Changing injecting

We're sure that the stories that we publish here will be replicated all over the world as the nevershare syringes are adopted by services, and injecting drug users – to send your stories of changing injecting and other feedback, click here.

Feedback from Jim Treacy, Exeter Drugs Project
"I gave the nevershare syringes to a couple, and they came back today and were extremely positive about them.

They are both in their early twenties and have, until recently, generally considered themselves to be people who don't share as they only ever deliberately share paraphernalia with each other.

However, my main concern has been that they may be inadvertently sharing each other's syringes as they sometimes reuse them, and the place they store them is on a shelf above head height so when they re-use equipment they may often be getting it mixed up.

I have worked extensively with them on this and although they've been getting better, if they don¹t take enough equipment, primarily spoons, water and filters, then they share. I have encouraged them to mark their syringes in order to distinguish between them but although they start out ok in the morning, through the course of the day these strategies tend to fall by the
wayside. In short, I am clear in my own mind that they have often shared injecting equipment.

I gave them the nevershare syringes yesterday, and when they came back today it was, in the year I've been working with them, the first time they could be sure they haven't shared. They came in very pleased, indeed proud, that they could be so confident about this.

Indeed, having their own exclusive coloured syringes also made them think about the rest of their equipment and they informed me that they had used their own spoons, cups of water and filters (an unexpected consequence but one I'm sure we'll see repeated). I also think that they felt quite empowered by making that choice not to share. So, my hope is that we can start stocking them ASAP."
Jim Treacy, Exeter Drugs Project.