Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by pcthrowaway 1106 days ago
> Every drug seems to have a “right” way to take it. You drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, snort powdered cocaine, inject heroin, and booty bump ecstasy

Nicotine at least is probably more commonly consumed via alternative means now (in North America, in <40 demographics at the very least)

Vaping would likely be the most common, but there are also patches, gum, lozenges, dip, and snuff. I've never heard of anally consumed nicotine though
2 comments
cperciva 1106 days ago
I've never heard of anally consumed nicotine thoug

Never heard of blowing smoke up someone's ass? It was literal in the 18th century.

link
crazygringo 1106 days ago
Wow, I thought for sure that would turn out to be an urban legend, but it's real and was medical:

> ...it was a general mainstream medical procedure used to, among many other things, resuscitate people who were otherwise presumed dead. In fact, it was such a commonly used resuscitation method for drowning victims particularly... Smoke was blown up the rectum by inserting a tube. This tube was connected to a fumigator and a bellows which when compressed forced smoke into the rectum. Sometimes a more direct route to the lungs was taken by forcing the smoke into the nose and mouth, but most physicians felt the rectal method was more effective. The nicotine in the tobacco was thought to stimulate the heart to beat stronger and faster, thus encouraging respiration... Artificial respiration was used if the tobacco enema did not successfully revive them. [1]

So it's not like it was for fun. But I can see how for fast delivery of nicotine, it made perfect sense.

[1] https://gizmodo.com/blowing-smoke-up-your-ass-used-to-be-lit...

link
salad-tycoon 1105 days ago
There’s also nasal spray and I think drinks in Japan. Snuff (nose) is big India I believe.

If you stretch out your hand and fingers and draw a line down from your index and thumb there’s the radial fossa aka “anatomical snuffbox.”

I’ve never done rectal or IV nicotine but I’ve done all the rest. For my money, the Swedes make the best smokeless tobacco. I’m guessing it’s big there?

link