Tweaker.org is probably best known for offering these ‘Tweaking Tips for Party Boys’ suggestions for how to maintain your sanity and health while partying.
PREPARE FOR DEPARTURE
When You’re About To Use
(1)
Set limits for yourself before you use. How much will you use? How long will you stay up? Where will you go when it’s time to crash?
(2)
Plan your spending. Think about avoiding impulse spending. Decide before you go out how much you’re willing to spend and take only that amount of cash. Try leaving your ATM, debit and credit cards at home.
(3)
Be a party planner! Plan your party time to include crash time. This sounds obvious but it’s important. How long is your rebound? Calling in sick to work every Monday doesn’t ensure job security. Trust us, they notice!
(4)
If you can, party with people you trust. Make sure there’s someone you can talk to honestly about your drug use and the problems you might encounter along the way. This doesn’t have to be someone who uses, just someone who will listen to and hear you.
(5)
If you’re going somewhere with a risk of pickpocketing, say that sex club or the back room you’ve heard about, bring minimal cash and one piece of personal identification. The less you have on you, the less you might lose.
6. Keep some extra cash, say a folded up $10 bill, in your sock or shoe or in that extra little pocket on the right side of most jeans. This money could be cab fare or something else you need when there’s no ATM in sight.
TAKING OFF
While You’re Using
(1)
\Drink lots of water when you’re using. Meth use is dehydrating and this can lead to feeling bad and all sorts of health problems.
(2)
If you’re snorting crystal meth, have your own straw or bumper. After you use, try a squirt of saline spray or a snort of warm water up each nostril. This can help keep nasal passages clean and clear. It also makes it a little easier on delicate tissues.
(3)
If you’re slamming, use alcohol swabs, fresh cotton and your own brand new point each time you use. Sharing needles can spread HIV and Hepatitis C. Be sure to clean a spot before you hit so that you avoid abscesses and other infections.
(4)
Sugar may be tempting but if you’ve got an appetite while using try some protein and complex carbs. Did somebody order a burrito in whole wheat tortilla?
(5)
Tell your regular using friends what your limits are, preferably before you get high. Stay firm to your goal, even if they make jokes or try to “tempt” you otherwise.
(6)
Establish a “purchase limit” with your dealer. Yes, some dealers WILL do this to keep you a stable and sane customer!
IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
Safer Sex if You Find Yourself in the Mix
** If you stay ready you don’t have to get ready!! PrEP (once a day pill for HIV negative folks that helps protect against HIV transmission) is an option that a lot of us use to protect ourselves. Need more info on PrEP: PrEP Information. If you’re in San Francisco, access PrEP at San Francisco AIDS Foundation: SFAF PrEP Navigation.
(1)
If there’s more than one guy in your scene and you want to play safely, start with a fresh condom each time you change partners. Also, remember to check to see if the condom is still on and not torn or damaged.
(2)
If you’re going to have anal sex, try a silicone-based lube: it never dries out so it lasts as long as you do, and it’s perfectly compatible with latex and polyurethane condoms.
(3)
If you’re a bottom and you don’t like it raw, check to see if your top has a condom on. Ask to see it or just reach out (or over, down, back or across depending on position) and feel it for yourself.
(4)
Some guys prefer the Reality condom to regular condoms. The Reality condom is the one that the bottom wears. It’s worth a try and you may find that it works for you.
(5)
Watch out for bleeding! Any activity that breaks your skin or another guy’s skin and causes any part of you or him to bleed makes it much easier to transmit HIV, HCV and other diseases.
(6)
PNP doesn’t necessarily mean barebacking. There are plenty of guys who use crystal meth and have safer sex. You could be one of them!
COMING IN FOR A LANDING!
When You’re Crashing and Coming Down
(1)
Consider increasing your vitamin intake or start taking some. Crystal use can deplete many vitamins and minerals, especially if you’re dehydrated and skipping meals.
(2)
If you’re already taking a multivitamin, make sure it has B-complex in it. The B vitamins help stabilize metabolism, no matter what you’re up to.
(3)
Vitamin C always gets depleted if you’re dehydrated. You need this to help your immune system do its very best for you.
(4)
Eat complex carbohydrates while you’re using and after you stop. This can make the crash less severe.
(5)
Cranberry juice is a great flush for all sorts of stuff in your body. It also gives your kidneys a boost.
(6)
Remember oral hygiene! Take some time to floss, use mouthwash and gently use a soft toothbrush. Keep that mouth of yours looking and feeling its best!
(7)
Take it slow when you’re crashing. Take deep breaths. Relax.
(8)
If you need a helping hand to relax, masturbate.
(9)
There are lots of herbs you can take to help you relax…head to a health food store and let them know what you’re looking for. Always good to check with your doctor.
(10)
If you’re crashing and get upset, try to ask yourself, “Is this my psychodrama or just a really bad crash?” Don’t make any big or important decisions or take desperate actions while you’re crashing. Focus on safety and comfort.
WHEN YOU ARE CUTTING BACK OR TRYING TO STOP USING
(1)
It takes about 12 days from your last use for the brain chemistry and body systems to get back into normal mode. Cutting back the frequency of your use may be the way to go.
(2)
Cutting down frequency can mean lengthening the time between use – from bump to bump or run to run; the more time you take off from speed use the better for your body and mind.
(3)
Maybe you can extend the time between hits? Wait 20 minutes this time then 30 minutes the next time and so on. Maybe you’ll find you don’t actually want or need that next hit.
(4)
How long does what you buy usually last? Are you a gram a weekend kind of guy? Next time buy half your usual amount and make it last for the same period of time.
(5)
Get some paper and a pencil. Write down how much you use, when and where you use it, and how much you spend on it. Try this for a week or so. You may be surprised.
