tongue.

Which drugs can be swallowed?

Some common drugs that can be swallowed include MDMA, benzos, ketamine, amphetamines, and GHB. It usually takes longer for the effects of the drug to be felt if they are swallowed compared to injecting or shelving.

What are the risks?

The main risks are linked to the delays the drugs may have, and not knowing what is being taken or how strong the dose may be. For example, there’s a 30-60 minute delay for hash cookies, and if you eat too many you may need to seek medical attention. It can be tricky to know how strong a drug is and taking too much can lead to you overdosing or dropping on G.

How can I reduce my risk?

There are a number of ways to reduce your risk when swallowing drugs. These include:

• Starting with a small amount and wait at least an hour before taking more
• Washing our hands thoroughly before and after placing anything into our mouth
• Being aware of how much we have consumed

What is it?

Vaping is when a liquid chemical mixture containing nicotine or THC (though non-THC and non-nicotine mixtures exist) is heated inside of an electronic device (called a vape, or an E-cigarette) into a vapour, which is then inhaled and exhaled. Vapes and e-cigarettes can resemble a variety of objects including cigarettes and everyday items, such as pens or USB memory sticks.

Which drugs can be vaped?

Nicotine and weed can be vaped.

What are the risks?

Vaping can lead to a range of issues, similar to smoking. Most e-liquids contain additional complex chemicals that often can go unapproved and unregulated by health officials. These chemicals can cause irreversible lung and human cell damage. While the long-term health effects are unclear, vaping is known to cause nausea, vomiting, mouth and airway irritation, chest pain and heart palpitations.

How can I reduce my risk?

There are a number of ways to reduce your risk when vaping. These include:

• Starting with a small amount to reduce the risk of overdose
• Not sharing vapes
• Sanitising vapes before use