• Snorting
• Smoking
• Injecting (slamming)

These are the fastest and most intense high, and also the most dangerous and addictive.

Other ways to take crystal include:

• Booty Bump: meth is dissolved into water and then injected into the rectal cavity using a needle-free syringe. The drug is absorbed into the blood stream through the lining of the rectum. Use of this method presents a high risk of damage to the rectal membranes, increasing the risk of HIV transmission and other diseases.
• Hot Railing: the tip of a short glass stem, or the middle of longer stem, is heated until its red-hot. The end of the stem is placed over the crushed meth crystals. The heat vaporizes the drug and the vapor is inhaled, usually through the nose.

What about injecting crystal meth?

If you are injecting (slamming) crystal:

• Use new equipment (cotton, ties, water) every time you inject
• Rotate the injection site
• Don't share needles. Sharing needles can lead to HIV, Hepatitis B and C.

Clean injection sites with alcohol pad before injecting. If alcohol pads are not available, clean the injection with warm soap and water. This will not be as affective as alcohol.

Change injection sites to avoid collapsed veins and abscesses.

Through the Expanded Syringe Access Program (ESAP) new needles are available, free of charge at GMHC and for purchase without prescription at participating pharmacies. For more information call 800-543-3638.

Needles are also available from Needle exchange programs. For information on Needle exchange locations, contact the Harm Reduction Coalition at 212-213-6376 or www.harmreduction.org.

For more extensive list of how to take care of your physical and mental health as it relates to your crystal use, you can visit www.tweaker.org.

What is the range of use of crystal meth?

• Crystal use can vary wildly from casual use, a couple times a year, to every month up to daily use.
• Some people who use crystal identify a history of drug use including alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy (E or X) , ketamine (K) and or GHB (G) using others drugs
• Others also identify using crystal in tandem with other drugs