Sharing Needles

You always hear that one of the likeliest ways to spread HIV is to share needles. It probably is a convenient way, if you were interested, but why would you think it was a good idea to share needles in the first place? Junkies are probably stupider than average, but you would have to be very stupid indeed to reach adulthood without hearing that used needles are dangerous, or at least reasoning it out for yourself.

So why do heroin addicts share needles? When they congregate for a heroin session, do only one or two people remember to bring their hypodermics? Probably so, especially because needles cost money, and every spare dollar that a junky gets is likely to be spent on heroin.

I wouldn't let them use poverty as an excuse, though. It may be a bad idea to reuse syringes in more than one person, but couldn't each person just have his own syringe, that he used again and again for months at a time? He could keep it in a sophisticated case with his monogram on it. Like a cigarette case. That would be stylish, and if there's one thing addicts are short of, it's style. Reusing your own needles wouldn't cost any more than borrowing from somebody else, either. Not in the long run, at least. Which is what you should be concerned about, because when you are into heroin, you are in it to win it.