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Taking them

{Truth or myth?}

There are many different ways to take drugs from the most notorious like ingestion (e.g. drinking alcohol, pills, cannabis edibles) and snorting (e.g. cocaine) or more obscure and wacky ideas like putting strong spirits in your eyeball. It is important to remember that some are very much more dangerous than others, and not always from direct effect of the drug. Nicotine, for example, is not necessarily a very dangerous compound but the act of smoking is highly linked to consequences like lung cancer and erectile dysfunction. The way a drug is taken will affect the speed with which it will reach your nervous system and produce its effects.

When drugs reach your brain very quickly, producing an intense high, and then dissipate quickly, they leave a powerful need to consume more. This happens typically when smoking crack cocaine which is extremely addictive.

The demanding reader can find the NIDA report on the correlations between how fast drugs act and abuse and addiction right here.

We strongly recommend avoiding the most potent modes of administration such as injection which carries added risks such as infection and blood vessel damage. It is also the easiest way to overdose. Read the How you take it matters section in our guide of the drug you are going to consume.

Taking drugs can have radically different consequences depending on where you are. Check out our section on the legality of drugs here: The Law.