Slamming
Methamphetamines (known as "crystal" or "Tina") are mainly used for slamming, but also amphetamine (speed) or methylmethcathinone (mephedrone). The drugs stimulate the central and decentralised nervous system, and the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and dopamine are released in the brain and adrenaline in the nerves. These neurotransmitters are then present in excess and have an effect for up to 30 hours in ONE consumption process. Slamming is also particularly dangerous because the full effect is immediate.
The long-lasting after-effects can lead to paranoia and depression. To reduce your risk when slamming, you should consider the following tips:
Pay attention to the surroundings
- Make sure you are in a suitable environment. You should be able to orientate yourself well and be surrounded by people you know.
- Only use when you feel comfortable. Think about who you are slamming with and whether you can imagine getting help with injecting.
Safer Use
- Think carefully about how high your dose should be, which depends on your body weight, among other things. Less is more. The risk of overdosing is particularly high when slamming.
- Hygiene is important: use a clean surface. To reduce or even eliminate the risk of a hepatitis C infection or HIV infection, all consumer utensils that you need for slamming must be unused. To protect others, you should avoid passing on consumables to others.
- Only use your own clean spoon.
- Only use filters once. Only membrane filters manufactured for drug use are recommended. Detailed information can be found on the website Drug consumption room.net or in the "Filter correctly" brochure, which you can download here can. Caution: Filters do not protect against bacteria and viruses.
- Only use sterile water, fresh cold tap water or non-carbonated mineral water for boiling.
- It is gentler on the veins if you take the dose "up your bum". This means that you insert the syringe (without a needle!) into your arse up to behind the sphincter muscle and then "squeeze". The potency is comparable to that of intravenous consumption, only the onset of action is slightly delayed - and it is gentler on the circulation than slamming. In addition, the risk of infection with HIV or hepatitis is lower.
Safer sex
- For safer sex, keep condoms and plenty of lubricant to hand, as crystal dries out your intestinal mucosa. Also make sure that you don't forget to take HIV medication during long sessions if you are taking protection through therapy or PrEP. This can otherwise lead to resistance, which may require a change in therapy or jeopardise your protection against HIV.
- Chems can influence your safer sex behaviour. Consumption can lead to a reduced sensation of pain and increase your willingness to take risks. The reduced sensation of pain can increase the willingness/probability of long and hard "sessions", during which condoms or gloves (when fisting) may not be used and the mucous membranes are heavily strained. The risk of HIV, hepatitis and other infections is high here.
Effect/side effects
- Crystal (Tina) causes, among other things, an increase in breathing. The pulse quickens, blood pressure and body temperature rise. Hunger, thirst and tiredness are suppressed and the sensation of pain is reduced. Make sure you drink enough and eat fruit or nuts, even if you are not hungry. Take magnesium and calcium to relax your muscles, this prevents seizures.
- There can be interactions between crystal and speed and other drugs that are detrimental to your health. Together with ecstasy, for example, there is an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, and together with cocaine it can lead to dangerous circulatory strain.
- If you feel that you cannot breathe after the injection and feel a strong urge to cough, contact a friend or someone close to you. Put yourself or have someone put you in the recovery position. Also ask someone to stay close to you and check your breathing. If in doubt, call an ambulance.
- After longer periods of consumption without a break, you may experience sensory illusions (visual and auditory hallucinations), anxiety and paranoia (acute psychotic states). It is therefore best to take a sufficiently long break between days of consumption so that you can recover sufficiently.
- With prolonged consumption, the nervous system increasingly loses the ability to produce sufficient adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine, which can cause severe depression.
- With crystal in particular, the body develops a rapid tolerance, which means that the dose has to be increased again and again to achieve the same effect.
- In addition to the physical withdrawal symptoms that occur with daily use over a short period of time, many drug users experience psychological dependence, i.e. craving (drug craving), as a major impairment.
