OTHER OPIATES AND NARCOTIC ANALGESICS-GLUE SNIFFING, SOLVENTS, ETC.

As well as heroin, there are other opiates, such as morphine, Diconal (dipipanone), Temgesic (buprenorphine) and methadone (of which more later). There are also narcotic analgesics, such as codeine and DF 118 (dihydrocodeine tartrate). These all have legitimate medical uses, but are also used by addicts if they cannot get more favoured drugs.

They may be swallowed, or crushed and injected. The dangers are similar to those of heroin. Diconal, when it is injected, is particularly dangerous.

All kinds of household substances (for obvious reasons we shall not be explicit) are sniffed. They give the user a feeling rather like drunkenness. They can be sedating or disinhibiting, or can produce distortions of reality.

Sniffing is not highly addictive, but some kids nevertheless become dependent on it. Others experiment for only a short time. Glue sniffing may be the prelude to trying other drugs.

Health risks

  • Suffocation. Using large plastic bags or sniffing in confined spaces can mean breathing is obstructed. Users can also choke on their own vomit. Some gases squirted directly into the mouth produce suffocation.
  • Heart attacks can be caused by inhaling some solvents.
  • Brain damage, fits, liver and kidney damage - these can all result from prolonged or intense sniffing.
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    OTHER OPIATES AND NARCOTIC ANALGESICS-BARBITURATES

    Street names: Barbs, Dolls.

    These were once popular sedatives and sleeping pills, used in the same way as tranquillisers are nowadays. But because they are so dangerous in overdose, they have been largely phased out in legitimate medicine.

    Barbiturates are still available on the street. On the whole, they give slightly more of a drunken feeling than tranquillisers, though their effect is more to blot out mental pain than to give pleasure.

    Barbiturates are highly addictive, which is one reason why they are rarely prescribed nowadays.

    How they are used

    1. Swallowed.
    2. Injected.

    Health risks

    1. Overdose. The line between taking enough pills to get the desired effect and overdosing is a thin one. Only a few extra pills can cause death. Barbiturates can also be lethal when combined with alcohol.
    2. Injecting with barbiturates is extremely dangerous because the powder does not dissolve properly, causing abscesses.

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