Cooking and drawing up

We recognise that some ways of injecting drugs carry less risk than others. This information on cooking and drawing up can help you reduce harm.

Safer ways to cook and draw up

Click on each drug below to expand and find out safer ways to cook and draw up.

Before you cook
  • Wash your hands with soap and water, or use new alcohol swabs, or hand sanitiser gel 
  • If possible, clean the surface you’re going to cook and draw up on
  • Get everything you need together in one place
Cook
  • Put a new, sterile cooker on a level surface – if you haven’t got a cooker you can use a clean spoon or a metal bottle top (take the plastic lining out first)
  • Chop the cocaine finely so there are no lumps and put a small amount into the cooker
  • Use a new, sterile barrel to draw up prepared water and add it to the cooker – water from a sterile amp is best or you can use cooled boiled water
  • Attach a capped needle to the barrel
  • Stir the liquid in the cooker with the tip of the cap until everything has dissolved
Draw up
  • Drop a new filter into the cooker, uncap the needle and carefully stick it part way into the filter
  • Draw up slowly through the filter until all the liquid has gone
  • Tap the barrel and push the plunger gently to get rid of any air bubbles – never touch or lick the needle as this can cause infections
Before you cook
  • Wash your hands with soap and water or use new alcohol swabs or hand sanitiser gel 
  • If possible, clean the surface you’re going to cook and draw up on
  • Get everything you need together in one place
Cook
  • Put a new, sterile cooker on a level surface – if you haven’t got a cooker you can use a clean spoon or a metal bottle top (take the plastic lining out first)
  • Chop the amphetamine finely so there are no lumps and put a small amount into the cooker
  • Use a new, sterile barrel to draw up prepared water and add it to the cooker – water from a sterile amp is best or you can use water that has been boiled then cooled
  • Attach a capped needle to the barrel
  • Stir the liquid in the cooker with the tip of the cap until everything has dissolved
  • If it doesn't dissolve you may need to add a pinch of vitamin C or citric
Draw up
  • Drop a new filter into the cooker, uncap the needle and carefully stick it part way into the filter
  • Draw up slowly through the filter until all the liquid has gone
  • Tap the barrel and push the plunger gently to get rid of any air bubbles – never touch or lick the needle as this can cause infections
Before you cook
  • Wash your hands with soap and water or use new alcohol swabs or hand sanitiser gel
  • If possible, clean the place where you’re going to be cooking and drawing up
  • Get everything you need together in one place
Cook
  • Put a new, sterile cooker on a level surface – if you haven’t got a cooker you can use a clean spoon or a metal bottle top (take the plastic lining out first)
  • Put a small rock into the cooker
  • Add prepared water using a new, sterile barrel – water from a sterile amp is best or you can use cooled boiled water
  • Add just enough citric or vitamin C to dissolve the rock
  • Attach a capped needle to the barrel
  • Stir the liquid in the cooker with the tip of the cap until everything has dissolved
Draw up
  • Drop a new filter into the cooker, uncap the needle and carefully stick it part way into the filter
  • Draw up slowly through the filter until all the liquid has gone
  • Tap the barrel and push the plunger gently to get rid of any air bubbles – never touch or lick the needle as this can cause infections
Before you cook
  • Wash your hands with soap and water or use new alcohol swabs or hand sanitiser gel
  • If possible, clean the place where you’re going to be cooking and drawing up
  • Get everything you need together in one place
Cook
  • Put a new, sterile cooker on a level surface – if you haven’t got a cooker you can use a clean spoon or a metal bottle top (take the plastic lining out first)
  • Chop the heroin finely and put a small amount into the cooker
  • Add prepared water using a new, sterile barrel – water from a sterile amp is best or you can use cooled boiled water
  • Add just enough vitamin C or citric to dissolve the heroin
  • Gently heat the cooker from below with a lighter until the heroin has dissolved
  • Leave any stubborn bits – these are impurities not heroin
  • Attach a capped needle to the barrel
Draw up
  • Drop a new filter into the cooker, uncap the needle and carefully stick it part way into the filter
  • Draw up slowly through the filter until all the liquid has gone
  • Tap the barrel and push the plunger gently to get rid of any air bubbles – never touch or lick the needle as this can cause infections

Watch how to reduce harm when injecting heroin

Before you cook
  • Wash your hands with soap and water or use new alcohol swabs or hand sanitiser gel
  • If possible, clean the place where you’re going to be cooking and drawing up
  • Get everything you need together in one place
Cook
  • Put a new, sterile cooker on a level surface – if you haven’t got a cooker you can use a clean spoon or a metal bottle top (take the plastic lining out first)
  • Chop the heroin finely and put a small amount into the cooker
  • Add prepared water using a new, sterile barrel – water from a sterile amp is best or you can use cooled boiled water
  • Attach a capped needle to the barrel
  • Add just enough vitamin C or citric to dissolve the heroin
  • Gently heat the cooker from below with a lighter until the heroin has dissolved
  • Remove from heat and add a rock or powder cocaine and stir with the tip of the capped syringe
  • Add a pinch more Vitamin C, or citric if you can’t access Vitamin C, if you need to but leave any stubborn bits – these are impurities, not drugs
Draw up
  • Drop a new filter into the cooker, uncap the needle and carefully stick it part way into the filter
  • Draw up slowly through the filter until all the liquid has gone
  • Tap the barrel and push the plunger gently to get rid of any air bubbles – never touch or lick the needle as this can cause infections

How to use Vitamin C or citric

To dissolve brown heroin or crack cocaine you need to add an acid like Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) or citric, which you can get for free from your local needle and syringe service.

You can also buy Vitamin C or citric acid powder from a pharmacy (buy brands that say ‘BP’ on the box, as these don’t contain other ingredients that may be harmful to inject).

If you use too much, Vitamin C and citric can both damage your veins because they’re acidic. If you've got a choice, use Vitamin C as it’s less damaging for your veins and irritates tissue less. 

Whichever one you choose, to help reduce harm:

  • Use as little as possible - one pinch (about one fifth of a sachet) should be enough to dissolve your hit
  • The liquid doesn't need to be clear or free of bits, as that’s what the filter is for
  • Leave any stubborn bits – these are impurities not drugs

Acids like lemon juice and vinegar can cause serious infections, so it’s best to use Vitamin C, or citric if you don’t have access to Vitamin C.

Injecting crushed pills is dangerous 

Injecting pills increases your risk of collapsed veins and infections.

This is because:

  • it’s difficult to grind them finely enough
  • they often contain things that are OK to take by mouth but damaging to inject

Not all pills dissolve in water either.

Information

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