If you choose to inject, it is important to do so as safely and as carefully as you can. Sloppy or unsafe injecting puts you at risk, not only of contracting and transmitting blood-borne viruses - such as HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B - but also of dirty hits, bruising, blood poisoning, and abscesses.

Remember: A CLEAN KIT WITH EACH HIT.

Choose a safe place to mix up and inject your drugs. Somewhere that is private, clean, well-lit, and has running water, is best. Make sure you have everything you need within reach.

This includes:

• New, sterile fits (needles and syringes);
  

• Sterile water, or boiled water which has cooled);
  

• Sterile swabs;
  

• A clean filter;
  

• A clean spoon; and,
  

• A clean tourniquet.

Use soapy detergent water to wipe down the surface on which you plan to prepare your hit. This removes viruses, bacteria, and old dirt from your injecting environment. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.

If you can't wash your hands, use new swabs to clean them thoroughly. Rub the swabs against the skin in one direction only, as rubbing backwards and forwards may rub the dirt and bacteria back in again.

• Clean the spoon by wiping once with a new swab and letting it dry.
  

• Put the drugs in the spoon.
  

• If you are unsure about the quality of the drug, or your tolerance to it, just use a small amount to begin with.
  

• If you are using in a group, use sterile fits to mix and divide up.
  

• Each member of the group must have their own water, spoon, and filter.
  

• Never let your used equipment, or anyone else's used equipment, come into contact with a group mix.
  

• Use your sterile fit to draw up water.
  

• Add water to the spoon and mix.
  

• If you use the blunt end of your syringe for mixing, swab it clean beforehand.
  

• Add the filter to the spoon.
  

• Draw the solution up through the filter to avoid impurities.
  

• Remove the air bubbles by pointing the needle skywards and flicking it on the side.
  

• Push the plunger up slowly until the air bubbles escape through the needle.

• Try not to touch anything that hasn't been cleaned until you have finished injecting.
  

• Wipe the injection site once with a new swab to disinfect the area.
  

• Place the tourniquet around your upper arm or above the injection site.
  

• Put the needle in your arm at a 45-degree angle with the hole facing up.
  

• Sometimes blood appears in the syringe when the needle is inserted in the vein.
  

• Pull back the plunger and blood should appear.
  

• When you are sure the needle is in the vein, loosen the tourniquet and slowly depress the plunger of the syringe.
  

• Try to avoid getting blood on your hands: use tissues, toilet paper, or other disposable materials to stop any bleeding.
  

• Remove the needle, keep your arm straight, and apply pressure to the injection site for a couple of minutes.

• Dispose of rinsing water immediately.
  

• Dispose your fit in a sharp-safe or in a child-roof, puncture-proof container such as a glass jar.
  

• Dispose swabs, filters, and opened water ampoules by placing them in the sharp,safe.
  

• Alternatively, place items for disposal first inside one plastic bag and then another, and then in the rubbish bin.
  

• Clean up any surface blood spills and wipe up with soapy detergent water.
  

• Wash your spoon with soapy detergent water or wipe it once with a new swab.
  

• Tourniquets need washing too.
  

• When you have cleaned up, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.
  

• If you can't wash your hands, use new swabs to clean them thoroughly.
  

• Rub them in one direction, not backwards and forwards, to avoid putting the dirt and bacteria back on again.

Adapted from the Australian Intravenous League (AIVL) Guide to Safe Injecting, August 1999

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But you have to act fast as you need to take PEP within 72 hours of exposure.

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