(6)
Ask your friends who don’t use to do stuff with you on days you usually use. Periodically but regularly breaking the pattern may lead to less frequent use.
(7)
Delete those dealer and hook-up numbers from your cell phone. If you can’t call them maybe they won’t call you.
(8)
Change your online profile to indicate ‘No PNP’. Check out a CMA meeting. Or, if you’re in San Francisco, come to drop-in at Stonewall or Magnet. The folks at Stonewall are ready to meet with you and talk about whatever you want to talk about.
(9)
Plan crystal-free weekends. Schedule activities ahead of time so you don’t get bored. Make commitments with other people so you are less likely to change your mind and get high.
(10)
Have a plan for your money. Pocket money or handy cash can really be a challenge. Spend your money on other things as soon as you get paid or put it in the bank.
(11)
Sooner or later, sleep is a good thing. If you can’t sleep ‘cause you’re still high, try closing your eyes and relaxing your face. Try to find a restful state for yourself. Interested in meditation?
DESTINATION REVIEWS
Tweaking Tips from Far and Wide
Sometimes the best advice you can get is from a friend with been-there-done-that experience under his belt. Other times it’s the worst advice you’ve ever heard. Either way, it can help to know what other guys do to use more safely, be healthier, cut down or even quit. We haven’t tried these tips, nor do we necessarily recommend them. That said, we want to share a few of the tips y’all have shared with us.
YOUR TWEAK TIPS!
Grinding and gnashing your teeth while you’re high ruins them! Our solution? Head to the nearest drugstore and spend $20-$30 on a dental “Night Guard” or “boil & bite” dental device meant for night grinding or for people with TMJ. Although the damage is done and there’s no way to actively STOP the harmful grinding after his binges, our idea has done WONDERS as a preventive measure… buy one even if you’re an infrequent user… the cost compared to crowns, porcelain veneers and other repair work will make you chuckle.
Make sure you have lots of peppermint tea and/or chamomile tea handy for the anxiety. I find it is hard to relax while coming down. A million things keep popping into my head. I have found when I want to sleep and my body won’t cooperate… Focus on your breathing. Deep slow breaths. If I concentrate on just my breathing, I’m out in 10min. I don’t know if that is the same as meditating.
If you are trying to quit or cut down take a little vacation in the woods. Go camping with some non-using friends. Dealers don’t drive out into the wilderness and it puts some distance between you and your tweaking haunts. Sitting around a campfire with some friends can be great therapy. Smoking weed while you’re crashing helps. It makes it easier to relax and helps the falling asleep part go more smoothly. And it can sometimes give you a little bit of your appetite back.
Try To Go Away From The Scene, Overnite By Yourself And Do Some Serious Soul Searching, Or Deep Meditating. Seek Strength To Resist The Temptation That Will Be Following You When You Return To Society. Remember! Just Say No! So Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself If You Fall, Just Repeat All The Above As Many Times As Necessary. You Will Get Stronger Each Time And Eventually Conquer The Problem! Good Luck.
Best way to deal with the crash (if you can afford it): take a 3-week vacation to an all-inclusive resort in another country and forget to take any tina. You can sleep all you want, eat all you want, and it’s hard to get depressed in tropical paradise with gorgeous men tending to your every need!
Take 5 mg of Valium if you get too jittery. Between 5mg and 15mg will also relax you enough to go to sleep, if needed. Vicodin or Percocet will stimulate your appetite and help you relax if you start to feel bad. Energy bars are a good pick up when feeling depleted. Sports drinks will help replenish your electrolytes.
Make sure you are smoking real dope and not that fuckin cut.
Often, when you’re high and having sex, you can’t actually cum. Remember to use lube when you’re going for hours, and that even silicone dries out. The great thing about it [silicone] is, anything wet (even spit) will make it slippery again!
I used to find taking a bath when I was coming down relaxing. I would also put my face under water to help clear the sweat glands of all those toxins.
I’ve found that during a really demanding hike, I don’t totally want to get high… I just kinda sorta want to. Constant movement is the only way I can keep my mind from creeping over to the dark side. The same part of my brain, that likes to fixate on the drug, is the one that I employ while completing a physical, repetitive task. One could argue that this is the case for the majority of the intoxication-prone folks out there. Consider the activities associated with the high: dancing, screwing, rummaging, creating weird art, disassembling electronics. I’d say that this portion of the human brain is a predictable one, and thus there is hope of controlling, or at least containing the desire that, for many users, may appear out of their control. Then again, all that fancy talking could just be the drugs talking. Either way, the point is this: hiking is good, drugs are bad, and I was never here.
If you have never slammed, don’t. And if you do slam, for god’s sake DON’T be the scumbag that tries to get someone else to do it for the first time. Yes, it’s a better high but, “here there be Tygers.” Beware.
Always pack with you a toothbrush and at least one pair of clean socks.
A hot relaxing bath in lavender scented bath oil helps calm you and put you in a restful state. Bring a big glass of water and sit and soak with your eyes closed.
Use your connection(s)/dealer(s) as a silent-alarm to tell you when you’re doing to much; you’re more likely to listen to him/them tell you to “slow down, take it easy”, than a friend or family member when you’ve been tweaking a lot. And they will, out of the selfish reason that they want your business; if you completely waste yourself ??? lose your job, home, etc., you’re no longer an income source for them.
Take vitamins and potassium and don’t try and stay up all night every night.
Don’t email or chat online when crashing cause you are bound to say something you’ll regret and be embarrassed by later.
Remember to eat something every day. Take multivitamins and try to sleep at least an hour or two every 24 hours even if it’s just closing your eyes and resting your body. Doing this keeps you on top of your game and ensures a better high.
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