Heroin

My best friend from back in the day is addicted to heroin. She's not dead, but she might as well be. For some reason this keeps happening to people I'm close with. My position, I mean, not hers.

when people think heroin, the image of needles in arms usually isn't far behind. i hate needles, and that alone was enough to keep me away from heroin for a long time.

then an old man liked me and gave me a few packets for free, and i learned you can smoke or snort it.

smoking heroin is probably the closest to injecting it you can feel. there's a rush - the taste of burnt sugar - a vague memory of who you are and what all this stuff around you means - and then it's fading - ...

the problem with smoking it is that this usually involves tinfoil. smoking tinfoil is -awful- for you.

snorting it doesn't provide the immediate rush; however, the effects do last a little longer and are a little more manageable. it does burn like hell for a few seconds, but pretty soon your body is overwhelmed by the general sense of anaesthetic.

lay back, close the blinds, put on the electronica, and fall apart. none of this really matters anyway.

the heroin comedown always made me a little angry, but not as sick and restless as crack. i'd be pissy for a few hours, or i'd do some more heroin. the easiest way to avoid that is to just fall asleep as the effects start wearing off. i can't speak to addiction personally, as i never did it enough; but i've seen heroin overtake people, and it's not pretty.

i've seen people escape heroin. some of them are now living homeless on the beaches of hawaii. i guess they're happy. i would be.