Last updated: October 2, 2023
A needle and spoon are prime pieces of paraphernalia if you’re addicted to heroin. Addicts use a spoon to heat and dissolve the darker, less pure form of heroin by mixing it with a bit of water. Once it’s “cooked,” they fill a syringe and inject it, preferably directly into a vein. They’re sure to experience the effect of the drug almost instantaneously that way.
Heroin may spring to mind if one hears the phrase “needle and spoon,” but addicts and drug abusers use them to prepare other drugs too. Synthetic opioids, such as oxycodone, are crushed into powder and mixed with a small amount of water to prepare them for injecting. Crack cocaine and methamphetamine are two other drugs to add to this list.
No matter what drug someone is mixing in a dose small enough that it fits in a spoon, miscalculating the amount or strength of it can result in an overdose which, in turn, could lead to death. Moreover, all of the drugs listed above are highly addictive.
How intravenous drug use works
People who inject drugs directly into their bloodstream are putting themselves in a dangerous situation. One reason is that they risk an overdose by injecting too much of the drug or using it again too soon trying to recapture the intensity of the high. Shooting up also hastens the development of an addiction.
Using drugs intravenously produces immediate and heightened effects because it bypasses the metabolism process of the body absorbing the drug naturally through the ingestion process. After orally taking a drug, it is absorbed into the intestines, moves on to the liver, and is metabolically processed before entering the bloodstream.
When users inject the drug with a syringe, it goes straight into the bloodstream. Naturally, that increases the speed of delivery to the brain. It literally takes seconds for the effects of the drug to kick in.
It’s bad for your health
Abusing drugs in any form is bad for your health, however, shooting drugs directly into your bloodstream carries even more risk. There are many health risks associated with intravenous drug use. Some of the more dire effects may include:
- Puncture marks, otherwise known as track lines
- Inflamed or collapsed veins
- Skin infections which include abscesses and cellulitis
- Cardiovascular infections due to bacteria
- Poor peripheral blood flow causes swelling in the ankles, feet, and legs
After a time, addicts who ingest drugs intravenously, are unable to “find” veins to use. They often switch to injecting subcutaneously or intramuscularly. This can lead to an entirely different set of serious risks that include:
- Necrotizing fasciitis—A serious skin infection caused by bacteria. It kills the tissue in the body causing a user to lose his or her limbs.
- Wound botulism—A bacterial infection that enters a wound caused by a needle puncture, can lead to paralysis and death.
- Gas gangrene—A potentially fatal infection that can lead to tissue death.
- Tetanus—This infection can cause lockjaw, problems swallowing, rigid muscles in the abdomen, and stiffness in the neck.
Long-term health risks
In addition to the increased risk of contracting AIDS, HIV, or chronic hepatitis—which leads to liver cancer or cirrhosis—intravenous drug users risk developing a multitude of long-term health problems. An overall scope can include, but isn’t limited to:
- Malnourishment
- Severe weight loss
- Increased risk of suicide
- Sexual dysfunction
- White matter in the brain actually decays which affects decision-making skills and behavioral regulation
- Cardiovascular disease
- Heart failure
- Stroke
- Psychosis
- Seizures
- Convulsions
- Coma
They shouldn’t share needles
Of course, there are exceptions, but as a rule, exchanging bodily fluids is never a good idea. People suffering from drug addiction aren’t known for taking safety precautions when their “fix” is right in front of them though.
Sharing needles exposes them to infectious diseases that include:
- HIV
- Hepatitis B and C
- Tuberculosis
- Multitudes of blood-borne bacterial, fungal, and viral infections
In an effort to decrease the spread of disease, there are a multitude of needle exchange programs in effect. They provide those who use the needle and spoon method with free sterile syringes and, usually, alcohol pads as well. They gather up the used and contaminated syringes in an effort to prevent the spread of disease.
Shooting up at work isn’t the norm
Employees who form addictions to drugs never intend to become a junkie. They didn’t plan on getting addicted to drugs, either, because that’s just not a life plan that people seek of their own accord.
Drugs change the way the brain works though. It likes the affect of the drug and can, soon, accept it as being a normal chemical process. When it goes away, it starts sending out signals that something is missing.
That’s what causes withdrawal symptoms that become increasingly intense. Most people find themselves unable to fight them off and use again to make the discomfort go away.
They become caught up in the vicious cycle of addiction. If you or your management teams suspect an employee is using drugs intravenously and your company is part of a drug-free program, documenting the signs of use in detail is the first step that most reasonable suspicion protocol mandates.
If your company doesn’t operate under a drug-free protocol, you should consider it. Promoting a drug-free workplace is a huge deterrent for drug users. They don’t want to risk getting caught so drug tests aren’t something they willingly submit to as a rule.
There’s a song—may be lots of them—about a needle and spoon, it doesn’t tell a happy tale. Addiction is a really dark place to find yourself in.
Shine a light
Should an employee test positive for drug use, we understand the need to let them go. However, the approach that you take can be a lifeline. It’s “normal” for an addict to disregard the pleas of family and friends when caught up in the throes of their addiction. When you’re faced with the reality of losing your job, though, a kind word of concern and hope for their recovery from their employers can be a catalyst to find help.
Provide a list of treatment centers and counselors that operate in the vicinity. Send them out with hope.
We’ll be hoping to, oh, yes, we will.
