ABSTRACT
Drugs may be taken by injection (intravenous, subcutaneous or, rarely, intramuscular), by sniffing (snorting) into the nose, by inhalation or orally. The different routes of ingestion may produce different physical lesions. It is very rare for drugs to be abused by the vaginal or rectal route, but large amounts of drugs may be transported, wrapped, in these orifices. In general, most drug users will appear perfectly normal; the popular image of an emaciated wreck covered in septic sores is true only in a very small minority.
