Drug harms, and reducing harms and risks

People have a right to bodily autonomy, privacy, dignity and health. That does not mean there is a simple, absolute “right to use drugs”. But people who use drugs do not lose their human rights because they use drugs, and they should not be criminalised, shamed, excluded or denied support. The flip side is that rights are not unlimited. Governments also have duties to protect life, prevent exploitation, reduce public harm and safeguard vulnerable people. Drug policy sits in the messy space between personal freedom and collective responsibility, especially where drug use affects others.

Drug harms

Recreational drug use has the potential to damage your mental and physical health and sense of well-being, sometimes permanently, by which time you may have lost your job, credit, your home, family, friends, boyfriends, and partners. Granted, factors include which drugs you’ve taken, but:

• Hard-ons can be a non-starter, and we become sexually incapable
• Paranoia, psychosis, depression, anxiety and/ or flashbacks
• Increased risk of developing schizophrenia
• The inability to concentrate, and memory loss
• Sleep problems and insomnia, a loss of energy and/ or weight loss
• Bringing up the rear: collapse, unconsciousness and death.

Reducing drug harms: the basics

• Use recreational drugs consciously, not casually.
• Check out individual drugs at DRUGS A-Z.
• Be aware of your vulnerability to dependency and addiction.
• The more you like it, the longer you should wait before doing it again.
• Regularly check your ability to stop by taking a break for a week or two, or a month.
• Keep an eye on developing patterns and ask for help before there’s a problem, even if it’s just a chat with a friend.

Legal

• Most recreational drugs are illegal and can carry heavy penalties for possession, supply, production or importation. So, don’t share, deal openly, or get twatted in public.

Mixing and tolerance

• Using drugs involves risks, and taking more or mixing drugs increases those risks. Don’t take more drugs than you need — give them time to work before taking more.
• Mixing drugs, particularly with alcohol, can make effects feel different or weaker, which could lead to you taking too much, and some drug combinations are deadly.
• We can quickly develop tolerance to some party drugs, and our bodies will appreciate the chance of a break to recover. You’ll get more out of your drugs if you don’t take them every week.

Safer injecting a.k.a. ‘slamming’

• Use your own injecting kit and don’t share needles, syringes, spoons, filters, water or other injecting equipment.

Calling 999

• Wherever you are, if someone gets ill and you have to call an ambulance, don’t mess about. Be sure to tell the medics what’s been going on. Don’t be afraid; it could save a life — it may be yours.

Medications

• If you’re taking prescribed medication, it’s only sensible to check that recreational drugs won’t mess that up. It’s important not to miss or change prescribed doses, particularly with HIV and hepatitis C medication. You may also find it helpful to use the HIV drug interaction checker, a rather cool tool from the University of Liverpool.

Be prepared: clubbing, partying and chillouts

• There is no shame in taking a ‘disco-nap’ before going out.
• Eat something: food high in carbohydrates for energy, such as pasta, and something vitamin-packed, such as fresh fruit and veg, can help prepare your body.
• Wear lightweight, non-nylon clothes, don’t wear hats or caps and, if you can, take warmer clothing or a change of clothes with you for when you leave.
• Clubs can get very crowded and extremely hot. This can cause problems like dehydration, serious overheating and heat exhaustion — all of which are dangerous. Sweating is how bodies keep cool and help prevent overheating, so sip water or non-alcoholic drinks, and replace salts as well as fluids.
• Take regular chill-out breaks to help avoid overheating and dehydration.
• Sip water regularly — about a pint an hour is often enough, but don’t go mad.
• Try to avoid alcohol, which can dehydrate you more, and NEVER mix G with alcohol.
• When you’re ready for sleep, drink something sugary and eat something salty. However much you don’t feel like it, eating helps to start replacing all those lost salts and minerals.
• It’s all very well going to someone’s place, particularly if you’ve not been there before — but do you know the way out?
• Be aware that drinks could be spiked.
• Be prepared to take a taxi home, or back to civilisation, and that includes having a card that works or cash in your pocket. It may sound a little old-fashioned, but the consensus at MEN R US is a hidden card or £20 note tucked in the back of a wallet, shoe or bag. 
• While we’re talking old-fashioned… it can still be a good idea to tell a mate where you’re going, just in case things go wrong.

Sex and drugs

• Drugs and alcohol can dull pain or change what you notice, so you may not be aware of damage being done to your body, particularly your cock and arse.
• Dehydration and raised temperature make delicate skin more likely to tear and bleed. Snorting or dabbing speed or coke, and chewing gum all night, can leave your mouth sore, ulcerated or bleeding, which may increase the risk of infection.
• Drugs and alcohol can alter your perception of risk and make it harder to get the sex you actually want. When you’re mashed up, it can be difficult to be assertive, to say no, or to insist on condoms.